I think the best watches for the summer are cased in stainless steel with a steel bracelet, rubber strap, or a canvas strap. It’s a combination of both form and function: these materials lend to a casual and sporty look, as well as avoid the problem of sweaty, smelly leather straps.

Here’s some photos while my watch was still new, with a only a couple light scratches. It has since collected a nice patina from regular usage - but I think a sport watch like this should really be used the way it is designed to be and not babied!

This is the current production model (15300) of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. AP is widely revered as one of the top 3 Swiss watch manufacturers, along with Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. I love the Royal Oak because it’s one of the most legendary models in watch history, a model that started the entire genre of luxury steel sports watches (Patek Philippe Nautilus and Vacheron Constantin Overseas) and perhaps saved AP from bankruptcy in the early 1970’s.

The horological world’s most famous designer, Gerald Genta, designed and named this watch after ships in the British Navy, cuing the bezel and case design from portholes. The octagonal steel bezel and hexagonal white gold nuts are both distinctive and functional: the case is created from 2 solid steel pieces, sandwiching a rubber gasket that isolates the movement from both moisture and vibration. As a result, its also one of the toughest and most durable watches - fitting of its sporting aspirations.

The 15300 is a little thicker and more massive than the Royal Oak of 1972. With only very minor changes, the Royal Oak remains quite true to its original design, right down to the amazing integrated bracelet. The 15300 contains the new in-house designed and manufactured movement, the 3120. It’s self winding with a 22k rotor engraved with the Audemars and Piguet family crests, employs a full balance bridge, and has a freesprung, adjustable mass balance wheel. To watch purists, a balance bridge provides better inherent stability than a balance cock that is anchored only on one side, and the adjustable mass balance is better as it does not distort the shape of the balance spring (ideally is perfectly concentric) to regulate for timing.

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photos:ernesthon