Reimagining the Royal Oak: A Design for Women Audemars Piguet‘s iconic collection presents endless variety to suit every women.
PROMOTION In 1972, when the first quartz watches were gearing up to provoke an unprecedented crisis in the Swiss watch industry, Audemars Piguet defied conventions with its first high-end sports watch in stainless steel – the Royal Oak. The story began when Audemars Piguet approached designer Gérald Genta to imagine a new category of fine watches for a new generation of clients: a highend sports model with ultra-contemporary design that could be worn every day, anywhere; a watch for a new, more active lifestyle emerging in the 1970s when extreme sports started becoming popular. Genta’s idea was to protect the world’s thinnest selfwinding movement of the era (3.05mm) developed by Audemars Piguet in 1967 with tough armour in stainless steel. An unconventional material in Haute Horlogerie, and much harder to work than gold, steel called for investment in new tools and techniques to reach the required finishes. For the first time, it was ennobled to the same status as gold. In 1975, Jacqueline Dimier, a rare woman in a traditionally male world, took over as Head of Product Design at Audemars Piguet. Her first project was to design the Royal Oak for women, launched in 1976. The new design involved complex decisions about aesthetics and function; how to lose weight and retain waterproofing, how to get a thinner, more flexible bracelet. The resulting watch was lighter, less massive than the original but with equivalent impact: the most feminine of masculine watches, loved by thousands of women the world over. Decades later, the Royal Oak collection offers endless variety in terms of size and function, adorning the wrist of men as well as women. One of the more recent creations by the brand is the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph outlined in a 38mm case size. The slender, architectural form of is complemented by a silver-toned “Grande Tapisserie” dial that was redesigned to reinforce legibility. For the ladies who would like to make a strong statement, there is also the Royal Oak Selfwinding in 37mm, fully adorned with over a thousand brilliant-cut diamonds set in the 18-carat white gold dial, case and bracelet. A true high glamour meets Haute Horlogerie moment. audemarspiguet.com, swissconcept.com.au
