Audemars Piguet Royal Oak: The Best of the Best Forever

What’s happen!!!?

These days, stainless steel watches have gained so much recognition that they can even sell for more than watches made from precious materials like gold. Truth be told, stainless steel can never truly compare to or surpass gold. If we look for the root cause that elevated stainless steel watches to this level, the primary culprit we must point to dates back nearly 50 years. Back in the 70s, the entire mechanical watch industry was reeling, nearly struck dead by the electric power of quartz watches. But then, a strange-looking sports watch made of stainless steel was suddenly unveiled at the 1972 Basel Fair, with a price tag set at the level of luxury gold watches with top-tier movements. That watch was none other than the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
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Joining forces through craftsmanship, experience, and creativity

As mentioned, the impact of quartz watches in the 70s was immense. Many manufacturers went bankrupt or were on the brink of collapse. AP was no different. However, thanks to the ability of Georges Golay, an executive at the time who refused to give up easily, they gathered market data from around the world and found that in Italy, there was a trend of wanting a watch unlike anything seen before made of steel. He came up with the idea of creating a sports watch, and naturally, if one talks about unique design in that era, he had to ask for help from Gerald Genta.

AP Royal Oak Prototypes

Overnight is enough for a master

After Georges had the idea, he immediately contacted Genta. "Oh, I remember. He told me at 4 PM, rambled on about this and that, and then said it had to be finished by tomorrow morning," Genta recalled. "I didn't want to brag, but when he asked for it by tomorrow morning, I wanted to boast back that it was too much time; I could sketch it up in a flash. But I didn't want him to think it was easy and pay less, so I acted like it was a struggle and accepted the challenge, haha." After some discussion, Genta drafted a design that was very beautiful; even as just a sketch, it was already incredibly captivating.

AP Royal Oak Design Document

The watch was inspired by vintage diving helmets; the octagonal bezel paired with hexagonal screws was born that day. The blue dial with the small grid pattern, or "Petit Tapisserie," represents the sea. Regarding the movement, Genta originally designed it to use white gold, but due to the difficulty and the excessive cost, it had to be abandoned and replaced with master-level finishing, resulting in the famous CAL.2121 that has been used for a long time since.

AP Royal Oak Cal 2120

A precious movement from the three gods of the horological world

The CAL.2121 was improved from the CAL.2120, a movement that the Holy Trinity of the watch universe, consisting of Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin, wanted—a movement that was thin but packed with advanced mechanisms. The three pooled their funds and hired Jaeger-Lecoultre, an expert in manufacturing movements, to handle it before the three gods took it to refine in their own ways, resulting in the Ultra-Thin movements we know so well from these three brands.

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Named Royal Oak because it was born from the sea

Inspired by a diving helmet, Genta insisted that the name must relate to the sea. Back in the day, when talking about the sea, one thought of the famous British fleet. The name "Royal Oak," from the British Royal Navy, was thus bestowed upon this flagship from AP.

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Every precious thing needs "time"

When everything was ready and launched at the fair for a staggering price of 3,300 Swiss francs—more expensive than gold watches from Patek, leaving the price of a Rolex Submariner far behind, and pricier than any steel watch in history—the watch world was stunned, realizing that design and quality are more important than the materials used.

The watch received both acclaim and resistance. Furthermore, because of the high price for a non-precious material like steel, the first 1,000 pieces in the initial batch sold very slowly compared to the massive investment put into it. AP was prepared to be another name struck from the horological register.

"Every value requires time to be proven" proved true once again. After nearly a year, the Royal Oak began to work its magic. Through word of mouth from collectors and trendsetters who had proven for themselves that this watch was truly special and worth the price, the initial batch and subsequent series were produced to meet growing orders, until the Royal Oak became the cornerstone of AP to this day.

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A conclusion to a legend that still breathes and is coveted by all

From all those events, the first lot of the Royal Oak, or the "A Series," became a rarity that collectors hunt for, as it is the only lot where the "AP" logo is placed at the 6 o'clock position. Therefore, its current price goes without saying. The watch didn't reach this high price by coincidence; it was designed to be different and inherently valuable by true masters. From then on, if any collectors or AP lovers find an octagonal model with a blue dial—considered a special color—and/or the "AP" symbol at the 6 o'clock position, it is snatched up immediately, truly living up to Genta's remark about this watch: "The Royal Oak was the masterpiece of my career."

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