Collection: Royal Oak

The luxury Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet has always epitomized luxury timekeeping in an indulgent setting and introduced a luxury steel watch with a ‘tapisserie dial’ and an integrated bracelet characterized by a daring and revolutionary design.  After having a soft entrance to the market, the Royal Oak became a huge international success and one of the most iconic watches ever.

In the early ‘70s, Audemars Piguet, just like many other Swiss watch manufacturers, faced some financial troubles. The Quartz watches from Japan caused a serious crisis, often referred to as “the quartz crisis.” But in 1971, Audemars Piguet realized that, without a disruptive change, they’re perhaps staring into a financial collapse.

They put their heads together and also got some feedback from the Italian market about possible interest in a steel luxury watch. The top brass decided it was time to introduce something new, a sporty yet elegant timepiece that no one had seen before. The company came up with “the Royal Oak” at the 1972 Basel world Expo as a Hail Mary attempt to move them away from the Quartz crisis.

This revolutionary luxury watch was characterized by an octagonal shaped bezel secured by eight visible hexagonal gold screws, which was interestingly inspired by a traditional diver’s helmet.

This mind-numbing beauty is a spectacle to witness with its iconic octagonal case, visible screws, metal bracelet, and of course, it’s sophisticated yet bold presence. With these features, this watch overturned the prevailing codes in 1972 and took its rightful place as a true modern icon, one that would rule people’s hearts in the years to come.