Fearless at Forty

Evan Rast recounts the intriguing events that led to the creation of one of the most influential watches of all time, the Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak, as it celebrates four decades of daring and innovation.

The Royal Oak Selfwinding 41mmThe Royal Oak Quartz 33mmIf you're after the sleek automatic models, the Royal Oak Selfwinding 37mm and 41mm models just might be the ones to consider from this collection. Particularly suited to slender wrists, the 37mm watch is set with brilliant-cut diamonds in a pink gold case. At the heart of the watch is the calibre 3120, with hour, minute, seconds and window-type date display, and a 60-hour power reserve. The 37mm is also available in steel with a plain or gem-set bezel, a black or silver-toned dial. The 41mm, equipped with the same movement, comes in two steel versions with a blue or silver-toned dial. This model is also available in pink gold with a choice of black or silver-toned dial, fitted with a pink gold bracelet or a leather strap with AP folding clasp.

For the ladies, a dainty 33m Royal Oak has been created, housing a quartz movement, with a bezel set with 40 brilliant-cut diamonds. The steel case is water-resistant to 50m and the bracelet is seamlessly integrated with the case characterised by perfectly assembled links and studs arranged in progressively diminishing order of size.

Each model from the 2012 Royal Oak collection serves as a symbol of the conviction that the brand had in making and sticking with an unconventional timepiece that has now become a legend. It's a great reminder that enduring fierce criticism in the beginning, but carrying though with artistic experimentation and a non-conformist way of thinking can lead to amazing results. Modern watch aficionados are well and truly appreciative of the tenacity that Audemars Piguet showed with its Royal Oak, a watch that would never be in our psyche today if not for the persistence of a few radical and imaginative minds.

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