Name: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (second-gen "the small Royal Oak") 14790
Brand: Audemars Piguet
SKU: 14790

The 14790 is the second-generation Royal Oak, produced 1992 through 2003, at a 36mm case size that the modern market briefly forgot about and then dramatically remembered. It's the 'small Royal Oak' that runs around half the cost of a 15202 'Jumbo' but has more original Genta-designed character than any post-2000 Royal Oak.

What it is

The original Royal Oak (5402, 1972) was a 39mm case; the 'medium' Royal Oak followed at 36mm. The 14790 launched in 1992 with the caliber 2125 (a JLC-derived automatic with a date complication), replacing the earlier 4100. Production ran through 2003 when the 15300 took over.

Variants exist in steel, two-tone, full-gold, and a Tantalum 'Royal Oak 25th anniversary' commemorative.

Buying notes

Common things to check: dial originality (the petite tapisserie pattern is hand-applied and not field-replicable, service-replacement dials are visible under magnification); bracelet (the integrated bracelet means a wrong-size or wrong-generation bracelet is a value disaster, verify the end-link generation matches the case era); case finishing (the polished/brushed alternation on the Royal Oak case profile is hand-applied; over-restored examples lose the finish definition that makes the watch); papers (AP service papers are the gold standard for provenance; a 14790 without papers should be priced 15-25% below a papered equivalent).

Market read

The 14790 was undervalued from 2008 through 2018, when 36mm cases were considered “too small.” That has reversed. Honest steel-bracelet examples now trade in the high-$10,000s to mid-$20,000s; the market for medium Royal Oaks is much shallower than the 15202 market but the dollar gap to a comparable 15202 has narrowed substantially.

Service expectations

AP-direct service for the caliber 2125 is supported and routine; cost is comparable to other Royal Oak service. Service interval 5-7 years; the integrated bracelet is also serviced (link tightening, case-bracelet alignment) during the appointment. An AP-stamped service card on a 14790 is a meaningful value lift.

Editorial copy is AI-drafted from primary sources and reviewed by Grail Atlas before publication. Where the text is uncertain about a fact, it says so. Email corrections@grailatlas.com if something reads wrong. Signals on this page (community, OSINT) are clearly separated from the editorial sections.

Mid-size Royal Oak from the 1980s-1990s trades at a significant discount to the current 15202 yet shares the core Genta design language.

Uncommonsleeper#7 in family

Condition affects price

Pre-owned watches trade across a wide condition spectrum. These ranges are typical for the secondary market.

New Old Stock

Unworn example retaining original packaging, tags, and warranty documentation.

+30–50% vs median

Unpolished

Worn but the case has never been polished; original brushed and polished surfaces are intact.

+15–25% vs median

Polished

Case has been professionally or amateur polished at some point; edge definition is softened.

-15 to -5% vs median

Recently Serviced

Movement has been recently serviced with documented service records; case condition varies.

At median

Project

Needs service, has dial or hand issues, non-original parts, or other remediation before daily wear.

-50 to -25% vs median

Full condition grading guide →

Market price

$18,000–$26,000

varies by metal·2026 Q2

Price trend chart coming soon

The second-generation 33mm Royal Oak 14790 trades at a modest discount to the 15202 Jumbo because of its smaller case; steel examples represent the entry point and yellow gold commands the most significant premium.

Editorial estimate, 2026 Q2. Actual prices vary by condition, date, and box/papers status.

Movement tier: unclassified · caliber AP Cal. 2125: in-house automatic, 21,600bph, 40h PR, 33j; 21k gold full rotor (not a micro-rotor); direct derivative of Cal. 2124, a separate AP family from the JLC-derived Cal. 2120/2121; produced 1987-1997 · 40h power reserve · family design Gérald Genta

Small case: suits slender wrists (under 6.5 in / 16.5 cm)

36 mm case. A compact, elegant wear. Particularly at home on narrower wrists where larger cases can overhang.

Not yet rated

Community + OSINT signals haven’t landed for this reference yet. We don’t publish a rating against zero signal: the number would mean nothing. Editorial body + caliber + market value still surface above; ratings appear once the signal corpus does.

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Authentication

Grande Tapisserie dial texture must be crisp under magnification; a fuzzy or flat pattern on a claimed 14790 indicates a replica

Known issues in the market

Cal. 2225 (date) and Cal. 2226 (no-date) are ETA-based movements; this is correct and does not indicate inauthenticity
Tapisserie pattern quality is the single most reliable visual authentication check
Bezel screw heads on early 14790 can be polished flat over time, reducing the visibility of the "AP" hexagon
Bracelet stamping on the inner clasp should match the reference and production year

Area	What to check	What is correct	Red flag
dial	Grande Tapisserie hobnail pattern	Uniform raised pyramid pattern across dial; each pyramid point is sharp under 10x loupe; pattern terminates cleanly at sub-dials and date window; "Audemars Piguet" text at 3; "Royal Oak" at 9	Flat or printed tapisserie (not raised); pyramids inconsistent in size or spacing; pattern bleeds into sub-dial apertures; text positioning inconsistent with 14790 layout
case	36mm octagonal bezel with "AP" screws	36mm diameter; eight hexagonal screws on bezel each with "AP" engraved; alternating brushed and polished surfaces on case; integrated bracelet flush with case	Missing "AP" on screw heads; fewer than 8 screws; polished-only case (no satin finishing); bracelet not flush with case at attachment point
bracelet	Jubilee-style integrated bracelet	Polished center links with brushed outer links; integrated attachment with no visible gap; correct taper toward clasp; "AP" on folding clasp; solid link construction	Hollow bracelet links; visible gap at case-to-bracelet junction; no "AP" on clasp; incorrect finish pattern on links
movement	Cal. 2225 or 2226 via caseback	Exhibition or solid caseback per variant; Cal. 2225 with date or 2226 without date; "Audemars Piguet" signed; ETA 2892 base architecture is expected and correct	Incorrect calibre for date/no-date variant; non-ETA architecture; unsigned movement

Common legitimate replacements

Bracelet clasp and end links are high-wear items; original AP folding clasp should have "AP" engraving.
Sapphire crystal replacement is common; verify sapphire and not mineral glass.

Expert resources: Audemars Piguet authenticates via their service network. PuristPro AP forum and Watchuseek AP sub-forum have detailed 14790 variant documentation.

Authentication guide

Last reviewed June 2026

The 14790 is the transitional Royal Oak produced before the current 15300/15400 generation. It uses the Cal. 2225 movement and shares the core Tapisserie dial architecture. Authentication focuses on dial texture authenticity, eight-screw bezel uniformity, and movement caliber confirmation.

Known reproduction risks

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HIGH RISK

High-quality replica watches targeting the pre-supercase Royal Oak specification.

Grande Tapisserie that is flat or printed -- genuine AP Tapisserie at any generation is three-dimensional and casts visible shadows
Eight-screw bezel with screws at inconsistent depths
Integrated bracelet with incorrect taper, brushing direction, or link dimensions for the 14790 generation
Exhibition caseback showing a non-AP movement

MEDIUM

Authentic-case examples with movement swaps from a different AP generation.

Quickset date function present on a stated 14790 -- neither Cal. 2225 nor its predecessors in this reference have quickset
Movement bridge architecture visible through caseback inconsistent with the 2225 family

Dial variants by era

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Era	Description	Identifiers
1992 to 2003 (blue/black Grande Tapisserie)	Grande Tapisserie dial in blue or black, 37mm case. This generation predates the supercase 15300.	Grande Tapisserie dial: raised squares in a consistent grid pattern, crisply defined under magnification Applied "AP" logo above 6 o'clock in correct Audemars Piguet proportions Applied baton hour markers at each position Date window at 3 o'clock; no date variant also exists (14790ST) 37mm case diameter (smaller than the current 41mm 15500)

Service part flags

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Dial (Grande Tapisserie texture)

Original: The Tapisserie pattern consists of raised squares machined during dial production. The pattern is genuinely three-dimensional and each square edge is crisply defined when viewed under magnification.

Replacement tells

Tapisserie that appears flat or printed under directional lighting -- genuine Tapisserie casts a shadow at each square edge
Pattern that becomes less defined toward the dial edge or near the applied hour markers
Dial surface that lacks the characteristic tactile quality of the machined Tapisserie

Eight-screw bezel

Original: Eight Torx-head screws of equal apparent depth around the bezel. The screw heads should be clean, undamaged, and uniformly seated. On a 14790, all eight screws are visible and their heads should not show tool marks inconsistent with factory assembly.

Replacement tells

Screw heads at inconsistent depths -- one or more screws that appear lower or higher than the others
Tool marks on screw heads inconsistent with factory Torx assembly (indicating third-party caseback or bezel work)
Bezel-to-case gap visible at any position around the circumference

Integrated bracelet

Original: AP integrated bracelet with brushed center links running lengthwise and polished outer links. The bracelet tapers toward the AP deployment clasp. For the 14790 generation, the bracelet dimensions are narrower than the current 15500.

Replacement tells

Later-generation AP bracelet with different link dimensions fitted to the 14790 case
Brushing direction on center links running across rather than along the link (incorrect direction)
AP clasp with typography or deployment mechanism inconsistent with 1990s-era AP production

Case back markings

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1992 to 2003

Exhibition caseback showing Cal. 2225
"Audemars Piguet" and "Royal Oak" engraved on the caseback in correct AP typeface
Reference 14790 engraved on the case band
Serial number on the case band
Swiss hallmarks for steel case material

Movement tells

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Cal. 2225 is the movement specific to the 14790 generation (earlier 14790 may carry Cal. 2225 or its predecessor 2120/2800). The movement is an ultra-thin automatic.
No quickset date: the 14790 date corrects only by rotating the crown through the hours. If a quickset date function is present at 2:15, the movement has been replaced.
AP exhibition caseback is standard on the 14790. Any solid caseback on a stated 14790 is incorrect and suggests a case swap.
The rotor should oscillate smoothly with no lateral play. The bidirectional rotor is characteristic of the 2225 family.

Sources: AP Watch Forum -- Royal Oak pre-supercase authentication threads; Phillips Watches -- authenticated 14790 auction archives; WatchUSeek Audemars Piguet forum -- 14790 production variant documentation.