In the latest episode of ARISTO’s podcast, Watch & Roll, independent watch collector Johnathan shared a fascinating “hidden gem” acquisition story that has captivated many seasoned enthusiasts—successfully securing an extremely rare Audemars Piguet (AP) Ref. 56049 BA at the minimum bid.
For AP enthusiasts, the octagonal bezel of the Royal Oak is undoubtedly iconic. However, the square iterations of the Royal Oak introduced in the early years hold equally immense collectible value, ingeniously marrying an integrated bracelet with a square case. During the interview, Johnathan expressed his longstanding passion for such unconventional geometric designs. Leveraging his profound research into horological history, he was well aware that a specific model—the Square Royal Oak Ref. 56049 BA—had an exceptionally low production run, with only 5 pieces ever crafted globally.
The brilliant plot twist occurred last year when his wife was browsing an auction house’s website and discovered a listing for a square AP. Interestingly, the auction house seemed to have completely overlooked its true identity, labeling it merely as the standard Ref. 6009. They failed to realize that it was, in fact, the incredibly scarce special edition Ref. 56049 BA. Capitalizing on this information asymmetry, Johnathan seamlessly secured this grail piece at the minimum bid, adding a legendary chapter to his watch-collecting journey.
