Guide to Audemars Piguet Nicknames

One idiosyncrasy of the watch-collecting community is the prevalence of nicknames. Whether used to describe a particular model, collection, design trait, or colorway, watch nicknames are an integral part of the lingo within enthusiast circles. Audemars Piguet is one brand with many watches that go by affectionate pet names. Interestingly, some of these names were coined by the community while others are official names given by Audemars Piguet in honor of limited or special editions. If you’re unfamiliar with AP nicknames, it can be confusing to know exactly which watch is being discussed. Therefore, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to Audemars Piguet nicknames so you know exactly what’s on the table. Let’s get to it.

Audemars Piguet Jumbo

When Audemars Piguet launched the Gerald Genta-designed Royal Oak watch in 1972, its 39mm case was considered very large for the era. As such, it was quickly nicknamed the “Jumbo.”

Today, the Jumbo nickname is also given to any model derived from that original Royal Oak ref. 5402, which is to say an ultra-thin 39mm variant with a dial that only has hour and minute hands (no seconds hands).

Royal Oak Jumbo References

• Reference 5402
• Reference 14802
• Reference 15002
• Reference 15202
• Reference 16202

Price Guide: How Much Does An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Cost?

Audemars Piguet Beast

In 1993, Audemars Piguet unveiled the Royal Oak Offshore as a bolder, larger, and more modern iteration of the original Royal Oak. Yet again, the size of the timepiece, which was 42mm, was much larger than what was available in the market at that time. Therefore, the watch was swiftly nicknamed the “Beast,” which is applicable to any Royal Oak Offshore model.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore “Themes”

The “Themes” nickname refers to some select dial colorways of older Royal Oak Offshore references. Specifically, there are Safari, Navy, Black Themes, Silver Themes (a.k.a. White Themes), and Blue Themes AP models among others. Some of the most famous include the Safari, which combines a steel case, cream-colored dial, and brown Hornback alligator strap, in addition to the Navy, which as its name suggests, has a striking white and blue color scheme.

Royal Oak Offshore Safari References

• Reference 26020ST.OO.D091CR.01
• Reference 26170ST.OO.D091CR.01

Royal Oak Offshore Navy References

• Reference 26020ST.OO.D020IN.01
• Reference 26170ST.OO.D305CR.01

Watch on Grey Market TV: The Royal Oak Navy

Royal Oak Offshore Black Themes References

• Reference 26020ST.OO.D001IN.01
• Reference 26170ST.OO.1000ST.08
• Reference 26170ST.OO.D101CR.03

Audemars Piguet Rubberclad

The nickname Rubberclad refers to variations of the Royal Oak Offshore furnished with bezels wrapped in rubber.

Royal Oak Offshore Rubberclad References

• Regular production references: 26238, 26178, 25940
• Limited edition references: 26071, 26082, 26262, 26278, 26279, 26296, 26298, 26377

Watch on Grey Market TV: The AP Rubberclad

Audemars Piguet Bumblebee

The Bumblee is the nickname given to the Royal Oak Offshore 26176FO thanks to the watch’s eye-catching black and yellow colorway.

Watch on Grey Market TV: The Royal Oak Offshore Bumblebee

Audemars Piguet Ghost

The titanium Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26470IO.OO.A006CA.01 is often nicknamed the Ghost due to its gray ceramic bezel, gray dial, and gray rubber strap.

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Audemars Piguet Havana

The Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26470ST.OO.A820CR.01 goes by the name “Havana,” characterized by the vintage-like tobacco brown dial with rose gold accents and a rich brown leather strap.

Audemars Piguet Combat a.k.a. Camo

Characterized by its military camouflage theme, the AP Royal Oak Offshore 26400SO.OO.A054CA.01 is aptly nicknamed the Combat or the Camo.

Audemars Piguet Volcano

 The Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26170ST.OO.D101CR.01, which includes an orange and black dial housed inside a stainless steel case, is better known as the Volcano.

Audemars Piguet Lava

The limited edition Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26201SN.OO.D101CR.01, featuring a black DLC-coated case and an orange and black dial, is affectionately known as the Lava.

Audemars Piguet Brick

Also known as Pounder, Brick refers to 18k gold Royal Oak Offshore chronographs paired with matching gold bracelets. The full gold construction makes the watch heavy, hence the nickname.

Royal Oak Offshore Brick References

• 26470OR.OO.1000OR
• 26470BA.OO.1000BA

Watch on Grey Market TV: Restoration of an Audemars Piguet “Brick” Watch

Audemars Piguet Gentleman’s Driver

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26175ST.OO.D003CU.01, which has a motorsports-inspired dial, is nicknamed the Gentleman’s Diver

Audemars Piguet Elephant

Affectionately known as the Elephant, the Royal Oak Offshore 26470ST.OO.A104CR.01 includes a stainless steel case, a gray tapisserie dial, and a gray alligator leather strap.

Audemars Piguet The Beauty

As the first full gold Royal Oak Offshore chronograph to be released, the ref. 25721BA was nicknamed the Beauty to counter the Beast nickname.

Audemars Piguet Indigo

The Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26470ST.OO.A030CA.01 is nicknamed the Indigo because of its bright blue dial, strap, and ceramic accents.

Audemars Piguet Panda

The Panda nickname is ubiquitous in the watch world; it refers to chronograph watches with white or silver dials punctuated with black registers, which mimics the face of the beloved bear. There have been a few Audemars Piguet Panda watches over the years, both in the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore collections.

Audemars Piguet Panda References

• Royal Oak 26331ST.OO.1220ST.03
• Royal Oak 26240BC.GG.1324BC.01
• Royal Oak 26300ST.OO.1110ST.06
• Royal Oak Offshore 26170ST.OO.1000ST.01
• Royal Oak Offshore 26170ST.OO.D101CR.02
• Royal Oak Offshore 26400SO.OO.A002CA.01

Audemars Piguet Vampire

The black and red Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26470ST.OO.A101CR.01, launched in 2014, is commonly known by its Vampire nickname.

Audemars Piguet Dark Knight

The steel and ceramic Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26470SO.OO.A002CA.01 with black and red accents is sometimes nicknamed the Dark Knight.

Audemars Piguet Alinghi Watches

Audemars Piguet has partnered several times with Alinghi, the Swiss competitive sailing team established by Ernesto Bertarelli, to create special edition watches. Below are some notable examples of AP Alinghi watches.

Audemars Piguet Alinghi References

• 2003: Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Commemorative Edition ref. 25995IP – Limited to 1,000 pieces
• 2005: Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Polaris ref. 26040ST – Limited to 2,000 pieces
• 2007: Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Limited Edition ref. 26062FS.OO.A002CA.01 – Limited to 1,300 pieces
• 2007: Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Limited Edition ref. 26062OR.OO.A002CA.01 – Limited to 600 pieces
• 2007: Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Limited Edition ref. 26062PT.OO.A002CA.01 – Limited to 107 pieces
• Royal Oak Lady Alinghi ref. 67610ST, 67611ST, 26076SK

Audemars Piguet Arnold Schwarzenegger Watches

Audemars Piguet has had a long history with Arnold Schwarzenegger, which paved the way for a bevy of watches made in his honor. Some of the more notable ones include the End of Days (ref. 25770SN and 26420CE), the Legacy (ref. 263781O.OO.A001KE.01), the T3 (ref. 25863TI.00.A001CU.01 and 25863TI.00.A080CU.01), and the Jules Audemars “Arnold’s All-Stars” series.

See it on the Wrist: AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE “END OF DAYS” WATCH

Other Audemars Piguet Celebrities Series

In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Audemars Piguet teamed up with plenty of other celebrities to create special edition watches. Below are some of the most notable ones.

Audemars Piguet Jay-Z

Jay-Z’s admiration for Audemars Piguet is no secret; not only does he boast one of the coolest AP watch collections but he’s also included the Swiss watch manufacture’s name in several of his songs.

In 2005, Audemars Piguet and Jay-Z collaborated to create the Royal Oak Offshore “Jay-Z” Limited Edition series, complete with an iPod pre-loaded with Jay-Z’s albums in the watch box. The series consists of 100 timepieces: 50 in stainless steel, 30 in rose gold, and 20 in platinum.

Royal Oak Offshore Jay-Z Reference Numbers

• Reference 26055ST.OO.D001CR.01
• Reference 26055PT.OO.D001CR.01
• Reference 26055OR.OO.D001CR.01

Audemars Piguet Shaquille O’Neal

In 2007, Audemars Piguet partnered with the biggest NBA star of the era to manufacture the limited edition Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal series. The steel version of the Royal Oak Offshore Shaq was limited to 960 examples while the white gold and diamonds variant was limited to 96 examples. The numbers “2” and “3” on the dial were inverted to read “32,” in reference to Shaq’s jersey.

Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Reference Numbers

• Reference 26133ST.OO.A101CR.01
• Reference 26134BC.ZZ.A101CR.01

Audemars Piguet Michael Schumacher

An admitted huge fan of Audemars Piguet, German racecar driving legend, Michael Schumacher was proud to help design and unveil the Limited Edition Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher series in 2012. The titanium version was limited to 1,000, the pink gold version was limited to 500 pieces, and the platinum version was limited to 100 pieces. All Royal Oak Offshore Schumi watches were fitted with Cermet bezels, which is a composite made of ceramic and metal, and motorsport-inspired dials.

• Reference 26568IM.OO.A004CA.01
• Reference 26568OM.OO.A004CA.01
• Reference 26568PM.OO.A021CA.01

Audemars Piguet Leo Messi

In 2012, Audemars Piguet announced The Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition series, made in collaboration with the Argentina soccer phenom. The steel versions were limited to 500 examples, the rose gold to 400 examples, and the platinum to 100 pieces. Each of these Royal Oak Chronograph Leo Messi watches is furnished with tantalum bezels.

Royal Oak Offshore Leo Messi Reference Numbers

• Reference 26325TS.OO.D005CR.01
• Reference 26325OL.OO.D005CR.01
• Reference 26325PL.OO.D310CR.01

Audemars Piguet Lebron James

Launched in 2013 and made in collaboration with the NBA superstar, the limited edition (600 pieces) Royal Oak Offshore LeBron James ref. 26210OI.OO.A109CR.01 features an alluring mix of rose gold, titanium, and ceramic.

Audemars Piguet Black Panther

In 2021, Audemars Piguet announced the limited edition Royal Oak Concept Black Panther Flying Tourbillon ref. 26620IO.OO.D077CA.01. This Audemars Piguet x Marvel collab is limited to 250 pieces and it’s a celebrity favorite. We’ve spotted LeBron James, Draymond Green, The Weeknd, Kevin Hart, Neymar Jr., and Virgil Van Dijk wearing the famed Black Panther AP watch.

Audemars Piguet Pride Of Watches

Starting in 2008, Audemars Piguet began releasing the “Pride Of” watch series, which marked important milestones or landmarks across several countries. The AP Pride Of models include the following:

• Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Indonesia ref. 26179IR.OO.A005CR.01 – Limited to 100 pieces
• Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Siam ref. 26172SO.OO.D202CR.01 – Limited to 100 pieces
• Royal Oak Pride of China ref. 26168SR.OO.1220SR.02 (250 pieces) and 26168SR.OO.1220SR.01 (250 pieces)
• Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Mexico ref. 26297IS.OO.D101CR.01 (200 pieces) and 26297OR.OO.D101CR.01 (100 pieces)
• Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Argentina ref. 26365IS.OO.D305CR.01 (100 pieces) and 26365OR.OO.D801CR.01 (50 pieces)
• Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Russia ref. 26061OR.OO.D002CR.01 (200 pieces) and 26061BC.OO.D028CR.01 (50 pieces)
• Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Germany ref. 26416RO.OO.A002CA.01 (30 pieces) and 26415CE.OO.A002CA.01 (300 pieces)
• Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Italy ref. 26326ST.OO.D027CA.01 (500 pieces)

If you’re interested in other watch nickname guides, then don’t miss our comprehensive Guide to Rolex Watch Nicknames.