A Guide to Audemars Piguet's Most Collected Watch - The Royal Oak

The watchmaking brand originated in 1875 in the quaint Swiss Village of Le Brassus in Vallée de Joux, north of Geneva. Two young entrepreneurs (and childhood friends) Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet founded it in 1875. The manufacturer instantly distinguished itself in the watchmaking industry with its Grande Complication pieces.

The two made a great team. Audemars focused on creating complex watch movements to sell to watch manufacturers while Piguet focused on the regulation of watch movement. Audemars Piguet continues to push the limits of horological creativity, further solidifying the brand as the Master of Watchmaking.

More specifically, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was born in 1971 when the Swiss watch industry was facing an existential threat. There was great competition from Japanese watch brands who started making quartz timepieces.

Swiss masons specialized in costly mechanical watches. Customers were on the lookout for a watch that they could wear all day no matter the occasion or condition. AP’s Italian agent at the time saw an opportunity.

Recruited by AP Managing Director Georges Golay, legendary designer Gérald Genta was tasked with designing a new watch on the eve of the Swiss Watch Show, Basel (later known as Baselworld). With less than 24 hours, Genta worked all night designing what would become the masterpiece of his career…on a napkin, as all origin stories naturally begin. The metal collar of a deep-sea diving helmet inspired Genta's design. Exposing the screws on the bezel seems to be the inspiration from the outside of the divers’ suit.

The proposed watch had a petite ‘tapisserie’ dial and an intricate wristband for flexibility. The stainless steel watch had an integrated bracelet, setting it apart from others on the market. Genta stood by his stainless steel design, even though it was comically more expensive than a dress gold watch. The octagonal bezel and eight hexagonal screws made of gold and white gold are what made the watch a modern icon.

According to Genta, there was a misunderstanding when he first received instructions to design the watch. “One afternoon, at four o’clock, Mr. Georges Golay, rings me up and tells me: ‘Mr. Genta, I need a steel sports watch that has never been done before, I want it to be something totally new and waterproof.’

"On my part, I understood that what he was looking for was a brand-new waterproofing technology. ‘I want the design by tomorrow morning.’ I designed it overnight and my idea was to replicate the system of the scaphander’s helmet on the watch case. With the eight screws and with the joint visible on the case’s exterior. So, I was given the ‘green light’ straight away to begin work on the prototype.”

Originally, the watch was planned to have the name Safari. Considered not to be on brand, Carlos de Marchi came up with the name Royal Oak. The name stems from Britain’s famous Royal Navy battleship, the HMS Royal Oak. The ship got its name from the Royal Oak tree that saved King Charles II of England. This ship hid him during the 1651 Battle of Worcester.

While naming anything can be tricky, a luxury watch is no exception. AP later released a Special Edition of the Royal Oak Offshore in 2005 named The Safari. It has a with a leather band, white dial, and black numbers.

The attractive octagonal watch went into production the following year. The prototype was white gold, as it was initially more cost-effective. Rumors of early commercial failure were greatly exaggerated over the years. While it took over a year to sell the first 1,000 Royal Oak watches, it was clear that Genta created the trend for luxury sports watches.

A handful of people had a hard time justifying that a stainless steel sports timepiece was considered a luxury watch. However, that didn’t stop people from wanting one. Between 1972 and 1978, the company produced 6,050 models. It’s safe to say that the Royal Oak saved the company from bankruptcy.

Gérald Genta is considered the most successful watch designer in the world for his complicated and pricey watches. He designed more iconic watches in his career than any other designer. Some of his most notable designs include IWC’s Ingenieur, Omega’s Constellation, and Patek Philippe's Nautilus. But none are more notable than the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.

The first owner of the notorious timepiece was Mohammad Razi Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, who saw potential in the timepiece. Pahlavi wore a white gold version. Since then, this milestone watch was spotted on many celebrity wrists.

The Royal Oak is Audemars Piguet’s best-known and most collected watch. In 2022, it celebrated its 50th Anniversary with new in-house calibres, dial animations, and refined finishing techniques. Its movement remains the thinnest automatic in the world. The timepiece can be found in case types of steel, titanium, pink gold, ceramic, yellow gold, white gold, and platinum. With prices ranging from $36,000-$900,000, there is a watch for every collector’s budget.

One of Avi & Co’s favorite Royal Oaks is the Openworked Dial for its futuristic look. The 41 mm case is assembled with a fixed bezel and water resistance of 165 feet. This timepiece is powered by the self-winding 3132 calibre with a 45-hour power reserve.

Schedule an appointment with Avi & Co. or shop our Audemars Piguet Royal Oak collection online. We look forward to being your destination for luxury.