{"id":39207,"date":"2026-05-22T10:10:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swiss-watch-passport.ch\/royalpop-since-1979-la-verite-museale-qui-titille-les-collectionneurs-horloger-suisse\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T22:12:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:12:12","slug":"royalpop-since-1979-the-museum-truth-that-tickles-collectors-10h10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swiss-watch-passport.ch\/en\/royalpop-since-1979-the-museum-truth-that-tickles-collectors-10h10\/","title":{"rendered":"RoyalPop since 1979, the ‘museum truth’ that tickles collectors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beyond the buzz, with the perspective befitting the oldest Swiss watchmaking journal \u2014 celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2026 \u2014 the Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie JSH<\/a> reminds us that the bold Audemars Piguet<\/a> had already dared to release a pop version of its Royal Oak as early as 1979…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jo\u00ebl A. Grandjean, JSH Magazine & Swiss-Watch-Passport.ch’s editor in chief<\/em>
\nFollow on Linkedin<\/a> \u2013 Facebook<\/a> \u2013 Insta JSH<\/a> \u2013 Insta SWP<\/a> \u2013\u00a0Subscribe to JSH<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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A historical gem has just surfaced. It comes from the Curator of the <\/span>Mus\u00e9e Atelier au Brassus<\/strong><\/a>, <\/span>Dave Grandjean<\/a>. At a time when this institution is receiving the complete set of “<\/span>RoyalPop<\/a>” models \u2014 yet another good reason to visit this landmark of Swiss watchmaking history \u2014 he has brought out from a vault or reserve the very first historical version of this phenomenon.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rediscovered model bears an incredibly faithful resemblance to the current “AP x Swatch<\/em>” version in bioceramic, equipped with a movement specifically developed for the occasion \u2014 a manual-winding derivative of the famous <\/span>Sistem51<\/a><\/strong> calibre. It is whispered that collectors, the keenest-nosed among them, are already on the hunt for these originals, of which little is known regarding how many were produced at the time of their release.<\/span><\/p>\n

As <\/span>Philippe Perret du Cray<\/a>, aka PPDC, wrote in <\/span>the JSH post<\/a> that set the internet ablaze <\/span>on social media<\/a> on the afternoon of 22 May 2026: “this nod to history takes nothing away from the work of the product teams at both houses… It puts into perspective the creativity, boldness and forward-thinking vision of some of our finest Swiss watchmaking brands and the richness of our heritage.<\/em>“<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>