Hinclimincli 17 Posted December 25, 2017 Merry Christmas fellow AP fans and RWG'ers in general! I have always been kind of a Rolex fan, but for some reason the Royal Oak has always got my attention. It's an iconic watch and although there was always something that kept me off, mostly the size (I have very small wrists and anything over 40mm looks silly to me). That's when I saw the 15202... Small enough to look good, and cheap as hell (got it for less than £130). With 39mm and just 10mm slim I thought I should give it a go. And boy, what a good thought it was! The first impression was just wow. This thing shines! But in a very subtle and elegant way, doesn't look tremendously blingy to me. I'm very impressed also with the blue tone on the dial, as the Clous de Paris make it reflect the light in very nice patterns. It's funny how much difference some direct natural light makes in this dial. This shot didn't have that much light and it looks like a completely different dial. The bracelet feels a bit sharp, mainly on the long side of the rectangular links. I assume it will get smoother with use. On the other hand, the bracelet is very comfortable and feels solid, as opposed to some well known vintage divers with rather rattly and flimsy. It sports a Quartz movement so no + or - seconds a day, no more checking accuracy, etc. The original doesn't have seconds hand either so it's not a problem at all, only that the original has an open back where you can see the beautiful 2121 manufacture caliber in all his glory. Well, no glory for this one! Now for the tells, essentially two big ones and one minor: 1. The genuine has the word "Automatic" right under the Audemars Piguet name. I guess the Chinese decided to play it honest and transparent this time and not lie with the movement this time, lol. 2. The date window sits far more on the right on the genuine. You can notice that the gen hasn't got the white marker at three while the rep does have it. This is the genuine dial: 3. Thickness. The original is super slim, one of the trademarks of this precise model, sitting at 8,10mm. Because this version is quartz, it gets very close to that, bringing it down to 10mm which feels truly slim on your wrist! This is the genuine: And here's the rep: None of these are deal-breakers to me, and even less when you bear in mind that this is a cheap £126 watch. To me this is an absolute bargain and it's difficult to get better value on a watch than this other than maybe Narikaa's Regmariner. It sits really well on my 6" wrists, although the lugs are slightly bigger than I'd like. I might check the 15450 now that I got bitten by the AP bug! So far, so good. It's a beautiful watch that I will wear quite a lot on this Christmas break! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hinclimincli 17 Posted December 25, 2017 Just checking the genuine photos I realised the gen bracelet is also slimmer and the links are less chunky. Might have to check one of the JF 15450 then! :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daywatch 4 Posted December 25, 2017 Well done. Congrats on the new watch, with 39mm/10mm and no ticking seconds it does look nice - with inbuilt reliability and accuracy. Stunning colours on the wristshots:) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glaude 1,615 Posted December 27, 2017 Nice write up and pics, thanks for sharing ! I won't mind having a quartz on this because of the lack of a second hand. Where did you get it ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hinclimincli 17 Posted December 27, 2017 19 hours ago, Glaude said: Nice write up and pics, thanks for sharing ! I won't mind having a quartz on this because of the lack of a second hand. Where did you get it ? I got it from a Supporting Vendor at RWI, username RepPossessed. He's based in UK and that's a huge advantage for me as I can get any watch from him in 24h. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manodeoro 19 Posted December 29, 2017 Great review and lovely watch ... You'll be guilty if I have a Rolex less and my first AP within the next months.Wear it proudly and I hope I could show the twin watch soon Just one thing, if I may ...The APRO guilloché is not a "Clou de Paris" but a " Petite Tapisserie".That "machined guilloché" pattern has been created by Roland Tulle in 1972.Since then AP has introduced the "Grande Tapisserie" and the "Mega Tapisserie".Though they are "machined guilloché" the APRO dials patterns require about 20 to 50 minutes to be completed.Then they are finished "by hand".No idea of how long your's required to be finished but it's a great dial.sent from my Moto G5 Plus using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hinclimincli 17 Posted December 30, 2017 16 hours ago, manodeoro said: Great review and lovely watch ... You'll be guilty if I have a Rolex less and my first AP within the next months. Wear it proudly and I hope I could show the twin watch soon Just one thing, if I may ... The APRO guilloché is not a "Clou de Paris" but a " Petite Tapisserie". That "machined guilloché" pattern has been created by Roland Tulle in 1972. Since then AP has introduced the "Grande Tapisserie" and the "Mega Tapisserie". Though they are "machined guilloché" the APRO dials patterns require about 20 to 50 minutes to be completed. Then they are finished "by hand". No idea of how long your's required to be finished but it's a great dial. sent from my Moto G5 Plus using Tapatalk Haha, thanks Monsieur! I won't feel guilty but all the contrary, to serve as inspiration to such a great member and modder! You're right, the 15202 is the only one to have the Petit Tapisserie. One thing I know is that this one surely took less than an hour to complete, ha. Now I'm really want a Nautilus, to start complementing this one. Dammit! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StuH 0 Posted December 30, 2017 I have the same watch from the same seller, it's as close to a daily as I get. Fantastic VFM. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dyosk 0 Posted January 2, 2018 That is a nice watch, really good photography as well. Thanks for sharing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markmarky 0 Posted January 12, 2018 Got this watch and its fantastic. I just need to smooth out the bracelet by putting in baby oil. Then will start wearing it regularly and its quartz, no need to worry about accuracy and setting time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hinclimincli 17 Posted January 12, 2018 16 hours ago, markmarky said: Got this watch and its fantastic. I just need to smooth out the bracelet by putting in baby oil. Then will start wearing it regularly and its quartz, no need to worry about accuracy and setting time. To be fair I didn't put the bracelet in baby oil, just wear it and it will loosen up and adapt way better. I still struggle to get it off my wrist, even after almost a month since I got it! Btw, got in the shower with it and it's still going strong, no sign of water anywhere. I did tighten the screws in the back, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites