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Audemars Piguet is as famous as Rolex and Patek Philippe, and has always been a brand that many industry players are vying to acquire.
In recent years, the store has also held special promotions for the Royal Oak 15300ST, 15400ST, and the new 15500ST in 2019, providing long-term high-priced acquisition services. I thought that the Royal Oak series will be the seller’s market dominance, but the actual market trend can be said to be turbulent all the way to 2020.
Coupled with Audemars Piguet’s continuation of last year’s increase policy, and this year’s decision to adjust prices again, under the double impact of production suspension and price increases, Audemars Piguet’s market has undergone substantial changes as a result.
How will the acquisition market of 15400ST and 15500ST change in the future?
Should I sell now or wait?
And the 15500ST series that has gradually begun to circulate, where will the actual market fall in the future!?
The following will take 15400ST and 15500ST as the main axis to analyze the acquisition market of Audemars Piguet in 2021!
※Taking the Royal Oak series stainless steel model as the analysis object.
※The information stated in the article is as of January 2021.
※Due to changes in the market, the high purchase price of the Royal Oak model cannot be guaranteed. Price analysis is for reference only.
Comparison of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400ST and 15500ST
Everyone knows that the Royal Oak series is Audemars Piguet’s flagship model and a classic masterpiece that has established a model of luxury sports watches. At first glance, it does not look like the thin design of a sports watch. The harmony of movement and beauty is wonderful.
Whether new or second-hand, there is a great demand in the acquisition market, especially the black, blue, and silver dials of stainless steel 15400ST released in 2012. Although they are current models, they are available in authorized dealers. A watch is hard to find. Therefore, many boutique watch shops are actively ensuring sufficient inventory, leading to high purchase prices.
The 15400ST has always been the signature of the Royal Oak series, but at the SIHH2019 watch exhibition, the successor 15500ST slowly appeared.
Although it is a successor model, the 15400ST has not been discontinued immediately. In 2019, the new and old models will continue to be parallel.
No one dared to be sure how long this parallel will last, but at the beginning of 2020, the 15400ST suddenly disappeared from Audemars Piguet’s catalog, which means it was officially discontinued.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400ST
Case size: diameter 41mm x thickness 9.8mm
Material: Stainless steel
Dial: black, blue, silver (gray was introduced in 2017)
Movement: Audemars Piguet Caliber 3120 automatic movement, 21,600 revolutions per hour
Power reserve: about 60 hours
Waterproof function: 50 meters
Comparison of 15400ST and 15500ST
There is no obvious difference between 15400ST and 15500ST at first glance.
From 15300T to 15400ST, the case size became larger (39mm⇒41mm), which gave the two their respective advocates. This time the successor model maintains the original size but uses a new movement.
It is no longer the Cal.3120 that has been used for the three-hand Royal Oak from the 15300ST, but the new self-winding caliber Cal.4302. This is a movement developed for Audemars Piguet’s new series CODE11.59, the most popular topic of this year. Not only the vibration frequency is increased, the power reserve is also extended by about 10 hours, the parts are also increased, and the size of the movement is increased, which in turn increases the thickness of the case by 0.6 mm.
As mentioned earlier, there is no difference between the new and old models at first glance, but the design has changed slightly.
The date window on the dial is closer to the edge, and the hour markers and hands have also increased in width.
What’s more worth mentioning is that the new movement also makes the 15500ST thicker.
It is only 0.6 mm longer. It may not be an exaggeration to say that it is an error. However, when you wear it, you will obviously feel the difference. The user evaluation of this feature is bound to be mixed.
Pricing has also risen due to the use of the new movement. The price of 15500ST is much higher than that of 15400ST (the price of 15500ST will increase by about 7% in 2020, and then by about 7% in 2021. The above is the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak series the main difference of the old model.
The blue dial is the most expensive, followed by black, followed by silver (the new model is black and gray at the same price). In addition, the purchase price of each of the above models is much higher than a year ago.
Comparing the new and old models, you will find that the purchase price of the new models is higher.
It is often said that famous watches such as Rolex are “the market for discontinued models will rise”, but this is actually a very rare situation, and most of the demand is for new models with better performance.
Will the price of the discontinued 15400ST no longer increase? Not necessarily, the price of 15400ST has soared this year, and the increase has exceeded 15500ST, and the acquisition market has even broken the head.
This can be speculated for several reasons. The first is the decrease in circulation caused by the discontinuation of 15400ST. Although the degree of soaring is not like Rolex watches, Audemars Piguet’s super-popular high-end brand watches will become more scarce once production is discontinued (now also Very rare), so the market has the potential to soar in one breath. The still high demand has also enhanced the rare value of this famous watch.
Based on this background, should we sell or wait in 2020 and 2021? Then, let’s analyze and predict the trend of the acquisition market of 15400ST and 15500ST in 2021.
※In 2020, a new 15500ST silver dial Ref.15500ST.OO.1220ST.04 will be launched. Currently there is no widespread circulation in the market.
2021 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak series acquisition market trend
Acquisition market trends in 2021 ① Both 15400ST and 15500ST will rise sharply
When Audemars Piguet just released the 15500ST just two years ago, we also analyzed Audemars Piguet’s acquisition market.
It was mentioned at that time: “The new 15500ST will threaten the market of 15400ST.”
The reason is also mentioned in the previous article. Since the appearance of the new and old models is not very different, under parallel sales, the demand will be relatively inclined to the new models, which may cause the 15400ST to fall.
As far as the past is concerned, well-known models have made minor changes, and if there is no obvious change in appearance, the market will usually not fluctuate too much. For example, when the Rolex Sea-dweller deepsea series released the new work 126660, although there was a wave of topics, the old model did not have a significant premium because the design was almost unchanged.
And the change of Audemars Piguet 15500ST mainly lies in the movement. If new models with better performance continue to gain popularity, it is conceivable that demand will shift from 15400ST to new models.
In fact, even though it has been nearly two years since its publication, the 15500ST gain is still invisible.
On the other hand, the 15400ST also hit an unprecedented high price and continues to set new records.
Overall, there are some ups and downs, but the price of 15400ST has been rising since about May 2019, showing an upward trend. Especially after entering 2020, prices have remained high.
By the way, although in 2019, 15400ST and 15500ST are still on sale in parallel, 15400ST has already shown an upward trend, which shows how amazing the increase is.
In other words, the demand did not unilaterally flow to 15400ST or 15500ST, but driven by high demand, the market continued to rise.
Acquisition market trend in 2021 ②the circulation of 15400ST will gradually decrease due to the suspension of production
15400ST has been in production since 2012. The total production volume is not small. However, it can be described as extinction on the market. It is precisely because this extinct watch is almost extinct, the supply cannot keep up with the demand at all, and it has been created. Today’s high prices…
As early as when the 15500ST was launched, it was known that the 15400ST would eventually be discontinued. Because producing different types of movements at the same time is too costly for manufacturers. Audemars Piguet may be regulating the production of 15400ST or processing the remaining inventory throughout 2019.
Under such circumstances, the supply of 15400ST, which has remained high in popularity, has been declining, and it is only natural that the supply is in short supply. And after the shutdown in 2020, the market circulation has become less, so more and more people are thinking about collecting the increasingly precious 15400ST. Affected by this mentality, the 15400ST in 2020 can be said to be a rare seller’s market in recent years.
Incidentally, due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, it is more difficult to purchase overseas goods, so many companies are actively proposing acquisitions from individual watch owners. The “absolutely indispensable” Royal Oak series is even more popular, and this situation continues. Support the market trend of 15400ST.
Acquisition market trend in 2021 ③the new price rises, affecting the acquisition market of 15400ST and 15500ST
In fact, from 2020 to 2021, many brands have increased their prices in the name of adjusting their prices.
Such as Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, as well as Audemars Piguet introduced in this article.
Audemars Piguet even increased the price of Royal Oak 15500ST by about 7% at the beginning of 2020. Compared with the original 15400ST, the price is much different! After that, in 2021, the price will increase again by about 7%.
There are many reasons for the rise in the acquisition market, and “rising brand pricing” is one of them.
Although the 15400ST itself is no longer bound by pricing due to the suspension of production, if the price of 15500ST (or other styles) increases and the market rises, the purchase price of 15400ST is likely to rise with the tide. Of course, the market is fluid, and no one can easily assert it, but it is conceivable that this trend will continue for some time. In this way, in the consideration of buyers, after 2021 may be the best “time to sell.”
Acquisition market trends in 2021 ④Silver dial
In fact, when the 15500ST was first launched, there was no silver dial style.
Although in addition to the classic black and blue, the 15400ST launched a new gray dial in 2017, but it is generally believed that the Royal Oak series stainless steel 41mm silver dial has been discontinued, so there has been a discussion that the 15400ST silver dial may go Premium.
However, in 2020, Audemars Piguet quietly launched the 15500ST silver dial on the catalog!!
Perhaps it is because I heard the expectations of many watch fans. After all, there are not a few customers who think silver is the classic.
In addition, the current 15400ST overall market is showing an upward trend, and there is no ups and downs in the price of only the silver dial.
Having said that, compared with other watch manufacturers, the silver dial of the Royal Oak series can be said to be extremely popular.
Some people even think that the formal and elegant texture of the silver dial is a feature that the black and blue dials do not have, and it fits well with the concept of the “luxury sports watch” advertised by the Royal Oak series.
And the silver dial has also risen to a rare high price in recent years, and stores across the country are vying to buy it.
The high-priced silver dial has once again attracted attention because of the new launch, so it can be said that it has an unprecedented opportunity to sell.
All in all, should we sell the Royal Oak series in 2021 or should we continue to wait and see?
According to the acquisition trend of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak series 15400ST and 15500ST in 2020 and 2021, we analyze in 2021, should the Royal Oak series be sold or should we continue to wait and see?
The market of famous watches is not stable, but changes every day, so the timing of buying and selling is not absolute. But now the 15500ST has been on sale for one year, and the 15400ST has been discontinued…Under such conditions, the Royal Oak series has once again attracted attention, and it can be said that a critical point in time is ushered in.
In fact, as mentioned above, 15400ST is currently at an unprecedented high price.
But on the other hand, there is also a saying that “the best time to sell is when you want to sell.” If you like to wear the Royal Oak now, I suggest you continue to treasure this watch. When you want to change the watch, you can choose to sell it. This is the unique pleasure of a famous watch.
Summary
For the popular watch Audemars Piguet Royal Oak series, we analyzed the acquisition market of 15400ST and 15500ST in 2021, as well as the appropriate selling timing.
The following conclusions are made for the 2021 market:
① The production of 15400ST was discontinued, which greatly reduced the circulation, and the market continued to rise.
② Affected by the new crown epidemic, stores are more actively purchasing from personal watch owners.
③ The price increase of 15500ST and other Audemars Piguet watches cannot be ignored…
④ Compared with the blue dial, although the silver dial is not at a premium, it also writes a surprising increase.
Having said that, I still want to reiterate that the best time is when you want to sell!
If you are hesitating, please feel free to contact our store to serve you!
