The Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet is undoubtedly an unforgettable high-end watch, it is recognized as the first luxury steel watch.
The history of the Royal Oak began in April 1972, at that time Audemars Piguet presented at the Basel fair a new watch that would mark a milestone.
It was the luxury sports model made of steel with a steel bracelet, which to this day remains an emblem of this manufacture and, in general, of the world of fine watchmaking!
Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet is another Son of Gerald Genta.
Genta is the father of great watch creations such as Universal Genève’s Polerouter, which he helped design when he was only 23 years old.
Subsequently, he became a collaborator of Audemars Piguet and in fact, he had so much weight in the manufacture that if Genta did not agree on something about a watch then the launch of the model did not materialize.
In 1970 Gerald Genta was over 30 years old and was already experienced in the world of luxury watchmaking, for that reason, the manufacture asked him to work on a steel sports watch.
They needed to create a stainless steel wristwatch to be worn on a daily basis and to match an active lifestyle.
The challenge was great because they made the request with a deadline of only one day for the delivery of the sketch, so Genta had to work all night on the initial prototype.
The sketch was baptized with the name Royal Oak, a name that would become one of the most famous on the market perhaps like no other model in recent history.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Feat.
The Royal Oak is a luxury watch that entered the annals of watchmaking as the first luxury sports watch.
The reason why it was so novel is that it was presented in a material rarely used for the manufacture of high-end watches: stainless steel, traditionally watches were made of noble metals such as gold or platinum.
The other captivating element of Genta’s proposal was the integrated link bracelet and an octagonal bezel, this bezel was accompanied by four well visible screws, reminiscent of a porthole.
The detail of the screws was shocking at first, but quickly became its calling card.
On the other hand, the case of the Royal Oak had dimensions a little exaggerated for the time, it was not common boxes of 39 mm in diameter if not smaller so it received the nickname of “jumbo”.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak models.
Today there are different versions of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, these vary in terms of case size and even materials.
In the year 2022 the Royal Oak turned 50 years old and the most remarkable thing about its trajectory is that it did not pale despite the fierce competition that has existed between brands.
During all these years, they have been manufactured from classic steel versions with two hands and 39 mm in diameter to 41 mm chronographs in rose gold.
Models with 44 mm Grandes Complication with perpetual calendar, chronograph and minute repeater have been incorporated.
Also versions of women’s watches with diameters ranging from 33 mm to 37 mm and materials such as white or black ceramic have been added.
Despite the changes, the porthole design remains its hallmark and its bolts are recognized worldwide.
How are the New Royal Oak?
The latest model has been baptized with the reference 16202, it introduced changes to make it more ergonomic, varying certain aesthetic elements on the dial.
However, the most important detail is that it has been equipped with a state-of-the-art automatic movement.
The latest model maintains its ultra-thin status, is just 8.1 mm thick and has been launched in steel, rose gold, yellow gold and platinum.
Audemars Piguet also adds a level of mechanical complexity to the Royal Oak by launching two new skeleton versions, one with a tourbillon and one with a flying tourbillon and a curious smooth dial.
And to further captivate the public, the manufacture has included a new version of the perpetual calendar with aventurine dial.
Why Buy an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak?
It is a high-end watch that guarantees excellent value retention, has a high performance potential.
This Audemars Piguet model has its own legion of admirers, if you then wish to sell it you will have no problem doing so quickly.
How much does an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak cost?
Royal Oak models have variable prices, especially if they are second-hand, ranging from just over 20,000 Euros to over 600,000 Euros.
Typically, the most economical models are women’s watches with quartz caliber, stainless steel models can cost around 18 500 €, while gold models with diamonds are marketed for about 36 000 €.
For example, this 41 mm Royal Oak ccaliber 4302 with sapphire crystal and black dial can be had for 39,000 euros here .