You’ve probably heard of Audemars Piguet before, and their bold icon, the Royal Oak timepiece. If you haven’t, it’s time you discovered how a famous watch designer by the name of Gérald Genta, creating a sporty and elegant timepiece in 1972 in steel (unheard of at the time), designed a highly original octagonal case with exposed screws that was criticised for its deviation from the norm, only to become a commercial and critical success later.
The genius designer behind the Royal Oak, Gérald Genta
Audemars Piguet created numerous icons within the Royal Oak line over the years, and in 1976 it introduced the Royal Oak in a classic precious metal: yellow gold. This year, to commemorate its 40th anniversary, and also because the brand had not produced a yellow gold range for quite some time now, they introduced the whole Royal Oak collection in yellow gold with both white and blue tapisserie dials.
We got the opportunity to shoot these beautiful pieces up close, as well as the Supersonnerie, and we’ve turned it into a short video for you to enjoy.
Wanna know what design experts think of the Royal Oak, from a professional point of view? We spoke with 6 designers from different fields to ask them which was their favourite and why. Check it out in the link right above.