Audemars Piguet revives the “Mini Yet Mighty” Mini Royal Oak

Audemars Piguet has just reintroduced its Mini Royal Oak.

A derivative of its smallest Royal Oak created, the 20mm Ref. 67075BA from 1997, these three first references are every bit jewellery as they are wristwatches, and that’s a good thing.

Unveiled in Hong Kong with a star-studded ensemble of celebrated women across the APAC region, all three Audemars Piguet Mini Royal Oak watches were shown with a full touch-and-feel experience. Blending in well with the sea of glittery-gold dresses, these 23mm watches arrived in three Frosted Gold launch colours: yellow, pink, and white.

When I was first shown these pieces, nothing in particular jumped out at me, but now having seen them in person, I can see a place for these. Yes, they are small, but that is the point. They blend seamlessly in with the jewellery on one’s body, which is an issue I find when people with smaller wrists wear something like the Jumbo. The watch always seems so top-heavy as it precariously swings, but this watch feels more elegant and balanced for both situations where you need to dress up or dress down.

For the movement, AP has elected to go quartz with the Calibre 2730 which packs a cool little trick when its “switch” is activated. Simply pull out the crown and this will deactivate the battery which helps push the battery life past its seven-year expectancy. This watch is also good up to 50 meters under water. Even though this shares all the modern cues as the modern Royal Oak, there’s something vintage about it, and I think that would be an interesting direction to take this watch, as I can picture this looking great in white gold with something like a malachite or lapis lazuli dial. While Tapisserie is important, I find it less necessary in the Mini Oak than in the larger sizes — especially in pushing the jewellery angle. That being said, I’d still love to see this in stainless steel, with a smoked blue Mini Tapisserie dial, and a mechanical movement.

The added bonus is of course the Royal Oak’s signature design attribute of being slightly larger than what you’d expect. This combined with the many angles of the case and the bracelet, along with the frosted gold technique, and you’ve got an eye-catching accessory that just so happens to tell the time. The new Audemars Piguet Mini Royal Oak will set you back roughly 265,000 HKD.