Celebrating 50 Years of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

It makes the adoration of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak of 1972 that much more remarkable. Here we are, 50 years later, swooning and celebrating the anniversary of its very creation: a watch that not only stood the test of time, but completely re-directed the path in which the world of horology had been heading down.

And this 2022, Audemars Piguet have released to the expectant masses more timepieces to add to the ever-growing Royal Oak family.

But how did we get here? We’ve sat down with Heather Grant, our Expert Buyer, to discuss the story behind the Royal Oak, the new timepieces, and where she envisages Audemars Piguet going next…

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak first went into production in 1972. It transpired to be one of the most iconic watches of the century and is continually heralded as a turning point in the horology world. Can you tell us about the history of the Royal Oak?

It all started in 1971. Audemars Piguet, like many houses at the time, were looking to break the mould, combat the so-called ‘Quartz Crisis’ that had severely impacted the Swiss luxury watchmaking market, and look to craft something different. An Italian distributor of Audemars Piguet showed a possible interest in a steel luxury watch, and so, on the eve of the 1971 Basel Fair, Audemars Piguet contacted Gérald Genta.

The house knew they had to be bold, and bold they were in hiring renowned designer Gérald Genta. He had a simple task: break the rules, and the story goes that Genta sketched throughout the night and returned the next morning with the design of, what would be, the timepiece of the century. It is said that he took inspiration from a diver’s helmet, and the “Royal Oak” was a reference to historical British warships with the same name. Incidentally, the original design was bought at auction for $610,586 recently – it gives a real sense of the magnitude of it all!

What was the design?

From the daring octagonal bezel with eight hexagonal screws and the expertly crafted Tapisserie dial, these are features make the Royal Oak so iconic that if you were to remove the brand logo or name, it is still instantly recognisable. The satin brushed and polished angular lines of the case and integrated bracelet playfully cast shadows of light.

Interestingly, the Royal Oak was nicknamed ‘The Jumbo’ upon release because, despite being slim, 39mm was seen as a big watch!

Just why is it such an iconic timepiece?

It was the first of its time. Before 1972, choice presented to consumers were between sports watches and classic watches, and the Royal Oak represents the successful marriage of sport and classic into the first luxury steel sports watch. We’re spoilt with such timepieces in 2022, but in 1972 – there was no such idea in existence.

They might have been unaware of the magnitude at the time, but Audemars Piguet had completely re-written the rules.

Explore more from Audemars Piguet here at Watches of Switzerland.