One watch or many

The Royal Oak and the Royal Oak Offshore account for 1,023 of the 1,388 Audemars Piguet watches here, 74 per cent, and the Gérald Genta design of 1972 is the brand's identity. Patek's largest collection, the Grand Complications, is 270 of 918, and the Calatrava, the Complications and the Nautilus follow at 193, 176 and 95. Genta drew both sports watches, the Royal Oak in 1972 and the Nautilus in 1976, and they remain the two most direct rivals either maison makes.

Movements

Both are manufactures with a history of bought-in bases, and the library records the transition. Audemars Piguet's most common calibers are the modular 3126/3840 and the Piguet-based 2385 chronographs, then the in-house 3120, 4401 and 4302 of 2019. Patek's are the ultra-thin 240 and the 324 S C, with the Lemania-based CH 27-70 Q still present in 34 perpetual calendar chronographs. The Piguet piece and the Lemania piece trace those shared bases.

79 per cent of Audemars Piguet watches here are automatic and 15 per cent hand-wound; Patek is 59 and 35. The Patek median case is 38.5 mm, the Audemars Piguet 41 mm, the size of the Royal Oak Selfwinding.

Complications and materials

Patek carries the calendars and the strikers: 19 per cent of its watches have a perpetual calendar and 11 per cent a minute repeater, against 6 and 1 per cent at Audemars Piguet. Audemars Piguet carries the tourbillons, 14 per cent of its watches against 5 per cent, most of them in the Royal Oak Concept and the openworked Royal Oaks. Chronographs are level, 22 and 19 per cent.

Steel is more of the Audemars Piguet catalogue than the Patek one, 23 per cent against 9, because the Royal Oak is a steel watch by origin; 59 per cent of Audemars Piguet and 89 per cent of Patek are precious metal. 27 per cent of the Audemars Piguet watches here are limited editions and 26 per cent of Pateks; 18 and 30 per cent of their scored watches carry a rarity score of 8 or more.

The pairs

The Royal Oak and the Nautilus are the obvious pair, 653 and 95 references here. The Royal Oak Offshore and the Aquanaut are the younger, sportier derivatives, and CODE 11.59 and the Calatrava the round dress watches. The glossary defines the grand complication both maisons build at the top of their ranges.