'Exclusive' is the word that keeps the luxury fashion world in motion. Take the Hermès Birkin bag as your prime example. Yet when it comes to timepieces, that concept is only amplified. Limited-edition runs, exclusive drops, and invitation-only collections create a market that is not just elite, but often shrouded in secrecy—where prized curators whisper about the watches worth investing in, and only amongst themselves. Until, that is, a timepiece becomes so popular that every chic celebrity is spotted wearing one. Enter: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Mini.
Now, if you're up to date on your horological knowledge, you’ll know that Audemars Piguet released the new 23mm Royal Oak Mini around this time last year. "It's a revival of the 1997 20mm model that channels the design codes Gerald Genta so masterfully imbued into the original larger Royal Oak back in 1972," says jewellery specialist, advisor and curator Mirta de Gisbert.
