History of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 25554ST.00.0344ST.01 / Credit: Hypebeast
The watch world is one that is generally slow to change, especially in contrast with other sectors. And that can, of course, be said for the wider luxury goods industry. That aspect of the watch industry is exactly what made the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak so consequential when it was released as the first ‘luxury sports’ watch in history.
Now, as we’ve mentioned many times before, WWI saw wristwatches become more popular, just as WWII was largely responsible for the adoption of ‘tool’ watches in the 1950s. Dive watches were a big part of that, but sports watches in general also came to be popular. Watches with a steel case and bracelet, made to be rugged, perhaps with an Incabloc movement. So, at Baselworld in April, 1972, when Audemars Piguet released what was dubbed the first luxury sports watch, it shocked the watch world as it was a concept never before seen.
The iconic design of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was inspired by the old divers’ helmets of the early 20th century. A design that is often considered Gerald Genta’s crowning achievement. The need for the Royal Oak arose when Audemars Piguet’s management realized it needed to create a popular new model to generate the revenue it needed, following the emerging sports watch trend. As such, the company’s leader, Georges Golay, called upon Genta in early 1971 to get to work on the design. And the watch was ready in about a year.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Forged Carbon / Credit: Professional Watches
In 1973, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak’s iconic case was patented for its unique ‘fluid-tight’ case held together by screws around the bezel. The first prototypes of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak are said to have been made in white gold. And the first models released used the Audemars Piguet Cal. AP 2121 and were made in steel, with a depth rating of 150 feet. The Cal. AP 2121 was based on the Caliber 920 developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre and used by Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin. It featured 36 jewels and had a 21,600 bph.
Upon its release, steel models of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak cost 3,650 Swiss francs; a steel sports watch that cost far more than the gold models for sale by the brand’s competitors. Although confusing at first for some customers, the Royal Oak was a commercial success!
Since the 1980s, Audemars Piguet has released other iterations of the famed Royal Oak: calendars, chronographs, moonphases, and more. Notably, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore was released in 1993 as the first Royal Oak chronograph, designed by Emmanuel Gueit. Today it is still one of the most popular watches around, and also the inspiration for the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Vacheron Constantin Overseas – the two subsequent luxury sports watches form the Holy Trinity.
By: Andres Ibarguen