MARKING TIME: In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak, Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet is exploring its inception and continued cultural impact in a coffee-table book published by Assouline.
Written by journalist Bill Prince, “Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon” includes 400 illustrations retracing the watch’s conception and the cultural environment that gave rise to it, alongside new archival material uncovered by the Swiss watchmaker’s patrimony department.
The 292-page volume also explores the continued impact of an object described in the foreword by chairwoman Jasmine Audemars and chief executive officer François-Henry Bennahmias as “a canvas of design innovation” since its creation and “a cultural artifact well beyond watchmaking, an object of permanence in a world of obsolescence.”
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First released in 1972, the Royal Oak was imagined by legendary watch designer Gérald Genta, who had been tasked by then-managing director Georges Golay to create “a steel watch that hadn’t been done before.”
This octagonal design Genta later described as “the masterpiece of [his] career crafted by the Le Brassus artisans” and “the magical fulfilment of a childhood dream” was initially met with industry skepticism that turned to critical and commercial success.
Chronicled throughout the book is the Royal Oak’s evolution and continued appeal throughout the decades, peppered with quotes, including a note from Karl Lagerfeld, who wrote in 2002 that although he collected other timepieces, he always came back to his “good old Royal Oak” purchased the year of its launch.
Its final chapter focuses on portraits of the “Generation Royal Oak,” a cohort said to exemplify the watch’s boundary-breaking spirit that includes Elle Macpherson, Serena Williams, comedian Kevin Hart, British-American DJ Mark Ronson, and musician and Ambush cofounder Verbal.
Priced at 250 euros or $250, “Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon” will be released in English on Friday, with versions in six languages including French and Japanese to follow.