Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak (1972), Gérald GentaFounded in 1875 by watch makers Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, and today still owned by its founding families, Audemars Piguet (AP) is a manufacturer of luxurious Swiss watches. Designed in 1972 by Gérald Genta, AP’s most iconic watch is the Royal Oak. At the time, luxury watches on the market were all round, slim and in gold. The controversial Royal Oak was octagonal, came in steel with sharp angles and had visible screws. The Royal Oak was the first high-end sports watch made of steel.
Trivia:
Gérald Genta was inspired by a ship of the British Royal Navy, HMS Royal Oak. Built in 1862, the battleship was reinforced with steel plates, had octagonal gun ports for its cannons that were secured by eight visible bolts. The story goes it took Genta only one day to design the watch.
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