Audemars Piguet Guide: $30k Authentic vs $500 FAKE (2024)

Last Updated on April 13, 2024 by Ch David

In this guide, we’ll talk about the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, with:

• Real vs fake images
• Helpful insights
• And a professional Audemars Piguet authentication service

How to tell if your Audemars Piguet is real

You can tell if your Audemars Piguet is real by verifying the thickness of the case. Replica may often be thicker than needed.

1. Case

The thickness of the case found on the legitimate Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch is supposed to be 9.8mm (0.38 inches) for the 15400 reference number.

For other reference models, you can have a look at AP’s official numbers and specs.

• In most cases, the fake AP Royal Oak watches tend to have their case thicker.
• For the same 15400 reference number, fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches usually have their case as thick as 10.5-11mm (0.41-0.43 inches)

That is a difference visible to the naked eye if you have a comparison term. Otherwise, you can use a measuring tool to make sure you have the exact thickness.

Read more: AP Serial Numbers.

Finding it too hard? Reach out to our AP experts:

2. Tapisserie

• Fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches tend to have their squares embossed without a smooth transition.
• They usually look like they are much crispier and more inconsistent.

Authentic Royal Oak watches always have their squares embossed in a very smooth manner.

Genuine Audemars Piguet Royal Oak always have their squares embossed in an elegant and consistent manner, fading smoothly, while the fake Royal Oak APs usually have their squares too thick, without a consistent transition.

3. Bezel screws

• The fake watch has eight screws on the bezel at different thicknesses, depths and placements.
• Some of the fake screws are engraved deeper than others.
• Though, most screws on the fake Royal Oak are not fit deep enough when compared to the original example.

The real watch has its screws perfectly symmetrical and consistent, at the same depth, size, and width as the flathead screwdriver line.

4. Movement system

• The fake watch has its “AUDEMARS” text looking too thick and too boxy.
• The fake letters look too boxy due to the thickness of the font.
• Furthermore, the fake watch also has its letters too thick and placed too close one to another.
• The text on the fake item is too big and has a taller appearance than the original Royal Oak’s text.
• The fake “AP” logo is too thin.

The authentic watch has a constant font-weight for all characters.

A quick mention:

• The steps we’ve written so far are the BEST ways to authenticate this item
• The next few steps are still reliable methods…
• … but they apply to non-top-versions of replicas available for this item

If in doubt, we recommend double-checking the steps we’ve explained above this line.

5. Bracelet

• The replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak will offer a different feeling with its bracelet.
• It will not feel like you are holding a high-quality material in your hands and the bracelet will be either too flexible or too rigid.
• The fake AP watch has small spots of rust – those definitely cannot be easily seen with the naked eye, unless you’ll take a zoomed picture of the bracelet and notice the issue.

When you are touching the bracelet, on the authentic AP watch, you should feel its high-quality materials and the elegant manner in which it is polished.

6. Dial text

Let’s check out the watches for the “SWISS MADE” inscription located at the 6 o’clock area on the dial.

• The fake watch’s “SWISS MADE” inscription on the replica watch is too thick.
• All of the letters in the “SWISS MADE” text on the fake item are too thick.
• In the “MADE” text, the letters are improperly shaped: they have portions which are bigger than the ones found in the authentic text.

Since all of the letters on the genuine watch present the same thickness, they also have the correct kerning in between.

7. Crown

In most cases, the fake Royal Oak Audemars Piguet watches have their crown logo at the wrong font weight.

• The fake watch has a thicker “AP” logo.

The real “AP” engraving is thinner and it looks cleaner, defined in a nicer way than the fake watch’s logo. The depth is also consistent with the genuine item.

8. Exterior clasp

• The fake watch has its “AP” logo engraved at the wrong thickness.
• The fake “AP” text logo looks too thin. The depth is different throughout the entire logo.

The authentic Royal Oak has its “AP” text logo engraved deeper into the metal, therefore being easily readable when compared to the fake watch’s thin text, which may be a bit harder to read.

9. Interior clasp

• There is rust present on the fake watch.
• Then, looking at the “AUDEMARS PIGUET” on the fake watch, you can see how the letters are too thick.

On the legitimate Royal Oak, you are never going to see flaws such as rust.

Shortlist: Audemars Piguet Authenticity Check

1. Inspect the thickness of the case on your Audemars Piguet watch. Mostly, the replica AP watches have their case too thick. Look over the Internet for the exact measurements on each specific AP RO reference number
2. Look at the tapisserie on the dial of your watch. The replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches usually have their squares inconsistent
3. Verify the screws on the bezel of your watch. The authentic watches must have their screws symmetrical, at the same depth, size and width for the flathead screwdriver line, and the fake watches usually have these details flawed
4. Check the engravings found on the movement plate present on the back of the watch. The replica AP Royal Oak watches usually have their text at the wrong thickness
5. Examine the bracelet of your watch. The replica AP watches have a much lower quality bracelet, and the authentic piece will always have a very smooth and elegant feeling with its bracelet and all its details
6. Analyze the “SWISS MADE” text on the dial of your watch, as most of the replica AP RO watches have their text too thick and the letters improperly shaped when compared to the authentic Royal Oak watches
7. Verify the crown of your Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. In most cases, the replica Royal Oak AP watches have their crown’s logo text looking too thick
8. Closely analyse the “AP” text found on the clasp of your watch, as most of the replica AP Royal Oak watches have their “AP” text too thin
9. Look at the inner clasp text, as most of the fake watches have their text at the wrong thickness and kerning between the letters and in some cases they might sometimes present rust.

The 9 detailed real vs fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak steps outlined above might not be so practical when you are in a hurry or when you want to buy the item online.

That is why we have compiled this quick 60 seconds solution to legit checking your AP Royal Oak watch.

Expert Audemars Piguet Royal Oak authentication

If you need help with the authentication of your Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, we’ve got you covered. 

All you have to do is send us high-quality pictures of your Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch and we will get back to you with the results within 24 to 48 hours. The results will also come with a report on why we believe your AP watch is fake or authentic.

That brings us to the end of our guide on how to spot fake vs real Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.

Need our opinion in regards to the authenticity of your watch? It’s a service we provide.

Alternatively, we have free authentication resources for watches: written guides and video tutorials.

Thank you for reading this,

Ch Alex