The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak: Evolution of Design and Innovation

Gérald Genta’s original sketch of the Royal Oak, 1972.

W idely recognised as one of the most iconic watch designs ever produced, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak has rightly taken its place in the history books. Created in 1972 during a bold new era for watch design, this wristwatch with a "body of steel and heart of gold" saved the world of luxury watchmaking, according to legend. As the famous origin story goes, Audemars Piguet had took a giant risk in moving forward with the rule-breaking Royal Oak, and as a result revolutionised the industry with a brand-new category of horology. Yet, those who follow Audemars Piguet's technical and aesthetic achievements might consider this less a revolution than a natural evolution within the history of the brand.

Audemars Piguet debuted many of the world’s firsts: minute repeater wristwatch in 1892, the skeletonized watch in 1934, and the thinnest wristwatch in 1946. Within the manufacture's many achievements, the Royal Oak may be its most celebrated contribution to the history of watchmaking, because it introduced the very first luxury sports watch and even presaged the way we wear timepieces today. These inventions were often ingenious adaptations to the changing demands of the times. Taking the 1970s as the midpoint, a look backward and forward through the milestones of Audemars Piguet reveal a clear through line of technical innovation.

A History of Horological Achievements

Founded in 1875 in the Swiss village of Le Brassus, Audemars Piguet has long been one of the most esteemed watchmakers in the world, priding itself on ancestral expertise and drive for innovation. Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet were respectively fourth and fifth generation watchmakers with successful careers in the industry. When Audemars and Piguet joined forces, the emergence of industrial machinery and serial production had already begun its encroachment upon traditional watchmaking techniques. During these times, the two friends held to hand-crafting complicated mechanisms and established themselves as masters of ultra-complicated pocket watches.

Audemars Piguet played a pioneering role in the development of the wristwatch, serving at the foundation of the brand’s experimentation in form and function.

Jules Louis Audemars (1851–1918) and Edward Auguste Piguet (1853–1919).

Quite significantly, they also lent their horological expertise in crafting the movements of timepieces for women, who in the fashion of the times wore them as pendants, brooches or rings – and by extension, the wristwatch which was regarded as ladies’ jewellery. These were all painstaking technical feats in miniature. In the broader context, it was thus that Audemars Piguet played a pioneering role in the development of the wristwatch, serving at the foundation of the brand’s experimentation in form and function.

Milestones in Audemars Piguet History

1892
1899
1921
1938
1967
1972
1978
1983
1986
1993
1996
1997
2002
2015
2016

1892

Audemars Piguet collaborated with Louis Brandt & Frère to produce the first wristwatch in watchmaking history to be equipped with a minute repeater mechanism.
1899

Audemars Piguet specialised in complicated watches from the start. Finished in Audemars Piguet’s workshops in 1899, the Universelle was one of the most complicated watches of its time.
1921

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Audemars Piguet has championed miniaturisation. With a movement of seven lignes in diameter (15.8 mm), the smallest 5-minute repeater in the world went into production in 1921.
1938

The 9ML calibre and its successor calibre 2003, exemplify consummate finesse with an extraordinary thickness of 1.64 mm.
1967

Calibre 2120 was introduced, developed by Audemars Piguet in a project led by Jaeger-LeCoultre to craft an ultra-thin automatic movement.
1972

Introduction of the first Royal Oak, reference 5402. The Royal Oak overturned watchmaking norms with its steel case, octagonal bezel and ‘Tapisserie’ dial.
1978

The self-winding perpetual calendar, Calibre 2120/2800, was the thinnest in the world (3.95 mm). It heralded the comeback of complicated mechanisms in the wake of the quartz crisis.
1983

Presentation of the first Royal Oak Perpetual calendar: the reference 5554 (later 25554). Offered to the public in 1984
1986

Audemars Piguet released the first self-winding tourbillon wristwatch ever produced in an extra-thin case measuring 5.3 mm in thickness. The tourbillon is still one of the smallest in the world with its 7.2 mm diameter.
1993

Launch of the first Royal Oak offshore. With its 42 mm diameter, the first Royal Oak Offshore pioneered large wristwatches.

Introduction of the leap year indication on the perpetual calendars.
1996

Launch of the reference 25800 Royal Oak perpetual calendar, not based on the calibre 2120 and offering a unique alternative to the standard 39mm size.

Introduction of the Offshore with colourful dials and matching leather strap.

Grand complication reference 25865 using the calibre 2885 with minute repeater split-second chronograph an perpetual calendar.
1997

Introduction of the first Royal Oak Offshore with perpetual calendar, the reference 25854BC
2002

Introduction of the Royal Oak Concept to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic 1972 original.
2015

Introduction of the reference 26574 with a 41mm case and using the new calibre 5134 for a new perpetual calendar Royal Oak with a week indicator.
2016

Launched in 2016, the Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie reference 26577 set a new standard in minute repeater acoustic performance.

The Near-Downfall of the Mechanical Watch

Fast forward to 1970 when the so-called “quartz crisis” was wreaking havoc on the Swiss watch industry. The emergence of quartz-powered movements presented an alternative that was cheaper, accessible and more durable than dress watches of the time. This created an existential crisis for traditional mechanical watchmakers. Consumers were also adopting more active lifestyles and enjoying extreme sports. Against a global backdrop of cultural changes and depressed economy, highly complicated (and fragile) dress watches were perceived as increasingly out of step with the times.

In response to the upheavals, an Audemars Piguet executive called legendary designer Gérald Genta on the eve of the Basel Watch Fair. Genta was asked to imagine a new category of fine watches that would be audacious and futuristic; they would appeal to a new generation of clients. And most importantly, they would be made of stainless steel. The next day, the Audemars Piguet unveiled sketches for the Royal Oak.

Stainless Steel Armour

At the time, steel was still regarded as an unconventional material, too utilitarian to be used in Haute Horlogerie. Fine watches had up until then been almost invariably gold or platinum. Named after the legendary royal oak that saved King Charles II of England in battle as well as the steel-hulled warships of the British Navy, the Royal Oak accorded stainless steel the status of a worthy and noble material. There were also practical considerations. Steel was much harder to work than gold, so it required investment in new tools and techniques for the process of refined hand finishing; the trademark hand-polished and satin-brushed finishing reinforce the aesthetic lines of the timepiece.

Ultra-Slim and Durable

The first Royal Oak models were fitted with the calibre 2121 movement, which was based on the calibre 2120 developed by Audemars Piguet in 1967, the world’s thinnest self-winding movement of the era with date indication, and an overall height of 3.05mm. The calibre 2121 was also equipped with a Gyromax balance and anti-shock system, which was housed in an extremely durable metal case, thus allowing the Royal Oak to withstand heavy impact. While the emphasis is often on the way Audemars Piguet created the first “luxury sport watch”, these innovations also underscore an important fact that the watchmaker was also a pioneer in ultra-slim movements. Six years after the unveiling of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet released the calibre 2120/2800, which sparked renewed interest and development in classic complications for the entire industry.

A steel watch that looks like a piece of machinery, for a price that steep?

Audemars Piguet debuted their avant-garde watch to a public that didn’t quite know what to make of it at first. The watch was introduced at a retail price of 3,650 Swiss Francs, which was a staggering amount for a stainless steel watch in the 1970s. By comparison, that made it more expensive than a gold Patek Philippe dress watch and more than ten times the cost of a Rolex Submariner. Beyond the issue of the material, the watch itself would have at the time looked odd or unconventional at best. Up until then, luxury watches typically varied little in size and aspect. Audemars Piguet's new watch broke many of the existing design codes. Genta’s vision took inspiration from a deep-sea-diving helmet. The sketch showed a rounded octagonal bezel secured with eight exposed hexagonal screws. The large 39 mm diameter tonneau-shaped case would earn it the nickname “Jumbo”. The integrated bracelet would be made of links descending in size, and the “Tapisserie” dial would be created by a precision metalwork chisel.

View of the Royal Oak’s octagonal bezel evolving from machining to refined hand-finishing.

Breaking the Rules of Design

The Royal Oak represents an impressive innovation in design. In the greater context, this was largely in keeping with Audemars Piguet’s history of experimenting with unconventional forms and design language for more than a century. In fact, the earliest documented octagonal-shaped wristwatch was a diamond-set bracelet watch crafted by the Audemars Piguet in 1917. At the time, the watchmaker veered from 19th century classicism and explored fresh angular geometries such as trapezoids and octagons along with the more traditional rounds, squares and rectangles. Experimentation extended to unusual dials of varying materials, and colours through the 1920s and 1930s. Such innovations continued through the generations with asymmetry and juxtaposed geometries accentuated in the 1960s. Thus, the shockwave that was the 1972 Royal Oak had been consistent with the overall design philosophy of the house, and its approach to the present day only continues to be unapologetically futuristic, striking just the right balance of advanced technology and traditional savoir-faire.

The introduction of the Royal Oak along with the development of the calibre 2120/2800 set the stage for important technical and design approaches for Audemars Piguet in the 50 years that followed. Riffing upon its signature model, the Royal Oak had been produced in great aesthetic array, from varying sizes to the wide range of adopted materials – including platinum, titanium, ceramics, and gold – as well as different dial designs and colours. The collection has also seen the inclusion of complex complications and escapements – i.e., perpetual calendar, lunar cycle, minute repeaters, tourbillon, a double balance wheel mechanism, and Grandes Complications.

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