Welcome back to ‘ICONS’ — a recurring series where we examine some of the most important wristwatches in history. Today we discuss Gerald Genta’s most famous design, and the watch which created a whole new category in the watch market: The AP Royal Oak
The year is 1972: the face of the watchmaking industry is changed forever by the arrival of one watch, with a design so avant-garde and a price so outrageous (at 3500 Swiss Francs — the equivalent of 20 steel Rolexes!) for a stainless steel watch — that it sent a wave of shock throughout the mountains of Switzerland, and created the most dominant segment in the market today; the luxury sports watch. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
A Little History And Launch Of The Royal Oak Ref. 5402
The Royal Oak was a direct reaction to the “Quartz Crisis” which was decimating the watch industry in the early 1970's. Commissioned by Audemars Piguet’s then-managing director Georges Golay, the task fell into the hands of designer Gerald Genta to come up with a high-end sports watch in stainless steel; a concept which originated from Carlo de Marchi, Audemars Piguet’s Italian agent at the time.
The pricing for the watch was unheard of; the watch cost 30 times more than a Rolex Submariner, and was priced higher than a gold watch from AP. How did the market react? Well, while for the longest time it was said that the Royal Oak was a flop. However, new information uncovered from the brand’s archives seems to suggest that most of the first 2,000 pieces of the Royal Oak Ref. 5402 (the first generation of RO) were sold in about three years. This convinced the brand to keep producing the timepiece, separating them into four series: from A-D. The rest, as they say, is history.
While other sports watches at the time were purely made to serve the purpose of tool watches, the Royal Oak takes its place in history for being designed as a luxury timepiece that would, simply put, look cool on the wrist. But don’t take my word for it: just keep in mind that sprezzatura icon Gianni Agnelli was often seen wearing one in his signature over-the-cuff style.
The design of the Royal Oak was inspired by a diver’s helmet, with an octagonal-shaped bezel secured by eight visible hexagonal screws. The dial featured AP's now-iconic ‘petite tapisserie’ pattern. What made the watch more unique was its innovative integrated bracelet and its visible water resistance gasket, resulting in an industrial yet purposeful timepiece that shined like no other. The Royal Oak Ref. 5402 was also extremely thin at 7mm, powered by the AP Caliber 2121 — deriving from the famed JLC Caliber 920.
It didn’t take long for the watch to become a must-have accessory for the elites of this world, including style icons, celebrities and royalty, and be set on a path towards its now iconic status.
The Modern Royal Oak, The Ref. 15202
In 2012, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Ref. 15202 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original Royal Oak model. This new version is the closest you’ll ever get to an original Ref. 5402 — but in a modern package.
The proportions were kept identical to the original with a 39mm case size and 7mm thickness. The movement was the same caliber as the first series of the Royal Oak, and the AP logo was back at the 6 o’clock position. A new addition compared to the Ref. 5402 was the sapphire display caseback, allowing the wearer to enjoy an unobstructed view of the movement.
You can imagine then how it immediately became the most sought-after piece from Audemars Piguet’s collection; and still is today, with waiting lists in boutiques spanning years.
While the Royal Oak has been produced in myriads of versions over the years with perpetual calendars, dual time zones and chronographs, the purity of the time-only model has been unchanged since 1972. Keeping collectors interested in a specific model for close to 50 years speaks volumes about the balance and perfection in design that Gerald Genta achieved all those years ago. Little did he know that he would create one of the most important icons the watch industry has ever seen.
