Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Steel 50th Anniversary — Purple Petite Tapisserie | Ref. 26660ST.OO.1356ST.01

April 2022 marked fifty years since Gerald Genta's sketched the Royal Oak overnight on a restaurant napkin, and Audemars Piguet commemorated the anniversary with a series of pieces that re-examined Genta's original proposition through a contemporary lens. Among the most striking of these commemorative references is Ref. 26660ST—a 37 mm unisex Royal Oak presented in stainless steel with a statement purple dial, the colour chosen to evoke the historical association of deep violet with celebration and prestige.

The calibre within is Calibre 2950, a manufacture flying tourbillon movement whose cage-free regulator rotates once per minute, visible in the lower half of the dial as a direct tribute to five decades of horological ambition. The purple Petite Tapisserie dial, guilloché with a refined chequered pattern, frames the tourbillon aperture with a depth of colour that intensifies under different lighting conditions—shifting from aubergine to violet to plum. Luminous hands sweep over applied hour markers. The stainless steel case measures a versatile 37 mm with a transparent caseback, integrated steel bracelet, and AP folding clasp. Screw-down crown maintains a sealed case.

As a 50th Anniversary commemorative, this reference holds historical significance that transcends its already exceptional specifications. Unisex sizing broadens its appeal, while the flying tourbillon complication at this case diameter remains extraordinarily rare. For collectors seeking a document of Royal Oak history with the finest possible movement, Ref. 26660ST is definitive. Full box and papers included.