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Submarino · 13 February 2012, 02:08 AM

I will start this review by reminding you that my favorite brand is and has always been Audemars Piguet. Through the course of my watch collecting life I have owned several Royal Oaks ref. 5402 "Jumbo" and I have always admired that reference in particular. As you know, the ref. 5402 "Jumbo" was the first Royal Oak to be launched in 1972 —which happens to be my birth year—

fitted with an ultra-thin caliber 2121 —a masterpiece of 'haute horlogerie'— and that changed the world of sports luxury watches forever.

To be honest, I never considered buying a Royal Oak ref. 15300 in Stainless Steel as I felt I was betraying my true love for the ref. 5402 "Jumbo". However, two weeks ago I decided to add another great piece to my AP collection. The ref. 15300 is fitted with caliber 3120 which is called by some AP enthusiasts as "one of the greatest automatic movements ever made".

The case diameter is 39mm like on the "Jumbo", however, the ref.15300 is thicker —than its predecessor— at 9.4mm. The watch wears a little bit smaller than the "Jumbo" as the proportions of the case and bezel are different, regardless that the case size is the same.

P1010447.jpg

This watch just like any other Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is fitted with a beautiful solid link integrated bracelet. The bracelet has the unmistakeable AP grainy brushed finish with some polished areas at the end of the links and around the top and bottom of the center links. The bracelet is very solid and comfortable, however, the clasp is not my favorite part of this bracelet. The clasp is a double push button double folding clasp with AP shape blades on both ends of the interior of the clasp. I personally prefer the old school ref. 5402 blade clasp with fliplock, that happens to feel more sturdy and more comfortable.

P1010445.jpg

P1010460.jpg

P1010444.jpg

P1010450.jpg

P1010449.jpg

The dial in this watch is a "Grande Tapisserie" (waffle pattern) in deep blue with white fonts. Depending on lighting conditions, it will almost look charcoal gray. The dial comes with white gold applied baton hour-markers and white gold Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating. The luminova is not very powerful and since the coated area in the hands and markers is very thin you don't get much brightness. Additionally, the luminova will wear out within a few hours after you go to bed. Not a big deal, just wanted to documented for those 'luminova lovers'. The calendar wheel is 'off-white' almost a very light ivory with all the numbers in the newer AP font with serifs opposed to the old school font in the 5402 and the 15202.

P1010454.jpg

photo.JPG

The movement is just gorgeous and quite accurate. Mine has only lost -3 to -4 seconds a day —which is still under COSC specs— during the first week of daily wear. I don't take the watch off at night, however, I will now in order to have the watch gain some of those seconds back by leaving it flat dial up and self-adjust a little bit. Since this watch comes with a sapphire crystal case back you can admire the cal. 3120 thought it. It's just gorgeous!!!

The movement thickness with module is 4.26mm and a total diameter of 11¾ lignes. Frequency of balance wheel 3,00 (=21’600 alternances/hour) Hz, Bi-directional automatic winding with a 22K gold monobloc rotor fully decorated with the crest of the Audemars and Piguet families, 40 jewels, 60-hour power reserve and 280 parts, which IMHO is pretty impressive!

P1010451.jpg

After wearing the watch for two full weeks all I can say is that it is a very comfortable watch, a beautiful watch that matches all types of outfits —dressed down or suited up— and my favorite part of it, is that is understated as not everyone knows what you are wearing.

P1010464.jpg

TSW · 13 February 2012, 02:16 AM

Fantastic picture and a well written review Hal

I most certainly enjoyed it

HL65 · 13 February 2012, 02:49 AM

Well written amd great shots--Excellent Hal!

Submarino · 13 February 2012, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

Well written amd great shots--Excellent Hal!

Thanks Ken.

Maybe it's time for you to do one on that gorgeous Bumble Bee of yours!!!

It would really be great!!!

laphroaig007 · 13 February 2012, 05:51 AM

Nice review and pics.
Thanks for sharing this beauty.

psv · 13 February 2012, 05:52 AM

Great review! The RO line is truly iconic!

eric23 · 13 February 2012, 08:37 AM

Great review Hal!

Andrés G · 13 February 2012, 08:49 AM

Great review. The 15300 has become my favorite watch.

emagni · 13 February 2012, 09:52 AM

Great job and love the pics! Thanks for sharing :-)

dalip · 13 February 2012, 10:03 AM

Brilliant

Now I really want one

dddrees · 13 February 2012, 12:28 PM

Gorgeous watch Hal, great review.

chicagofan · 13 February 2012, 12:51 PM

Great review and pics!

onkyo · 13 February 2012, 01:21 PM

Great pics and write up. I very much enjoyed reading it.

saber6 · 13 February 2012, 03:16 PM

Tank! Great pics

lorsban · 14 February 2012, 01:45 PM

Beautiful! Definitely my grail.

Don't know what's nicer that dial or the silver one...

Tony-GB · 14 February 2012, 08:56 PM

Cracking review and pics!

Submarino · 15 February 2012, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laphroaig007

Nice review and pics.
Thanks for sharing this beauty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by psv

Great review! The RO line is truly iconic!

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric23

Great review Hal!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrés G

Great review. The 15300 has become my favorite watch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by emagni

Great job and love the pics! Thanks for sharing :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by dddrees

Gorgeous watch Hal, great review.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagofan

Great review and pics!

Quote:

Originally Posted by onkyo

Great pics and write up. I very much enjoyed reading it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saber6

Tank! Great pics

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorsban

Beautiful! Definitely my grail.

Don't know what's nicer that dial or the silver one...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony-GB

Cracking review and pics!

Thanks gentlemen!!!

Submarino · 15 February 2012, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalip

Brilliant

Now I really want one

You definitely need one to add to your AP collection. Go for it!!!

ocwatching · 15 February 2012, 03:14 AM

Great review...makes me want one even more...
love the blue...

horseco · 16 March 2012, 08:54 PM

I really want a white dial 15300 more & more... thanx for the review

TSW · 16 March 2012, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ocwatching

Great review...makes me want one even more...
love the blue...

Quote:

Originally Posted by horseco

I really want a white dial 15300 more & more... thanx for the review

Only one cure for that itch...Scratch the hell out of it

Yoda · 17 March 2012, 12:36 AM

Great write up and photos. Keep up the good work. Your dedication to AP is inspiring.

Submarino · 11 May 2012, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda

Great write up and photos. Keep up the good work. Your dedication to AP is inspiring.

Cru Jones · 23 May 2012, 01:20 AM

mboverst · 23 May 2012, 02:05 AM

Fantastic review! The 15300 is arguably my favorite piece of all time, truly a classic!

HSC · 11 October 2012, 01:44 AM

Amazing watch. Have just ordered an AP 15400 ST in 41mm. Will arrive next week and i shall put up some pictures to show you what it looks like with a black dial.

mineral · 22 October 2012, 05:02 PM

Nice 15300. This is a watch worth to keep for lifetime imo. Hope you enjoy yours many years to come. Cheers

malarky_hk · 23 October 2012, 03:19 PM

The more I see of this watch, the more I like. At first, it struck me as rather bland but am becoming a convert as I'm learning to appreciate all the subtle nuances and refinements of this gorgeous piece. Nice write and great pics.

chinguel · 23 October 2012, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ocwatching

Great review...makes me want one even more...
love the blue...

Me too. Congrats Great Watch

Submarino · 24 October 2012, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HSC

Amazing watch. Have just ordered an AP 15400 ST in 41mm. Will arrive next week and i shall put up some pictures to show you what it looks like with a black dial.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mineral

Nice 15300. This is a watch worth to keep for lifetime imo. Hope you enjoy yours many years to come. Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by malarky_hk

The more I see of this watch, the more I like. At first, it struck me as rather bland but am becoming a convert as I'm learning to appreciate all the subtle nuances and refinements of this gorgeous piece. Nice write and great pics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinguel

Me too. Congrats Great Watch

Thanks guys!!!

13 February 2012, 02:08 AM	#1
Submarino "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Real Name: Mr. H Location: Dallas Watch: them for me! Posts: 7,180	Audemars Piguet Ref. 15300ST.OO.1220ST.02 I will start this review by reminding you that my favorite brand is and has always been Audemars Piguet. Through the course of my watch collecting life I have owned several Royal Oaks ref. 5402 "Jumbo" and I have always admired that reference in particular. As you know, the ref. 5402 "Jumbo" was the first Royal Oak to be launched in 1972 —which happens to be my birth year— fitted with an ultra-thin caliber 2121 —a masterpiece of 'haute horlogerie'— and that changed the world of sports luxury watches forever. To be honest, I never considered buying a Royal Oak ref. 15300 in Stainless Steel as I felt I was betraying my true love for the ref. 5402 "Jumbo". However, two weeks ago I decided to add another great piece to my AP collection. The ref. 15300 is fitted with caliber 3120 which is called by some AP enthusiasts as "one of the greatest automatic movements ever made". The case diameter is 39mm like on the "Jumbo", however, the ref.15300 is thicker —than its predecessor— at 9.4mm. The watch wears a little bit smaller than the "Jumbo" as the proportions of the case and bezel are different, regardless that the case size is the same. P1010447.jpg This watch just like any other Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is fitted with a beautiful solid link integrated bracelet. The bracelet has the unmistakeable AP grainy brushed finish with some polished areas at the end of the links and around the top and bottom of the center links. The bracelet is very solid and comfortable, however, the clasp is not my favorite part of this bracelet. The clasp is a double push button double folding clasp with AP shape blades on both ends of the interior of the clasp. I personally prefer the old school ref. 5402 blade clasp with fliplock, that happens to feel more sturdy and more comfortable. P1010445.jpg P1010460.jpg P1010444.jpg P1010450.jpg P1010449.jpg The dial in this watch is a "Grande Tapisserie" (waffle pattern) in deep blue with white fonts. Depending on lighting conditions, it will almost look charcoal gray. The dial comes with white gold applied baton hour-markers and white gold Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating. The luminova is not very powerful and since the coated area in the hands and markers is very thin you don't get much brightness. Additionally, the luminova will wear out within a few hours after you go to bed. Not a big deal, just wanted to documented for those 'luminova lovers'. The calendar wheel is 'off-white' almost a very light ivory with all the numbers in the newer AP font with serifs opposed to the old school font in the 5402 and the 15202. P1010454.jpg photo.JPG The movement is just gorgeous and quite accurate. Mine has only lost -3 to -4 seconds a day —which is still under COSC specs— during the first week of daily wear. I don't take the watch off at night, however, I will now in order to have the watch gain some of those seconds back by leaving it flat dial up and self-adjust a little bit. Since this watch comes with a sapphire crystal case back you can admire the cal. 3120 thought it. It's just gorgeous!!! The movement thickness with module is 4.26mm and a total diameter of 11¾ lignes. Frequency of balance wheel 3,00 (=21’600 alternances/hour) Hz, Bi-directional automatic winding with a 22K gold monobloc rotor fully decorated with the crest of the Audemars and Piguet families, 40 jewels, 60-hour power reserve and 280 parts, which IMHO is pretty impressive! P1010451.jpg After wearing the watch for two full weeks all I can say is that it is a very comfortable watch, a beautiful watch that matches all types of outfits —dressed down or suited up— and my favorite part of it, is that is understated as not everyone knows what you are wearing. P1010464.jpg __________________ WATCHES ARE THE NEW CURRENCY!/ MEMBER 27491/OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED OLD TIMER /AP OWNERS CLUB MEMBER Instagram @watchcollectinglifestyle

13 February 2012, 02:16 AM	#2
TSW "TRF" Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Real Name: TSW Location: Le Brassus Watch: Rolex & AP's Posts: 27,449	Fantastic picture and a well written review Hal I most certainly enjoyed it __________________ AP Owners Club IG @swiss.watch.connection

13 February 2012, 02:49 AM	#3
HL65 TRF Moderator & 2024 SubLV41 Patron Join Date: Dec 2007 Real Name: Ken Location: SW Florida Watch: One on my wrist. Posts: 63,993	Well written amd great shots--Excellent Hal! __________________ *SPEM SUCCESSUS ALIT*

13 February 2012, 05:51 AM	#5
laphroaig007 "TRF" Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Real Name: Marc Location: France Watch: 116710 & PAM372 Posts: 1,027	Nice review and pics. Thanks for sharing this beauty. __________________ Always look on the bright side of life... Watch addict...

13 February 2012, 09:52 AM	#9
emagni "TRF" Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: on Earth Watch: ing TRF Posts: 1,284	Great job and love the pics! Thanks for sharing :-) __________________ Watches: More than my fingers can count

13 February 2012, 05:52 AM	#6
psv 2024 Pledge Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: USA & France Posts: 11,078	Great review! The RO line is truly iconic!

13 February 2012, 08:37 AM	#7
eric23 "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Real Name: Eric Location: Calgary Posts: 9,595	Great review Hal!

13 February 2012, 08:49 AM	#8
Andrés G "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Guatemala Posts: 3,392	Great review. The 15300 has become my favorite watch.

13 February 2012, 10:03 AM	#10
dalip "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Real Name: Dalip Location: Mumbai and Perth Watch: Rolex PAM Omega Posts: 18,656	Brilliant Now I really want one __________________ ------------------------------------------------------------ *"The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else." George Bernard Shaw*

13 February 2012, 12:28 PM	#11
dddrees "TRF" Member Join Date: May 2010 Real Name: Dan Location: USA Watch: This N That Posts: 34,253	Gorgeous watch Hal, great review. __________________ When it captures your imagination, that's when you know you have found your passion. Loyal Foot Soldier of The Nylon Nation. Card Carrying Member of the Global Association of Retro-Grouch-Curmudgeons

13 February 2012, 12:51 PM	#12
chicagofan "TRF" Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Real Name: Howard Location: Chicago Posts: 3,588	Great review and pics!

13 February 2012, 01:21 PM	#13
onkyo Banned Join Date: Apr 2008 Real Name: Pav Location: Manhattan Posts: 11,495	Great pics and write up. I very much enjoyed reading it.

13 February 2012, 03:16 PM	#14
saber6 "TRF" Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 25	Tank! Great pics

14 February 2012, 01:45 PM	#15
lorsban "TRF" Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Philippines Posts: 1,199	Beautiful! Definitely my grail. Don't know what's nicer that dial or the silver one... __________________ Rolex TT Datejust, Panerai PAM 312, Omega Connie C-Shape, Anonimo D-Date II, Squale 20 Atmos Blue Ray, Concord Impresario Triple Date Chrono Seiko SKX007, Monster Tuna

14 February 2012, 08:56 PM	#16
Tony-GB "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Real Name: Tony Location: Oxfordshire, UK Watch: 116680 & 116622 Posts: 3,953	Cracking review and pics! __________________ "...why oh why, didn't I take the blue pill...?" http://www.helenanddouglas.org.uk/ www.cheetah.org

15 February 2012, 03:14 AM	#19
ocwatching "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Real Name: Phil Location: CA Posts: 5,374	Great review...makes me want one even more... love the blue... __________________ too much into watches...

16 March 2012, 08:54 PM	#20
horseco "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Real Name: Anthony Location: North Jersey Watch: Daytona 116528 Posts: 3,425	I really want a white dial 15300 more & more... thanx for the review

17 March 2012, 12:36 AM	#22
Yoda Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: London Watch: PP AP RM Posts: 794	Great write up and photos. Keep up the good work. Your dedication to AP is inspiring.

23 May 2012, 01:20 AM	#24
Cru Jones 2024 SubLV41 Pledge Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Paris, France Posts: 35,264

23 May 2012, 02:05 AM	#25
mboverst "TRF" Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Real Name: Matt Location: Dallas Posts: 1,683	Fantastic review! The 15300 is arguably my favorite piece of all time, truly a classic!

11 October 2012, 01:44 AM	#26
HSC "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: uk Posts: 1	Amazing watch. Have just ordered an AP 15400 ST in 41mm. Will arrive next week and i shall put up some pictures to show you what it looks like with a black dial.

22 October 2012, 05:02 PM	#27
mineral "TRF" Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 3,670	Nice 15300. This is a watch worth to keep for lifetime imo. Hope you enjoy yours many years to come. Cheers __________________ Watching date changes every midnight

23 October 2012, 03:19 PM	#28
malarky_hk "TRF" Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: ... Watch: Rolex Posts: 4,466	The more I see of this watch, the more I like. At first, it struck me as rather bland but am becoming a convert as I'm learning to appreciate all the subtle nuances and refinements of this gorgeous piece. Nice write and great pics.

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