Swiss haute horlogerie maison Audemars Piguet and luxury publisher Assouline celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak with a collector’s book.
Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon. Written by award-winning cultural journalist Bill Prince, the book explores the history of the Royal Oak from a broad perspective while shedding light on new themes uncovered by Audemars Piguet’s Heritage team. It also features exclusive testimonials from longtime friends of the Swiss maison.
The lively narrative is illustrated with images spanning six decades of art, architecture, fashion, music, and history, tracing the evolution of this groundbreaking timepiece, which has always been beloved by those seeking innovation, influential tastemakers, and celebrities around the world.
Audemars Piguet and Assouline celebrated the book’s release with events in London, New York, and Los Angeles. An elegant coffee-table volume measuring 31 x 39 centimeters, it comes housed in a protective slipcase. “The beauty of Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon lies in the perfect harmony between the book’s modernity and the extraordinary story within its pages. A bridge between past and future, the book is a remarkable tribute to the heritage of this iconic timepiece and to the people who have contributed to its success over the past five decades,” said François-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet.
Where Sport Meets Sophistication
The 296-page volume offers a detailed account of how the watch caused a sensation following its debut in 1972, with its hand-finished stainless steel case. At the time, it housed the thinnest self-winding mechanical movement in the world and went on to shine across the globe in the decades that followed.
This icon of luxury watchmaking undoubtedly deserves a moment outside of time, allowing everyone to appreciate its singular details. Still as magnificent today as when it first appeared, the Royal Oak was a true game changer. For the first time, steel was elevated to the same status as gold. More than that, it was a sophisticated watch designed to suit the lifestyle of its wearer, turning established conventions on their head and challenging rigid social codes. Within a decade, approximately 60 variations featuring six different calibers had been introduced. One of the most sought-after watches in the world, the Royal Oak also received a special anniversary edition in the first half of the year to mark its 50th anniversary.
Inspired by the cultural, artistic, and industrial shifts of the 1960s and early 1970s, this forward-looking timepiece anticipated a more active, casual lifestyle while heralding a new era in haute horlogerie, bringing together sportiness and sophistication.
“We had to develop a model that was both sporty and elegant in spirit, suitable for evening attire as well as the everyday activities of the discerning modern man,” commented Georges Golay, Managing Director of Audemars Piguet from 1966 to 1987.
A Cultural Legacy
The book highlights the key Royal Oak models that have shaped the collection’s design evolution since 1972, culminating in a selection of 2022 models celebrating the watch’s 50th anniversary.
The timepiece was created by the world’s oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer, founded in 1875 in Le Brassus, Switzerland, where its headquarters remain to this day. Although it was an unconventional creation when first introduced, the Royal Oak quickly found a powerful and influential audience among free-spirited individuals who recognized its bold combination of technological advances and time-honored savoir-faire.
The watch has served as a constant platform for innovation, engaging in an ongoing dialogue with art, music, architecture, and sports. Today, it stands as a cultural icon that transcends the boundaries of watchmaking: an object that endures in a world defined by obsolescence, embodying the creative freedom and independent spirit of those who have helped shape its history.
In exploring the Royal Oak’s singular cultural journey, Bill Prince also gives a voice to what he calls the “Generation Royal Oak”: a group of watch connoisseurs who came of age after the timepiece’s introduction and whose achievements reflect the globalized world and the cultural movements that inspired them. This generation notably includes figures such as Kevin Hart, Bjarke Ingels, Elle Macpherson, Mark Ronson, Serena Williams, and Ning Zetao, among others.
The Meeting of Two Innovative Brands
For this ambitious and beautifully executed project, the distinguished Audemars Piguet chose a prominent partner with which to collaborate: luxury publisher Assouline, renowned for its sophisticated titles, which combine comprehensive research with exceptional depth.
The result is a volume that captures the compelling blend of heritage, legacy, and innovation shared by both brands, as well as their passionate commitment to craftsmanship, time-honored techniques, precision, and excellence. More than a cultural reference book, it is a timeless design object conceived in the spirit of the Royal Oak itself: a watch of enduring significance, impervious to the passage of time and destined to be passed down from one generation to the next.
“Working on this book was a dream. I had tremendous freedom within a very specific framework. The book is strong and precise — the Royal Oak DNA on paper,” said Prosper Assouline, co-founder of Assouline.