Royal Oak: From Enfant Terrible to Full-Fledged Collection

Records and testimonies do not reveal who, when or how the idea for the first ladies’ Royal Oak, Model 8638, originally named "Royal Oak II", came about. What is certain is that the origins of the project date back to well before its introduction. A sketch dated 1973 reveals a first version, followed in 1974 by the first production plans. It was not until the arrival of Audemars Piguet’s first female designer, Jacqueline Dimier, that the project was completed in 1976.

As radical, if not more so than the 1972 Model 5402, the 1976 Model 8638 was also made of steel, with visible screws and a miniature selfwinding mechanism. While the narrowing of its diameter from 39 mm to 29 mm made it even more difficult to produce, the model was a success right from the time of its launch. In 1976, 423 examples were sold; the following year, 756 left Le Brassus and the figure rose to almost 1,000 units in 1978 and exceeded this threshold in 1979.

Designed by Jacqueline Dimier, Model 4100 sometimes appears in the sources under the name "Royal Oak III”. This model responds to growing demand in certain markets where the first 39 mm Royal Oak had not proved very popular. It should be remembered that although Audemars Piguet's Italian agent, Carlo de Marchi, was one of the Royal Oak instigators in 1970, Italy did not welcome this model with the expected enthusiasm. Its designer Gérald Genta explained in an interview with Audemars Piguet in 2012: "The big cause of drama was the size of the watch, which was elephant-like compared to what people were wearing at that time, with Italian men favouring the Ladymatic. We came along with something so huge that it was simply not possible!”

It should be remembered that this 39 mm diameter, which earned it the nickname Royal Oak “Jumbo”, was probably not part of Genta's specifications. It results from the architecture of the Royal Oak case, and more particularly from its eight visible screws framing its Calibre 2121, with its 12 ½-ligne (28 mm) diameter. A smaller movement was needed in order to reduce this diameter.

Launched in 1977 under Reference 900, Calibre 2123 was manufactured at the time by LeCoultre & Cie, a factory located a stone's throw from Le Brassus, and with which Audemars Piguet had forged decades-long commercial, technical, friendly and even family ties. This movement differed from its cousin and predecessor 2121 by its smaller diameter (11½ lignes, i.e. 26 mm); its larger thickness (3.25 mm rather than 3.05 mm) enabling the addition of a central seconds hand; and its high frequency (28,800 vph as opposed to 19,800 vph) ensuring enhanced accuracy. The case was redesigned and structured in three parts to maximise the use of the interior space, unlike the "monocoque" system of Model 5402. The space previously taken up by Model 5402's huge gasket was occupied by a bezel featuring a redesigned structure. These transformations enabled watchmakers to reduce the case size by 4 mm, despite the movement being only 2 mm smaller in diameter! The new Royal Oak therefore measured only 35 mm.

Model 4100 is referred to in the archives as "Royal Oak III." No "IV" version exists due to the increasing number of variations from that point on. While there were many different sizes, the 35 mm diameter asserted itself as the new benchmark for men’s watches.

From 1978 to 1982, several variants of Model 4100 were created using Calibre 2123 (26 mm in diameter, 3.25 thick), notably to accommodate precious stones: 4153 (1978); 4275 (1981); 4287; (1981); 4331 (1982). From 1986–87, the 35 mm models were equipped with a smaller mechanism, Calibre 2131 (23.3 mm in diameter, 3.2 mm thick, Frédéric Piguet blank), notably Models 14544 (1987); 14486 (1990); 14575 (1990) and 14674 (1990).

From 1983 onwards, there were further shifts. The majority of models were upsized to 36 mm, starting with the Royal Oak 4332 (calendar models 5572, 5581, 5658, 5577, 5595, 25594...) and then the 14700 line from 1990. Over the next two decades, more than 50 Royal Oak models with a 36 mm diameter were produced. Most were equipped with Calibre 2125 and its derivatives including Calibre 2225, a family of selfwinding movements created in the 1970s by LeCoultre & Cie. These veritable tracteurs (tractors) – a term used by watchmakers to designate a robust movement capable of accommodating complications – equipped countless models until the 21st century.

Whether in music, art, cuisine or design, a great classic is a celebrated, well-known, admired and respected work that can be endlessly reinterpreted. Unchanging, yet constantly renewed, the Royal Oak began to meet this definition in the 1980s.

Certain elements remained immutable: the octagonal bezel punctuated by eight screws, the tonneau-shaped case with two bevels, the tapering metal bracelet. But from then on, sizes became increasingly varied and materials more diverse. In 1979, the Royal Oak welcomed its first diamonds. The discerning eye will note that the stones are set around the rim of the bezel, creating a refined sparkling effect that does not compete with the screws. Above and beyond aesthetic considerations, the reason behind this was technical. The bezels of ultra-thin Model 5402 are hollowed out to better hold the oversized gasket. They were therefore too thin to be gemset on top. In an interview given in 2020, Raymond Bornand, who was in charge of Audemars Piguet’s distribution in Switzerland between 1973 and the 2000s, tells of having the first Royal Oak set at an independent jeweller. He then presented it to the workshops in Le Brassus, which adopted the gemsetting and endlessly reinterpreted it thereafter. 

More and more liberties were taken with the dial from 1977 onwards. Colours were varied to match those of the gold case, while the Tapisserie motif sometimes vanished, whether on Model 4100 versions or on the ladies' variants.

Could the Royal Oak speak the language of quartz? Should it? This revolutionary model had in its own way offered an alternative to quartz: a watch whose radically futuristic design and transgressive spirit were dedicated to serving traditional expertise (hand finishing of steel, the world's thinnest selfwinding movement, etc). 

In a memoir written in 2006, Jacqueline Dimier explained: "The temptation to introduce quartz in the Royal Oak line was great, but the management was opposed to it and instead created a related line, ref. 6005, that was rectangular with bevelled edge. It had the same bracelet and suitable finishing, but to set itself apart, the screws were replaced by four studs.”

The solution chosen by Jacques-Louis Audemars and Georges Golay represents the quintessential balancing act. The two men had set themselves the objective of sparing the so-called "classic" collections – round or oval, including many variations equipped with ultra-thin Calibre 2003 – from quartz for as long as possible. While they also wanted to preserve their brand-new Royal Oak icon, they sensed that its transgressive character lent itself better to the irruption of disruptive technology. By creating a "related line," they achieved a successful compromise – at least for the time being.

The technical specifications for the case of the first Royal Oak quartz men's watch indicate that Model 6005 (1978) was equipped with Calibre 2511, developed from 1972 onwards. With a diameter of 23.2 mm, it was much smaller than its predecessor, Calibre 2510, yet its 3.5 mm thickness was still fairly substantial. At that point in time, quartz was already no longer perceived as the height of technology and the future of luxury. It was therefore necessary to dispel any doubts regarding the value of the mechanism. A historical "Notice du rhabilleur AP" (note from the AP repairer) deemed it necessary to indicate: "Quartz movement finished by the master-watchmakers of Audemars Piguet and Cie in the finest Haute Horlogerie tradition". This argument also appeared in the advertising campaigns supporting the launch of the watch: "It is a quartz, no doubt, but it is above all an Audemars Piguet (...) And only Audemars Piguet, thanks to its total mastery of watchmaking forms and techniques, was able to give its letters of nobility to electronics." In 1980, another advertisement introduced this watch as "The acceptable face of innovation." 

But is this watch a Royal Oak? Its bezel is neither octagonal nor punctuated by eight hexagonal screws. Printed sources provide the answer to this question. In the catalogues dated 1978 – 1979 and beyond, Model 6005 is never called a Royal Oak, but simply "Quartz." In 1981, the range was extended with seven models of the same nature (6005, 6009, 6010, 6015, 6014, 6026 and 6028) through 14 variants, ten of which were equipped with Calibre 2502 (17.5 x 13.5 x 1.98 mm). Once again, the name Royal Oak does not appear. These watches were referred to as the "AP Quartz Line," which continued until at least 1985. They were therefore not Royal Oak watches, but "close relatives," to use Jacqueline Dimier's expression.

An overview of 1980s production records makes it clear that the first generations of Royal Oak quartz watches made up a significant part of Audemars Piguet production in the 1980s. In ten years, at least 59 models were created, equipped with six different quartz movements: 2502, 2505 (26 mm in diameter, 3.15 mm thick), 2506 (26 mm in diameter, 3.15 mm thick), 2508, ultra-thin 2610 (16.2 mm in diameter, 1.9 mm thick) and 2711. Of these, 44 were set with precious stones, whether on the case, the dial, or both. More generally, the proportion of Audemars Piguet quartz watches rose from 7% in 1979 to 30% the following year. In 1986, it reached an all-time high: half of all watches were equipped with quartz movements. From then on, this proportion decreased regularly. Ten years later, only 20% of watches were quartz-driven. 

This quartz boom met strong demand from markets keen on novelty. It should not however obscure the fact that, at the same time, Audemars Piguet played a central role in the revival of classic complications, which were fitted not only on round and pocket watches, but also on the Royal Oak collection. The perpetual calendar was introduced in the Royal Oak collection (Model 5554, followed by 25636 in 1986, 25654 in 1987, 25729 in 1992, etc.) as early as 1984. In 1997, for its 25th anniversary, the octagonal watch adopted the chronograph (Calibre 2385, Models 25850 and 25865, then Model 26320 in 2012, etc.), but also the tourbillon (Model 25831, Calibre 2875; then Model 26355, Calibre 2886 in 2010; Model 26510, Calibre 2924 in 2012, etc.) and even the Grande Complication (Calibre 2885, models 25865 in 1997, then 25953 in 2001, etc.) In the 2000s, the equation of time was introduced (Calibre 2121/2808, Model 26603 from 2008), shortly after the double tourbillon-chronograph complications (Tradition d'Excellence Model 25969, Calibre 2893; Model 25977, Calibre 2889 in 2003; Model 26039 in 2004; Model 26355, Calibre 2886 in 2010, etc.).