Audemars Piguet

Debuted in 1972, the Audemars Piguet reference 5402 is nothing short of a masterpiece. The forefather of iconic bracelet watches, it is a watch every collector aspires to obtain and arguably the best bracelet watch ever produced. Upon its release, the Royal Oak was the most expensive stainless-steel watch ever made, costing more to manufacture than their gold dress wristwatches due to the incredible amount of work put into the finishing.

Bearing the nickname “Jumbo”, the case is 39 mm in diameter which is colossal in comparison to the dress watches of the 70s. We can attribute this new, larger size to why it notably got off a slow start in sales. Created by Gerald Genta, the case design is groundbreaking with an octagonal bezel secured by eight visible, hexagonal, white gold screws, replicating that of a deep-sea diving helmet. Not to mention Audemars Piguet’s signature Petite Tapisserie dial that was perfectly executed by a precision metalwork chisel, forming the futuristic, and most unprecedented watch across the industry. Even more impressive is that the legendary caliber 2121 was once the thinnest automatic movement with a central rotor and date function, making the watch sit comfortably on the wrist. Audemars Piguet used the same caliber for nearly 50 years including the recently discontinued successor, the reference 15202.

The A- series for the 5402 is the Royal Oak to add to any serious collection. The genesis of an icon that has shaped modern sports watch design across all brands and Audemars Piguet itself, with the Royal Oak derivatives representing about 70% of their entire current production in all its modern iterations.