The second life of the Royal Oak

The second life of the Royal Oak
Reserved for subscribers
By Judikael Hirel
Posted

Next year, the iconic Audemars Piguet watch will celebrate its half-century of existence… A model that has already seen many reincarnations.

What do Alain Delon, Gianni Agnelli and Karl Lagerfeld have in common? All three were among the first, in 1974, to adopt a strange watch, transposed to the wrist of a diver's helmet. A steel piece sold at an exorbitant price which, on its own, initiated the concept of the chic sport watch. But it was in fact in 1972 that she was born under the masterful pencil stroke of Gérald Genta. Between its bracelet integrated into the case, its flat sapphire crystal, its octagonal bezel and its eight locking and functional hexagonal screws, the one that will celebrate its half-century of existence next year has in no way gone out of style. On the dial side too, we find everything that still appeals today in the pieces signed by the Manufacture in Le Brassus: tapestry guillochage, luminous hands and indexes and, for the first time, a painted AP monogram at 12 o'clock.

Nicknamed The Beast

However, just twenty years after its birth, this cult watch has undergone a first reincarnation. In 1993 Emmanuel...

This article is reserved for subscribers. You have 64% left to discover.

Cultivating your freedom is cultivating your curiosity.

Keep reading your article for 1€ the first month

I ENJOY IT

Already a subscriber? Log in