\r\n\u003C/p>",{"fileReference":382,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":383,"altText":384,"assetPagePath":385,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--eab426dc-2ce9-4b13-b114-12c9afd1320e/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1970. Order for the first Royal Oak prototypes. In June 1970, Gérald Genta ordered four Royal Oak prototypes in white gold from the case manufacturer Favre-Perret. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Order for the first Royal Oak prototypes in 1970","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1970_commande_boiteproto5402tiff",{"images":387,":type":398},[388,393],{"fileReference":389,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":390,"altText":391,"assetPagePath":392,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--9e741c70-8226-4627-8540-1cbce2f316fe/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1992. Jacques-Louis Audemars and Gérald Genta. Reunited for a meal to celebrate the Royal Oak's 20th anniversary, the two men recalled the twists and turns of this creation that made its mark on watchmaking history. AP News. Audemars Piguet Archives","Gérald Genta and Jacques-Louis Audemars in 1992","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/story_100_11_2_2000px0",{"fileReference":394,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":395,"altText":396,"assetPagePath":397,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--588bf046-f6bc-4ec2-931d-289054c04fd9/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","Repair sheet This document, drawn up in the 1990s by the Audemars Piguet Customer Service department, presents the main case components of the first Royal Oak, Model 5402. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Repair sheet of the main case components of the first Royal Oak, Model 5402, 1980","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1980_environ_ficherhabillage5402tiff0","apchronicles/components/twoimages",[102,170,400],"twoimages",{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":402,"gridClassNames":8,":items":403,":itemsOrder":425,":type":104},{"textcarousel":7,"title":7},{"title":404,"textcarousel":407},{"id":405,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":406,":type":79},"title-693e67b3ca","Creation of the Dial",{"text":408,"images":409,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":100},"\u003Cp>While the \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/model-5402-dial-variants\">\u003Ci>Tapisserie\u003C/i> dial\u003C/a> is one of the most important aesthetic codes of the Royal Oak, it would not have seen the light of day without a surprising conjunction of circumstances. Helmut Crott, a renowned collector, entrepreneur and founder of the eponymous auction house, told this story in his book \u003Ci>The Dial. The Face of the Wristwatch in the 20th Century, \u003C/i>published in 2020.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>It all began when, around 1970, a Geneva-based company called \u003Ci>La Nationale \u003C/i>lost its only employee capable of operating seven old machines that were about to fall into disuse. These engraving machines, or more precisely "\u003Ci>guilloché\u003C/i> copying" machines, had been used for decades to reproduce geometric or floral \u003Ci>tapisserie\u003C/i> patterns on gold lighters, pens or cigarette boxes in silver, gold, etc. Wishing to dispose of these tools, \u003Ci>La Nationale \u003C/i>handed them over to its neighbour, the dial-maker \u003Ci>Stern Frères, \u003C/i>on condition that they fulfil an existing order\u003Ci>. \u003C/i>Stern was nothing less than the most prestigious dial manufacturer of the 20th century. It supplied the greatest watch brands, including Patek Phillippe (which the Stern family bought in 1932), Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Roland Tille was the Stern Frères head of design at the time. He understood the potential of these old tools, despite the great difficulty involved in using them. When Gérald Genta visited him to talk about the future Royal Oak, Tille showed him not only \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/guillochage-tapisserie\">the machines\u003C/a>, but also the 300 templates that came with them, each featuring a different design. The two men chose 13 designs to make prototypes, including one called T21, standing for “\u003Ci>Tapisserie\u003C/i> 21”. That was the one chosen for the Royal Oak. Now renamed \u003Ci>Petite Tapisserie\u003C/i>, this pattern is composed of hundreds of small truncated pyramids, punctuated by tens of thousands of small diamond-shaped holes, enabling subtle and unique light effects.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>",[410,415,420],{"fileReference":411,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":412,"altText":413,"assetPagePath":414,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--58d88c47-b45f-4da5-b177-ad09ce98c010/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","Circa 1971. Stern's technical sheet for the first 5402 dial. The original dial is glued to a cardboard paper which details its technical characteristics. The name Bleu Nuit (\"night blue\") as well as \"N50\" standing for Nuage 50 (\"cloud 50\") are specified. The term T21 Tapisserie refers to the guilloché motif. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Stern's technical sheet for the first 5402 dial, circa 1971","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/cadran-5402st-sternv7",{"fileReference":416,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":417,"altText":418,"assetPagePath":419,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--518cb987-cb03-4412-a66d-0652e430e3f9/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","Circa 1981. Different Tapisserie tests. The denomination Tapisserie refers to the engraving technique (or guilloché-work) used for the dials, and not to the reproduced motif. It gave rise to numerous patterns. Test sheet realised by Stern Créations SA. Archives Audemars Piguet.","Different Tapisserie tests, circa 1981","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/proto-tapisseriev50",{"fileReference":421,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":422,"altText":423,"assetPagePath":424,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--2433123f-1915-4800-ae34-f01a1788418c/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","Circa 1975. T18 Tapisserie dial. Made for the Models 5417 and 5423, this dial uses the Tapisserie technique to create floral motifs. Audemars Piguet Archives.","The T18 Tapisserie dial, circa 1975","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/tapisserie-floralev7",[102,103],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":427,"gridClassNames":8,":items":428,":itemsOrder":454,":type":104},{"textcarousel":7,"title":7},{"title":429,"textcarousel":432},{"id":430,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":431,":type":79},"title-93102146f0","Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50",{"text":433,"images":434,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":100},"\u003Cp>In contrast to the \u003Ci>guilloché\u003C/i> pattern, the colour was already defined on Gérald Genta’s original design. Colouring a surface as complex as the \u003Ci>Petite Tapisserie\u003C/i> represented a major technical challenge, as the colour must neither detract from its innumerable tiny details, nor excessively dim the light effects. Painting would have blocked the tiny diamond-shaped holes. The natural choice was the electroplating technique that involved applying an extremely thin layer of colour to the dial. The artisans at Stern were nonetheless well aware that blue was the most difficult colour to obtain consistently using this process. Even if the duration of the baths is controlled to the nearest second, the mixtures to the nearest drop and the temperatures to the nearest degree, it is impossible to guarantee an identical colour for each dial series. The first Royal Oak dials were handcrafted and may vary slightly in colour, as may the \u003Ci>guilloché\u003C/i> work.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>After galvanic treatment, each dial must be protected against oxidation by means of an almost transparent lacquer, often called \u003Ci>zapon\u003C/i> by craftspeople. In the Stern archives, the dial of \u003Ca href=\"/en/model/5402\">Model 5402\u003C/a> (the first Royal Oak) is described as “Bleu Nuit 1 + N50”. The N50 indication meant \u003Ci>Nuage 50 \u003C/i>(cloud 50), the cloud being produced by the small amount of black colour poured into the liquid lacquer before it was applied to the blue dial.\u003C/p>",[435,440,445,449],{"fileReference":436,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":437,"altText":438,"assetPagePath":439,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--f481df5e-4b41-4965-995c-ceedea2b5d4e/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1970–1980. Three 5402ST dials. Destined to adorn Model 5402ST, these three dials present small colour variations due to the manufacturing techniques used at the time and to their different light exposure during the creation process. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Three 5402ST dials, between 1970 and 1980","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/3_cadrans_5402_tiffv2",{"fileReference":441,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":442,"altText":443,"assetPagePath":444,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--6bf472e0-9344-4c07-97be-8ca35555880a/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Royal Oak 5402 dial. This dial adorns the Royal Oak 5402ST A26 series, case 67026, movement 127059, delivered by Audemars Piguet to the Swiss market (Gameo Lausanne) on June 16, 1972. Audemars Piguet Heritage, inv. 365.","A Royal Oak 5402 dial, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_cadranfacetiffv20",{"fileReference":446,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":447,"altText":443,"assetPagePath":448,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--6a623671-0434-48ea-a993-a9a8460d1773/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Royal Oak 5402 dial This dial adorns the Royal Oak 5402ST A26 series, case 67026, movement 127059, delivered by Audemars Piguet to the Swiss market (Gameo Lausanne) on June 16, 1972. Audemars Piguet Heritage, inv. 365.","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_cadranaptiffv2",{"fileReference":450,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":451,"altText":452,"assetPagePath":453,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--22817539-dc49-45b0-9878-6d85ffff7f75/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Backside of the Royal Oak 5402 dial. This dial adorns the Royal Oak 5402ST A26 series, case 67026, movement 127059, delivered by Audemars Piguet to the Swiss market (Gameo Lausanne) on June 16, 1972. Protected from light, the back of the watch has retained its original bluish hue. Audemars Piguet Heritage, inv. 365.","Backside of the Royal Oak 5402 dial, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_cadrandosgravuretiffv2",[102,103],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":456,"gridClassNames":8,":items":457,":itemsOrder":483,":type":104},{"text":7,"title":7,"carousel":7},{"title":458,"text":461,"carousel":463},{"id":459,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":460,":type":79},"title-bc3ec8724f","Calibre 2121",{"text":462,":type":113},"\u003Cp>To equip the future Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet and Gérald Genta chose \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/calibres-2120-2121\">the world's thinnest mechanical selfwinding movement with date\u003C/a>: the famous Calibre 2121 derived from the 2120. At 3.05 mm thick and 12½ lignes (28 mm) in diameter, this now legendary calibre corresponds to what watchmakers colloquially call a tracteur (tractor), in that it combined power with reliability and resistance, despite its extreme thinness.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nCalibre 2120 was born in 1967 from the collaboration of three renowned companies, which by then had forged close links in terms of both production and distribution: LeCoultre & Cie, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin. A letter dated June 9, 1964, sent by Audemars Piguet to its main supplier of ébauches, LeCoultre & Cie, informs us of the importance of the issue but also of the difficulties of realisation: “For three or four years now, we have been making our customers wait, as they are less and less able to understand why the specialists in extra-thin and luxury watches are still offering automatic watches that are among the thickest.” Coordination meetings were held at the highest levels of the three companies. On August 19, 1966, for example, Jacques-Louis Audemars, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Creative Director of Audemars Piguet, met at the LeCoultre Manufacture with André Goy, Deputy General Manager of Vacheron Constantin, Jean Lebet, Technical Director of LeCoultre & Cie, and Maurice Audemars, who is generally credited with the creation of Calibres 2003 and 2120.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nIn 1967, the Audemars Piguet 5271 Model was the first to be equipped with Calibre 2120. Its central weight on rollers (patented system) was signed “Audemars-Piguet” and its total thickness was 2.45 mm. Designed by Genta, it was followed by more than 10 models the same year. From then on, this calibre played a major role in Audemars Piguet production, equipping more than 650 watches as of 1967. Launched in 1970, its derivative 2121 added the date function, which slightly increased its thickness to 3.05 mm. It equipped all \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/the-royal-oak-jumbo-models\">Royal Oak “Jumbo”\u003C/a> watches until the end of 2021.\u003C/p>",{"images":464,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":132},[465,471,477],{"fileReference":466,"mobileFileReference":467,"caption":468,"altText":469,"assetPagePath":470,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--e8cffee9-c1f9-4fe1-b059-7a3d1f7486b4/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--fafcda7e-f2a1-4dda-a441-4784f1882624/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1967–2011. Calibres 2120 and 2121, caseback side. Extra-thin selfwinding calibres. Diameter of 28 mm (12½ lignes). The aesthetic on the caseback side is similar for Calibre 2120 (between 1967 and 2006) and Calibre 2121 (between 1970 and circa 2011). Movement 127053 produced in 1970. Audemars Piguet Heritage, inv. 365.","Caseback side of Calibres 2120 and 2121, 1967–2011","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_mouvementdostiffv30",{"fileReference":472,"mobileFileReference":473,"caption":474,"altText":475,"assetPagePath":476,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--e0976f25-27e7-42fa-b21e-11f915dee53a/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--efc70ebb-e88c-4923-8322-eb09e6fc2613/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. Calibre 2121, dial side. Thinnest selfwinding calibre with central rotor and date indication of its time (3.05 mm). Rotor supported by ruby rollers oscillating on a circular rail. Diameter of 28 mm (12½ lignes). 247 parts, 19,800 vph. Derived from Calibre 2120 (1967). Movement 127053. Audemars Piguet Heritage.","Dial side of Calibre 2121, 1971","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_mouvementfacetiffv30",{"fileReference":478,"mobileFileReference":479,"caption":480,"altText":481,"assetPagePath":482,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--6b398042-0178-4f1a-b48d-7e6e538fc595/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--9cc528f2-1934-4da3-b33d-73b3e39af787/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1970. Audemars Piguet Showcase at the Basel Fair. Since the 1950s, Audemars Piguet has been recognised as one of the main experts in ultra-thin watches. In 1970, this status was confirmed by the launch of Calibre 2121, the thinnest in its category, which came to equip the Royal Oak two years later. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Audemars Piguet Showcase at the Basel Fair in 1970","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1970_event_bale_standvitrineb04-09btiff0",[102,134,135],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":485,"gridClassNames":8,":items":486,":itemsOrder":515,":type":104},{"text":7,"title":7,"carousel":7},{"title":487,"text":490,"carousel":492},{"id":488,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":489,":type":79},"title-ec66c57e71","First Bracelets Made by Gay Frères",{"text":491,":type":113},"\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/royal-oak-bracelets\">Royal Oak bracelet\u003C/a> designed by Genta was far from the first integrated steel bracelet. It was however the most complex ever made from this material and featured 154 components, among which 34 were of different sizes. Its aesthetics and technicality enabled it to unite two previously separate worlds: craftsmanship, stemming from the history of jewellery, in which Audemars Piguet had excelled for several decades; and steel sports bracelets, stemming from collections of water-resistant watches produced in very large series by companies such as Omega or Rolex. The aim was to manufacture the first ever sports bracelet in accordance with the rules of artistic craftsmanship.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nTo make such an achievement possible, Audemars Piguet turned to one of the greatest specialists: the Geneva-based company Gay Frères. Founded in 1835 by Jean-Pierre Gay and Gaspar Tissot, this company initially specialised in chains but reconverted to watch bracelets in the 20th century. It made a name for itself by cooperating with Rolex (which bought it up in 1998), for which it notably manufactured the Oyster bracelet, as well as with the main Swiss watch firms, including Patek Philippe (for its rice grain bracelet) and Chopard. In the 1970s, Gay Frères was the undisputed master of steel bracelets. Its Geneva workshops employed more than 500 people, five times more than Audemars Piguet.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nDespite their experience and the quality of their tools, the Gay Frères artisans were never able to attain the level of Audemars Piguet’s finishing requirements. Thus, like the cases produced by Favre-Perret, each bracelet had to be reworked manually by the Le Brassus watchmakers during the casing-up process. Even after the 1972 launch, several improvements had to be made to achieve the expected degree of quality and ergonomics, in particular to ensure the perfect tapering of the links attached to the case. As \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/1976-1982-from-enfant-terrible-to-full-fledged-collection\">the Royal Oak collection\u003C/a> grew, several other firms took on this ambitious and delicate production, including Fontana, Lascor, GTF and then Centror, which is currently the Audemars Piguet Meyrin subsidiary.\u003C/p>",{"images":493,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":132},[494,499,505,510],{"fileReference":495,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":496,"altText":497,"assetPagePath":498,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--288d3fa4-d49a-4418-8e8a-4e228ab847c7/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. Sketch of the studs on the first Royal Oak bracelet. This drawing highlights the fact that the studs that attach the tapered links are themselves of different sizes. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Sketch of the studs on the first Royal Oak bracelet in 1971","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1971_esquisse_braceletroyaloaktiff0",{"fileReference":500,"mobileFileReference":501,"caption":502,"altText":503,"assetPagePath":504,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--df973af6-bc4e-4cc3-862e-eeb767d8d485/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--de452f8b-f392-4610-a4db-a54015bf82cd/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. First Royal Oak bracelet This bracelet 344 adorns the Royal Oak 5402ST A26 series, case 67026, movement 127059, delivered by Audemars Piguet to the Swiss market (Gameo Lausanne) on June 16, 1972. Audemars Piguet Heritage, inv. 365.","First Royal Oak bracelet, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_braceletfacetiff-copiev3",{"fileReference":506,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":507,"altText":508,"assetPagePath":509,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--7fcfb20d-d994-4ef5-9487-812b1e0750a6/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Bracelet 344. Manufactured by the Geneva-based firm Gay Frères, bracelet no. 344 was used on the first-generation Royal Oak 39mm ultra-thin watches. From the end of the 1980s, it was gradually replaced by bracelet no. 944. Bracelet directory. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Royal Oak bracelet 344, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1972_bible_bracelets03000005tiffv20",{"fileReference":511,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":512,"altText":513,"assetPagePath":514,"disableSharing":63,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--8a6d2fc7-8999-496e-929b-a37734736c67/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1970. Gay Frères Advertisement Before the Royal Oak, the metal bracelets manufactured by Gay Frères were rarely tapering. Their folding clasp was covering. © Europa Star 1970, Trade Bulletin, 687, 11/12, p. 14.","Advertisement of Gay Frères showing the Royal Oak metal bracelets in 1970","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pub-gay-freres0",[102,134,135],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":517,"gridClassNames":8,":items":518,":itemsOrder":541,":type":104},{"threeimages":7,"text":7,"title":7},{"title":519,"text":522,"threeimages":524},{"id":520,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":521,":type":79},"title-123b16a152","Presentation of the First Prototype in Basel and... Genta’s Departure",{"text":523,":type":113},"\u003Cp>By April 1971, a full year had passed since Genta’s first sketch. As the Basel Fair was about to open, Georges Golay took advantage of the presence of the “three musketeers” to discreetly introduce them to the future Royal Oak’s white gold prototype. It was immediately clear that Audemars Piguet had something which would create a stir! Carlo de Marchi and Charles Bauty each agreed to buy 400 units, making a total of 800 watches. Georges Golay decided to produce a first series of 1,000 in steel, assuming that it would be easy to distribute the 200 additional examples to the rest of the world. The development took another year and was done without Gérald Genta.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>An entrepreneur at heart, Genta had long wanted to step out of the shadows and create his own brand. In 1969, he had already taken a first step in this direction: “I had already secretly prepared my collection and on December 25, 1969 I arranged a meeting with the Fred company which placed an order for 120 watches.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Relations with Audemars Piguet ended in 1972 when Gérald Genta presented in Basel the first model from his brand: a wooden watch with a bezel punctuated by 13 gold screws.\u003C/p>",{"images":525,":type":370},[526,531,536],{"fileReference":527,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":528,"altText":529,"assetPagePath":530,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--bba23e04-5f71-47db-9ecf-6ea429249f4d/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. Audemars Piguet Showcase at the Basel. Fair In its stand's showcase, Audemars Piguet exhibited watches from different shapes, principally endowed with braided bracelets. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Audemars Piguet showcase at the Basel Fair in 1971","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1971_event_bale_standvitrineb04-091tiff0",{"fileReference":532,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":533,"altText":534,"assetPagePath":535,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--3813b78e-aa64-4a62-a2d2-3a23a7cbca65/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. Audemars Piguet brochure (cover). The AP monogram is composed of two watchmaking tools: a proportion compass (left) and a hacksaw (right) – a little saw used to openwork movement components. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Cover of Audemars Piguet brochure in 1971","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1971_catalogue_aptiff0",{"fileReference":537,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":538,"altText":539,"assetPagePath":540,"disableSharing":63,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--61a42b0f-89e4-4e49-ad21-7de3957453aa/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. First model of Gérald Genta's eponymous brand Christened \" À la gloire de Christophe Colomb,\" the first model of the Gérald Genta brand was presented at the Basel Fair in 1972. 22-carat gold dial, wooden bezel punctuated by 13 gold screws. © Europa Star 1972, no 73, p. 74.","Close up of the first wristwatch model \"À la gloire de Christophe Colomb\" by Gérald Genta in 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/montre-genta-en-bois-1972v2",[102,134,372],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":543,"gridClassNames":8,":items":544,":itemsOrder":566,":type":104},{"threeimages":7,"text":7,"title":7},{"title":545,"text":548,"threeimages":550},{"id":546,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":547,":type":79},"title-ce56ac34dc","A Limited Edition of 1,000?",{"text":549,":type":113},"\u003Cp>On May 19, 1971, Jacques-Louis Audemars signed an order for 1,000 steel cases from Favre-Perret. This was the largest quantity of a single model ever ordered by Audemars Piguet. To better understand what such a figure represents, one should recall that in 1971, the 6,217 watches sold by AP were available in 237 very different models and that each model was itself interpreted in a multitude of different dials and materials. Only 23 models were produced in quantities of more than 100, while 145 models had less than 10 units each, 55 of which were one-offs.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nWe now know that the first Royal Oak, Model 5402, was produced in a run of over 6,000 watches. However, back in 1971, the idea of making even 1,000 of them was perceived as excessive and even shocking by certain craftspeople in Le Brassus, and doubtless also by some of the brand’s traditional customers.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nSeveral sources, including Gérald Genta and Martin K. Wehrli, former Director of the Audemars Piguet Museum, claim that Georges Golay had initially planned to limit the total production of Model 5402 to 1,000 units, which would have made the Royal Oak Audemars Piguet’s first limited edition. According to Genta, the success of the watch forced Georges Golay to betray his word by subsequently increasing production: “Golay was sick of continuing to produce Royal Oak watches, because it made him a liar. He was a man of exceptional quality.”\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nWhat do the archives say? The first case order clearly states that each watch should have a special engraving on the caseback: “Please provide \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/royal-oak-numbering\">a special numbering\u003C/a> from 1 to 1,000 below 6 o’clock.” It is interesting to note that Audemars Piguet modified the numbering system of the watches as soon as the Royal Oak was created, adding the “small number”, a consecutive number starting with 1 and intended for a single model. This subject is developed in another article dedicated to the Royal Oak’s numbering system.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nBut Georges Golay did not limit production to 1,000. Without abandoning the idea of a limited series, he elegantly freed himself from the constraints of this concept. An advertising text from 1972 is enlightening in this respect: “Chaque exemplaire des séries limitées de Royal Oak est numéroté” (Each watch in Royal Oak limited series is numbered). On the one hand, the copy indicates that the production is limited, but does not provide a definite number. Moreover, the French term séries limitées is in the plural and that accounts for how the A, B, C and D series of Model 5402 came into being.\u003C/p>",{"images":551,":type":370},[552,557,561],{"fileReference":553,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":554,"altText":555,"assetPagePath":556,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--f9759e98-6c47-44b2-a813-28d66bb4cbd5/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. Order for 1,000 cases for Model 5402 cases from Favre-Perret. On May 19, 1971, Jacques-Louis Audemars ordered 1,000 Royal Oak steel cases. The document was annotated as the case was being developed, which was done in the months following the order. Pages nos. 1 / 2. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Order document for 1,000 of Model 5402 cases from Favre-Perret in 1971","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1971_commande_boite5402atiffv2",{"fileReference":558,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":559,"altText":555,"assetPagePath":560,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--58380115-b246-43ee-97d1-8511e81e62e1/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. Order for 1,000 cases for Model 5402 from Favre-Perret. On 19 May 1971, Jacques-Louis Audemars ordered 1,000 Royal Oak steel cases. The document was annotated as the case was being developed, which was done in the months following the order. Page 2 / 2. Audemars Piguet Archives","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1971_commande_boite5402btiffv20",{"fileReference":562,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":563,"altText":564,"assetPagePath":565,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--70fe4269-21fc-4ac4-a61d-e1bacf266cf2/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. Order for 1,020 Model 5402 dials. In June 1971, Audemars Piguet orders from Stern Frères a little over 1,000 Model 5402 T21 Tapisserie dials. The first five were delivered nine months later. Dial order forms. Audemars Piguet Archives ","Order document for 1,020 Model 5402 dials","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1971-commande-premiers-cadrans-royal-oak",[102,134,372],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":568,"gridClassNames":8,":items":569,":itemsOrder":580,":type":104},{"title":7,"textimage":7},{"title":570,"textimage":573},{"id":571,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":572,":type":79},"title-042c1af75b","The Patent",{"text":574,"image":575,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":149},"\u003Cp>On December 6, 1971, almost a year and a half after the first design, Audemars Piguet officially filed patent application 17724/71 with the Swiss Federal Office of Intellectual Property. Gérald Genta was listed as the inventor.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>The patent, entitled “Water-resistant watch case,” was published in September 1974 and granted in January 1975. It protected “a water-resistant watch case based on a particularly simple and efficient construction and featuring a new aesthetic appearance.” The text mentions the risks of water infiltration around the screws, but it does not yet indicate that the latter would be made of gold to avoid oxidation.\u003C/p>",{"fileReference":576,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":577,"altText":578,"assetPagePath":579,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--0e9e574e-f3b6-4222-9f38-c788bcaef0f8/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. First Royal Oak patent. Filed in June 1971 by the Société Anonyme de la Manufacture d'Horlogerie Audemars, Piguet & Co, stipulating the inventor as Gérald Genta, the patent was published on 30.9.1974 under number 17724/71. Audemars Piguet Archives.","First Royal Oak publicated patent, in 1971 ","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/0023_tiff0",[102,170],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":582,"gridClassNames":8,":items":583,":itemsOrder":601,":type":104},{"twoimages":7,"text":7,"title":7},{"title":584,"text":587,"twoimages":589},{"id":585,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":586,":type":79},"title-09dcfb11e1","First AP Watch with a Name",{"text":588,":type":113},"\u003Cp>Naming a new watch is always a tricky process. The name must convey values, evoke a history, a character, a rich and relevant semantic universe, yet it must also be memorable and pronounceable throughout the world. For Audemars Piguet in 1971, the search for a name was further complexified by the fact that the brand had never done this for any previous series-made watch. Until then, the only element of recognition was the model reference number or the nickname given by collectors.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>In May 1971, Audemars Piguet’s new octagonal watch was given a working name that evoked lion-hunting. In his case order, Jacques-Louis Audemars used the term “Safari”. Denys Capt, the watchmaker who helped develop the model, remembers that the name “Excalibur” was also mentioned. As for Genta, he would have liked to refer to the diving suit that had inspired him and was at the origin of the water-resistance patent (he would succeed a few years later with the Nautilus). But this idea came up against several limits. Firstly, the world of diving watches entered its first golden age in the 1960s, opening up a new sports segment. A diver’s watch must meet a standard technical definition, only partially met by the future Royal Oak despite its water resistance to 100 metres. Secondly and far more importantly, the watch – with its complex aesthetics, extreme finesse, as well as hand decoration including numerous satin-finished and polished facets and \u003Ci>guilloché\u003C/i> dial – was much more than a diving watch, much more than a sports watch!\u003Cbr />\r\n\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>On September 13, 1971, the question of the name was still far from resolved, as indicated in a meeting report: “The Safari watch:... look for names evoking sport, wide open spaces or virility (with related slogans). Various suggestions: Grand Prix – Diane – Surfrider – Colorado – Kilimanjaro – Canyon – Oxford – Ascot – Yale – etc.” It was not until December 2, 1971 that the name Royal Oak appeared in the brand’s archives.\u003Cbr />\r\n\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>All the witnesses of the time agree that the Italian agent Carlo de Marchi came up with the name which referred to the Royal Oak ships of the Royal Navy, the most recent of which were armoured in metal. It was also a nod to the story of Charles II, King of England, who owed his life to an oak tree that had sheltered him from Cromwell’s troops and which he subsequently ennobled. “Royal Oak” opens the door to countless interpretations, carrying connotations of equestrian and naval battles, the conquest of the oceans, treasures hidden in safes, kings in peril, noble armour and life-saving trees: a name open to the world and brimming with stories.\u003C/p>",{"images":590,":type":398},[591,596],{"fileReference":592,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":593,"altText":594,"assetPagePath":595,"disableSharing":63,"imageControlIconColor":99,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--045ffe9d-4efe-4e64-806c-38359783335d/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","Circa 1660. Portrait of Charles II (1630–1685) During the Battle of Worcester against Cromwell's troops in 1651, the King of England saved his life by hiding in an oak tree. He later ennobled the tree which became the royal oak. © Photograph by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.","Portrait of Charles II, King of England, circa 1660","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/gettyimages-51242983tiff",{"fileReference":597,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":598,"altText":599,"assetPagePath":600,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":99,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--617a86c4-c840-4195-8477-a41ea854a1a5/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","September 13, 1971. Minutes of the meeting (excerpt) Six months before the launch of the future Royal Oak, the watch still bore only its working name: \"Safari\". Research was focused on the semantic fields of sport, wide-open spaces and virility. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Minutes of the meeting (excerpt)","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1971-seance-recherche-nom-royal-oak0",[102,134,400],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":603,"gridClassNames":8,":items":604,":itemsOrder":627,":type":104},{"threeimages":7,"text":7,"title":7},{"title":605,"text":608,"threeimages":610},{"id":606,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":607,":type":79},"title-794f05d7b8","Looking for an Advertising Partner",{"text":609,":type":113},"\u003Cp>To support the launch of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet decided to create a dedicated campaign. Here again, the approach was unprecedented. Until then advertising campaigns had been brand-based and usually featured multiple products.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>In the early 1970s, the brand image was not yet unified. On the one hand, in the main markets, the agents and the most important retailers created their own advertising campaigns. In the French market, for example, Audemars Piguet’s advertising was managed by De Trevars / Vacheron Constantin. These campaigns were deployed locally, meaning that the brand identity often varied from one market to another. In parallel, Audemars Piguet tasked advertising agencies in Switzerland with creating international campaigns. There were not yet any marketing teams in Le Brassus, even in embryonic form. Promotion was handled directly by Georges Golay, who managed the advertising agencies and even corresponded with the newspapers carrying adverts!\u003Cbr />\r\n\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>During the 1960s, Audemars Piguet actively cooperated with the Lausanne-based agency TRIO Advertising, a pioneer in watch advertising and marketing in Switzerland and publisher of the \u003Ci>Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie, \u003C/i>the\u003Ci> \u003C/i>official press organ of the Basel Fair. But at the end of that decade, Georges Golay had to change partners. The archives do not explain this change of heart, but the context allows us to suggest a hypothesis. TRIO was very close to the powerful SSIH. However, after the 1969 distribution agreement between AP and SSIH (see above), it is likely that Georges Golay decided to change advertising partners in order to retain more room for manoeuvre, i.e. not to put all his eggs in one basket. Like many others, the decision was probably taken during a game of cards between friends. One could easily imagine that the participants included a certain Gilbert Maillard, an advertising executive running the Hugo Buchser agency that promoted the ski jumping championships in Le Brassus, of which Georges Golay was the president and one of the major promoters.\u003C/p>",{"images":611,":type":370},[612,617,622],{"fileReference":613,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":614,"altText":615,"assetPagePath":616,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--5294553d-759d-4ac1-9097-2851fe705ce4/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1966. Audemars Piguet advertisement. This ad presents three of the brand's main specialties: the extreme miniaturisation of women's watches (left), ultra-thin watches (middle) and classic Grande Complication pocket watches (right). Audemars Piguet Archives.","Audemars Piguet advertisement in 1966","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1970_environ_pubapparisb03-02original0",{"fileReference":618,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":619,"altText":620,"assetPagePath":621,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--ff88ba90-c062-43ae-9b6a-ab7f2d384321/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1960. Audemars Piguet advertisement (cover). Used as early as 1950, the image highlights the watch's extreme thinness. Destined to the American market, the promotional brochure mentions a point of sale on the 5th Avenue, New York. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Audemars Piguet advertisement in 1960","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1960_catalogue_aprougev20",{"fileReference":623,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":624,"altText":625,"assetPagePath":626,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--3fc15ad2-a830-4ac9-8249-a02b1dc4a339/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1964. Audemars Piguet brochure (cover). Blend of tradition and modernity. The baroque style of the background frame contrasts with the one of Model 5212 in the forefront. Audemars Piguet Archives. ","Extract of an Audemars Piguet brochure, 1964","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1964_leaflet_ap_couverturetiff",[102,134,372],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":629,"gridClassNames":8,":items":630,":itemsOrder":653,":type":104},{"threeimages":7,"text":7,"title":7},{"title":631,"text":634,"threeimages":636},{"id":632,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":633,":type":79},"title-ac546820f9","Hugo Buchser",{"text":635,":type":113},"\u003Cp>At the time, the family company founded in 1927 and known today as Europa Star HBM S.A., still bore the name of its ebullient founder Hugo Buchser (1896–1961). This extraordinary entrepreneur, founder of the Transmarine watch brand, publisher, merchant and tireless traveller notably launched numerous watch magazines in South America, Asia, Africa, Spain, Switzerland, as well as Middle-East and Portugal\u003Ci>. \u003C/i>After his death in 1961, the company was managed by his son-in-law Gilbert Maillard who, in addition to being a friend of Georges Golay, was a former schoolmate of Gérald Genta.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>While Hugo Buchser was primarily a publishing house, part of its team offered advertising agency services: photographs, slogans, graphic design, advertisements, distribution strategy, etc. This activity was to grow to such an extent that in 1975, Gilbert Maillard and Heinz Heimann divided it up to found an independent advertising agency that was to promote Audemars Piguet until 1998. But let’s get back to the late 1960s.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>From 1969 to1971, Hugo Buchser’s campaigns clarified and reinvigorated Audemars Piguet’s image, giving pride of place to the oversized AP logo, bright colours – green, gold, blue – and products. From this period onwards and for 20 years, the predominant slogan was “\u003Ci>La plus prestigieuse des signatures”\u003C/i> (“The most prestigious of signatures”).\u003C/p>",{"images":637,":type":370},[638,643,648],{"fileReference":639,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":640,"altText":641,"assetPagePath":642,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--09876d8f-ff57-4ca5-9938-d2a31fc2f361/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1970. Audemars Piguet leaflet (cover) Hugo Buchser, the Geneva-based editor and ad agency which would later become Europa Star, introduced the AP monogram in advertisement before Gérald Genta used it on the dial of the first Royal Oak. Audemars Piguet Archives. ","Extract of an Audemars Piguet leaflet, 1970","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1971_leaflet_ap_monogrammetiffv20",{"fileReference":644,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":645,"altText":646,"assetPagePath":647,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--070bcbff-481c-45a2-9312-64c573a10781/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1970. Audemars Piguet advertisement. Vivid colours, striking graphic design, absence of text: the first ads created by the Hugo Buchser agency for Audemars Piguet opened a new chapter in the history of the brand's communication. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Audemars Piguet advertisement in 1970","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1970_pub_ap_vertetiff0",{"fileReference":649,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":650,"altText":651,"assetPagePath":652,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--a1cb029a-2f39-43ac-b95e-7ee6bb65e942/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Audemars Piguet brochure (cover). A woman is smoking a cigar. She wears on her wrist the so-called \"Arabella\" Haute Joaillerie watch, Model 8545. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Advertising leaflet cover with a woman smoking a cigar and the high jewelry watch \"Arabella\", model 8545 on her wrist, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1972_pub_ap_vertetiffv3",[102,134,372],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":655,"gridClassNames":8,":items":656,":itemsOrder":712,":type":104},{"carousel_copy":7,"textcarousel":7,"title":7},{"title":657,"textcarousel":660,"carousel_copy":688},{"id":658,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":659,":type":79},"title-af5fe6edea","Preparation of the Royal Oak Campaign",{"text":661,"images":662,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":100},"\u003Cp>A concept as strong as the Royal Oak is a rare treat for an advertising agency! The Royal Oak logo was probably refined in Buchser’s offices. The team then began to work on the texts. In February 1972, the message was already clearly taking shape: “Demanding men of action are no longer satisfied with standard sports watches. They are always on the move and demand more: a perfect watch, in complete harmony with the multiple activities of their exciting lives. For this elite, AUDEMARS PIGUET’s artist-watchmakers have created the ROYAL OAK, a tribute to steel, the metal of the cathedrals of our time, more resistant to tools than fine gold and rendered infinitely precious by the unparalleled quality of its workmanship.”\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Until April 1972, fine-tuning continued on the texts, photographs, leaflets and advertisements, emphasising the qualities of the ultra-thin movement, the octagonal shape, the hexagonal screws, etc. Yet the two elements dominating the messages of the advertising campaign were, on the one hand, the “tribute to steel” and, on the other hand, the capacity of the watch to unite the worlds of design, sport, know-how, innovation... This represented a metaphor for the modern world and the personality of the customers for whom the watch was intended. It is worth recalling that the Range Rover had just made a similar mark on the automotive world of the time. It was not until early 1973 that messages telling the story of Charles II, the Royal Oak, Cromwell and the naval vessels of the Royal Navy were themed in a dedicated booklet.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>According to a document dated September 13, 1972, Audemars Piguet’s overall advertising budget for 1972 amounted to CHF 950,000, more than half of which was for press advertisements. The document does not specify the share dedicated to the Royal Oak, but it definitely greatly exceeded the 6-7% of production and turnover generated by this watch in 1972. The document highlights another significant fact about the organisational system prevailing back then: “it would be worth knowing the amounts devoted to advertising by AP customers worldwide.” The customers here are importers, agents and retailers.\u003Cbr />\r\n\u003C/p>",[663,668,673,678,683],{"fileReference":664,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":665,"altText":666,"assetPagePath":667,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--992345b7-ad72-4735-a9bb-09babc84a5cb/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Royal Oak advertisement. The argument is built around the theme of steel, in an echo to the ad's graphical construction which sheds light onto the octagonal shape of the bezel. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Audemars Piguet advertisement in 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/22_1_v20",{"fileReference":669,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":670,"altText":671,"assetPagePath":672,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--31c2ce0f-273e-4053-8aad-ba7f7faa1b24/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1971. First Royal Oak arguments, draft. Created by the Hugo Buchser agency with the direct participation of Georges Golay, the arguments link the watch's quality to the expectations of clients busy \"with multiple activities.\" Audemars Piguet Archives.","The first draft of Royal Oak arguments, 1971","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/22_1_20",{"fileReference":674,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":675,"altText":676,"assetPagePath":677,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--8b7fa87e-0c11-4a81-a22f-a09624b33b35/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1973. Royal Oak advertisement in collaboration with Hermès. Since the 19th century, Audemars Piguet has often worked with other prestigious brands to distribute its watches. Audemars Piguet Archives. ","Royal Oak advertisement in collaboration with Hermès, 1973","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/22_1_30",{"fileReference":679,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":680,"altText":681,"assetPagePath":682,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--d6717a71-671b-402e-b1df-98178a5af059/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Royal Oak advertisement On top of the watch's front shot, a close-up highlights the finishing on the case, the bezel's octagonal shape as well as the refined dial. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Royal Oak advertisement, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/22_1_40",{"fileReference":684,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":685,"altText":686,"assetPagePath":687,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--4664dbf8-295f-4c53-8599-ca0fe3c292b2/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. First Royal Oak leaflet. The black and white graphic design highlights the aesthetic qualities of the watch. The detailled text is destined to distributors. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Extract of an Audemars Piguet leaflet, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/22_5_v20",{"images":689,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":132},[690,696,700,704,708],{"fileReference":691,"mobileFileReference":692,"caption":693,"altText":694,"assetPagePath":695,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--9dd525d8-5c2d-40cd-8ad5-b5734c3398f9/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--a041253b-aeec-49ce-b146-e7b32a06dc29/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1973. Royal Oak brochure (cover). One year after the launch of Model 5402, this brochure explained the watch's design, its resistance, the structure of its external parts, as well as the origin of its name. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Extract of an Audemars Piguet brochure, 1973","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1973-leaflet-royal-oakcouv0",{"fileReference":697,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":698,"altText":694,"assetPagePath":699,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--c940d090-d408-4e15-9503-c7acd0754395/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1973. Royal Oak brochure (first double-page). One year after the launch of Model 5402, this brochure explained the watch's design, its resistance, the structure of its external parts, as well as the origin of its name. Audemars Piguet Archives.","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1973-leaflet-royal-oakp10",{"fileReference":701,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":702,"altText":694,"assetPagePath":703,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--408cf17e-c735-4019-9b70-07c85dc036e4/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1973. Royal Oak brochure (second double-page). One year after the launch of Model 5402, this brochure explained the watch's design, its resistance, the structure of its external parts, as well as the origin of its name. Audemars Piguet Archives. ","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1973-leaflet-royal-oakp30",{"fileReference":705,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":706,"altText":694,"assetPagePath":707,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--beef2a1f-e544-438b-9492-151cbab7c3e5/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1973. Royal Oak brochure (third double-page). One year after the launch of Model 5402, this brochure explained the watch's design, its resistance, the structure of its external parts, as well as the origin of its name. Audemars Piguet Archives.","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1973-leaflet-royal-oakp20",{"fileReference":709,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":710,"altText":694,"assetPagePath":711,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--85558f32-7750-4b28-87e6-d5e38bc76e0e/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1973. Royal Oak brochure (fourth double-page). One year after the launch of Model 5402, this brochure explained the watch's design, its resistance, the structure of its external parts, as well as the origin of its name. Audemars Piguet Archives. ","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1973-leaflet-royal-oakp40",[102,103,713],"carousel_copy",{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":715,"gridClassNames":8,":items":716,":itemsOrder":738,":type":104},{"textcarousel":7,"title":7},{"title":717,"textcarousel":720},{"id":718,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":719,":type":79},"title-c7e938de50","Final Touches before the Baptism of Fire",{"text":721,"images":722,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":100},"\u003Cp>The development of the Royal Oak continued well beyond its launch, but the last few months before Basel 1972 were memorable. The tension was palpable, as was a certain feverishness, even to the point of bad temper. Wilfred Berney recounts in a document written in 2020 that the watch was perceived then as “a monster... bearing no relation to what we did and knew how to do”, namely miniaturisation and openworking. The feeling was: “what does this big steel timepiece have to do with our collection? According to our executives, it is the Italian market that is asking for a different watch, sporty and in steel. If, on top of all the rest it’s the Italians calling the shots now... we are losing all control!”\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Watchmaker Fredy Capt, who took part in this adventure, says he assembled the first steel prototypes "without any real plan, guided by instinct.” He recalls that the first hexagonal screws were made of stainless steel, “not so stainless after all given that they often rusted, making it impossible to dismantle the case. As for the angles, they were so clean-cut that they became downright sharp: “the watchmakers had to soften the angles by hand, with a burnisher.” It was not uncommon for him and his colleagues to take a few more parts and components home in the evenings to be “tweaked”...\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Fredy Capt’s workshop was next to the offices of Jacques-Louis Audemars and Georges Golay. He recalls that the latter, a keen cigar enthusiast, arrived one morning with a gloomy expression on his face: “I think we’re crazy. We will never sell steel watches at this price!”, adding: “If we don’t sell them, we’ll recover the movements and scrap the cases and bracelets.”\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>In a company employing a total of 84 people, the presence of a homologation laboratory was not on the agenda. To test the watch’s water resistance, Fredy Capt remembers that Jacques-Louis Audemars placed a jar on his windowsill with a label stating “salt water corresponding to the saltiest seas in the world”, and that a Royal Oak watch hung inside.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>By April 12, 1972 in Le Brassus, the Basel Fair was due to open three days later. Paul Heizmann, head of the casing-up workshop, personally took charge of casing-up the first 20 Royal Oak watches, nos. 67001 to 67020. The even numbers were destined for Italomega, the odd numbers for Gameo. Four of them travelled to Basel.\u003C/p>",[723,728,733],{"fileReference":724,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":725,"altText":726,"assetPagePath":727,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--efe142b6-d3a4-4ff6-94a9-0bbbf4134f17/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","Circa 1972. Watchmaker at the bench. This watchmaker assembling a Calibre 2121 is wearing one of the very first Royal Oak watches on his wrist. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Watchmaker at the bench assembling a Calibre 2121 and wearing one of the very first Royal Oak watches on his wrist, circa 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/story_100_23_1_2000pxv2",{"fileReference":729,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":730,"altText":731,"assetPagePath":732,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--bdeddf9d-e99a-44df-b445-b7095bcaf01d/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","February 1972. First Royal Oak publication. The Royal Oak appeared for the first time in a modest review, two months before its official launch, aside other cheaper Bero watches. This context has for mission to guarantee legal posteriority. Prototype 60647 in white gold. Bezel screws not aligned. © The Swiss Watch, 2/72.","Extract of the first Royal Oak publication, February 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1972_article_royaloakthewatchtiff0",{"fileReference":734,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":735,"altText":736,"assetPagePath":737,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--e99e687d-c698-45e7-bb8e-0c3fc1d2f1c9/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","March 1972. Second publication on the Royal Oak. A few weeks before the Basel Fair, the professional magazine Die Schweizer Uhr presented the Royal Oak in exclusivity. The image illustrates prototype 60647 crafted in white gold. The caseback does not feature the Royal Oak logo yet. Similarly, the hexagonal screws are not yet aligned on the bezel. This prototype, which was probably destined to the Shah of Iran, was completed and sold in July 1972. Die Schweizer Uhr, March 30, 1972.","Extract of the second publication on the Royal Oak, March 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/mars-1972-royal-oakv3",[102,103],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":740,"gridClassNames":8,":items":741,":itemsOrder":752,":type":104},{"title":7,"textimage":7},{"title":742,"textimage":745},{"id":743,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":744,":type":79},"title-836d10294a","Screws as the Achilles’ Heel",{"text":746,"image":747,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":149},"\u003Cp>In a document dating from 2020, watchmaker Wilfred Berney recalls the major difficulties encountered in the early years, notably with the clasps that were perceived as too large, the tapering shape of the bracelets which had to be compensated for by adding studs and the scarcity of additional links. But above all, he says that the 8 screws were originally made of steel. However, the seawater seeped in, “coating the screws with its saline content” which attacked, corroded and ended up sticking to the case: “Genta’s famous diving helmet is blocked. Nobody inside, fortunately!” A solution was found to replace the steel screws with gold ones, which are insensitive to corrosion. It was implemented as early as 1972 on parts leaving production. For customer returns, it took all the ingenuity of the watchmakers, who occasionally created new tools and managed to restore the watches to their original condition. Wilfred Berney explains that, although water found its way around the screws, it very rarely reached the movement, which was protected by an oversized seal that ensures a water tightness of 100 metres. A study of the casing-up records confirms this quality. Out of the first 100 Royal Oak watches sold in 1972, only four came back until 1982 for water-resistance problems. The few teething problems of the Royal Oak were thus resolved fairly quickly, allowing the collection to flourish.\u003C/p>",{"fileReference":748,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":749,"altText":750,"assetPagePath":751,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--38befca1-a360-4656-a08b-a6962b11d058/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","Model 5402's through screws. The eight hexagonal screws are inserted in the 8 holes of the same shape pierced through the bezel. They are tightened up from the caseback thanks to 8 nuts so as to compress the gasket. ","Close up of Model 5402's through screws","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_vis_tiff",[102,170],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":754,"gridClassNames":8,":items":755,":itemsOrder":778,":type":104},{"threeimages":7,"text":7,"title":7},{"title":756,"text":759,"threeimages":761},{"id":757,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":758,":type":79},"title-609781375e","“The Costliest Stainless Steel Watch in the World”",{"text":760,":type":113},"\u003Cp>Before moving on to the launch of the watch, let’s take a moment to focus on its price positioning. This is the aspect that most shocked the watch industry, perhaps because the price of the Royal Oak was sometimes published in the advertisements of the era. In 1972, the Royal Oak sold CHF 3,300. Over time and according to the titles, the amount varied a little, hovering between CHF 3,650 and 3,750 (1975), GBP 756 (1974) and GBP 1,100 (1976) and USD 1,950 (1976).\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nIf we compare these amounts to the price of contemporary steel watches, the contrast is striking. In the absence of primary sources, we will resort to testimony from those involved at the time and collectors. In his Royal Oak guide published in July 2016, Marco Stanghellini wrote: “In Italy, the Rolex Submariner was less than a third of this price, and the IWC Ingenieur less than a quarter.” In an interview with Constantin Stikas in 2009, Gérald Genta said: “The most expensive steel watch at the time cost CHF 850.” In actual fact, despite its steel case, the Royal Oak was as expensive as some gold watches. Or even more. In the Audemars Piguet 1972 catalogue, for example, the yellow gold Model 5043, equipped with ultra-thin Calibre 2003 was listed at CHF 2,990.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nRather than ignore it, the Hugo Buchser agency decided to use the Royal Oak’s very high price as a hook for a strong message. Some of the ads challenged readers: “What makes steel more valuable than gold?”; “Would you buy a Rembrandt for its canvas”; “Steel at the price of gold”; “The costliest steel watch in the world”. The copy went on to explain that the price of the Royal Oak stemmed from the extreme complexity involved in producing its case and \u003Ca href=\"/en/calibre/2121\">its ultra-thin selfwinding Calibre 2121\u003C/a>, a masterpiece of miniaturisation. The texts highlight the work of the artisans, the rarity and delicacy of traditional skills. “Steel has been given its letters of nobility from the hands of Audemars Piguet designers.”\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nThe message was understood and appreciated. So much so that in 1974, a brochure for retailers was entitled “Why is Audemars Piguet the costliest watch in the world?” While its content went far beyond the Royal Oak, the same argument was used to celebrate craftspeople’s work.\u003Cbr />\n\u003Cbr />\nThese arguments are echoed by Patek Philippe in 1976 when the Geneva-based watchmaker presented its Nautilus watch as “One of the most expensive watches in the world is made of steel", highlighting “the skilled hands of master craftsmen” and the versatility of a “formal or festive” watch sold for GBP 1,400.\u003C/p>",{"images":762,":type":370},[763,768,773],{"fileReference":764,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":765,"altText":766,"assetPagePath":767,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--9e12cd7d-35ac-495a-865d-d5bd0adffe12/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1974. Advertisement insert on the Royal Oak. Realised for the United States, this advertisement highlights the Royal Oak's price, before explaining that the watch's value lies in watchmakers' handiwork as well as in its movement, the thinnest of its time in its category. Audemars Piguet Archives. ","Advertisement insert on the Royal Oak, 1974","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pub-royal-oak-1974v21",{"fileReference":769,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":770,"altText":771,"assetPagePath":772,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--ea2c76d2-2d02-4dd0-86f4-6bd275a62ca2/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Model 5043, ultra -thin. The yellow gold variant of Model 5043 was commercialised at a price of CHF 2,990, i.e. 10% less than the Royal Oak in steel. It was equipped with Calibre 2003, the world’s thinnest movement (1.64 mm). Audemars Piguet Archives. ","Extract of a leaflet showing the ultra-thin wristwatch, Model 5043, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1972_modele_5043ultraplattiff0",{"fileReference":774,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":775,"altText":776,"assetPagePath":777,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--9fc265dc-ae1e-464f-ad5e-537099f4e355/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","Circa 1974. Advertisement for multiple products. By its scale and position, the Royal Oak dominates over the other watches presented in this ad. The text plays on this steel watch's high price to valorise it. Audemars Piguet Archives.","Advertisement for multiple Audemars PIguet products, circa 1974","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1974_pub_royal_oakpricegoldbo3-02tiff",[102,134,372],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":780,"gridClassNames":8,":items":781,":itemsOrder":809,":type":104},{"threeimages":7,"title":7,"textimage":7},{"title":782,"textimage":785,"threeimages":792},{"id":783,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":784,":type":79},"title-c0f0e29308","Official Launch and First Reactions",{"text":786,"image":787,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":149},"\u003Cp>In 1972, the Basel Watch Fair inaugurated its fifth hall and now covered 20,000 m\u003Csup>2\u003C/sup>. For the first time, it welcomed French, German, English and Italian brands, which led it to be renamed “European Watch and Jewellery Fair” the following year.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Located in Hall 1, Audemars Piguet’s booth No. 545 spanned barely 60 m\u003Csup>2\u003C/sup>, like that of Rolex. It was located opposite the Longines booth, which was twice as large, and the SSIH stand, which was four times bigger. Alongside Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre, the watchmaker from Le Brassus was in good company. The Audemars Piguet archives show that the four Royal Oak models presented to the professional watchmaking world and to the public at the time bore case numbers 67002 to 67004, small numbers 2 to 4. On the other hand, these records do not contain any reports on the exhibition, nor any orders or direct testimony relating to the Royal Oak, nor even a photograph of the booth or the display cases. Entirely absent from the \u003Ci>Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie, \u003C/i>the Royal Oak landed just two captioned photos in \u003Ci>Europa Star\u003C/i>. Even more surprisingly, when Georges Golay wrote his 1972 annual report to the Audemars Piguet Board of Directors on May 3, 1973, he ignored the newcomer: “As far as products were concerned, nothing much changed in 1972.” The silence was apparently\u003Ci> \u003C/i>deafening.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Nonetheless, several witnesses from the time recall that the watch caused a sensation. In 2006, Jacqueline Dimier, who created most of the AP models between 1975 and 1999, remembers: “That spring, many of us from all walks of life crowded into the Audemars Piguet showcases at the Basel Fair. Surprised and stunned, we realised without any clear explanation that a step was being taken that was at last connecting traditional watchmaking to an industrial aesthetic of the future.” Gérald Genta recounted that Pierre-Alain Blum, then head of Ebel, came to see him: “I would like to congratulate you because I have just come from Audemars Piguet, where I have ordered the Royal Oak for my friend Perrin.” At that time, Blum was making the entire must-have collection for Cartier, a company run by Alain Dominique Perrin. Above and beyond the watchmaking microcosm, the Royal Oak had already won over one of the greatest collectors of his era: the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had seen a preview of the prototype and just ordered the first model in white gold, as well as many others in steel for his entourage.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Not all reviews were glowing. While critics left no written trace – since social media did not yet exist – those involved back in the day sometimes drop a hint that the watch created a scandal in the hushed world of Haute Horlogerie. When Georges Golay addressed the Swiss market in March 1973, he discreetly recalled that “this watch has people talking about Audemars Piguet”, and mentioned “the scepticism of certain clients.” In 1992, Martin K. Wehrli stated in the \u003Ci>Audemars Piguet \u003C/i>monograph:\u003Ci> \u003C/i>“The professional world reacted with scepticism to the Manufacture’s announcement of the market launch of this stainless steel wristwatch at a price of 3,650 Swiss francs.” Gérald Genta also said that “It was not a demonstration of success...”. In a 2013 interview, Jasmine Audemars confirmed that “At the beginning, the Royal Oak attracted a lot of criticism”, as it “stepped outside the codes of the time.”\u003C/p>",{"fileReference":788,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":789,"altText":790,"assetPagePath":791,"disableSharing":63,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--f0f1bcea-1bb6-4d41-ab86-ca82b6f73821/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Basel Fair advertisement In 1972, the Swiss Watch Fair Basel welcomed French, German and Italian brands for the first time. © Europa Star 1972, no 1/6, p. 85.","Basel Fair advertisement in 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/europastar_europe07319720010085original0",{"images":793,":type":370},[794,799,804],{"fileReference":795,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":796,"altText":797,"assetPagePath":798,"disableSharing":63,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--3ba64772-d219-448d-980e-a3e0d712c10e/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. First publication on the Royal Oak in Europa Star's Basel Fair Flash Due to its design, the Royal Oak is part of the sportswatch category. Yet, due to the quality of its finishing, thinness and movement, this watch belongs to the Haute Horlogerie universe. © Europa Star 1972, no 73, 1/6, pp. 60-61.","First publication on the Royal Oak in Europa Star's Basel Fair Flash, 1972 ","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/europastar-72-flash-royal-oak",{"fileReference":800,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":801,"altText":802,"assetPagePath":803,"disableSharing":63,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--189bdf82-356e-4c7b-9127-830d6d137c10/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Map of the Basel Fair Luckily placed alongside the central hallway, the Audemars Piguet stand, no. 1545, was positioned next to Vacheron Constantin's and Jaeger-LeCoultre's. Journal suisse d'horlogerie, 1972. © Musée International d’Horlogerie de La Chaux-de-Fonds Collection.","Map of the Basel Fair, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1972_plan_foire_debaledansjshhall1original",{"fileReference":805,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":806,"altText":807,"assetPagePath":808,"disableSharing":63,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--a1249f34-8ae9-4716-977e-9cfe2e69bd9e/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. First publication on the Royal Oak in Europa Star's Basel Fair Flash Due to its design, the Royal Oak is part of the sportswatch category. Yet, due to the quality of its finishing, thinness and movement, this watch belongs to the Haute Horlogerie universe. © Europa Star 1972, no 74, 2/6, pp. 44-45.","First publication on the Royal Oak in Europa Star's Basel, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/europastar-72-deuxieme-parutioncopie",[102,170,372],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":811,"gridClassNames":8,":items":812,":itemsOrder":835,":type":104},{"twoimages":7,"title":7,"textimage":7},{"title":813,"textimage":816,"twoimages":823},{"id":814,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":815,":type":79},"title-65a6f36e8e","First Deliveries",{"text":817,"image":818,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":149},"\u003Cp>In an unpublished memoir written by Martin K. Wehrli in 2017, who in 1972 was responsible for sales, recounts that the first buyer of the watch was “Ron Smith, acting on behalf of Garrard in London.” This supplier by appointment to Her Majesty is said to have confined himself to this laconic comment: "”Royal Oak is a pub name here.” The same document states that “Number one was not delivered until July 8, 1974 to a director of Harry Winston; the watch bore the case number 67001 and the movement number 127006.”\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>The first few months were rather chaotic. Large production was a major challenge, a real baptism of fire. Not only were component deliveries running late, but each assembly required endless rework. Of the 20 timepieces completed in April, the first five were delivered to the Italian market on May 2, but only 10 watches were cased-up throughout the entire month. June proved more productive, with 95 units, but this figure fell to eight watches in July.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Little by little, the craftspeople overcame the difficulties and from August onwards, the rate of delivery increased significantly. So much so that by the end of 1972, the workshops had produced an impressive total of 565 Royal Oak watches, 490 of which had been delivered! Thus, in barely eight months after its launch, Model \u003Ca href=\"/en/model/5402\">5402\u003C/a> had already broken the record for the number of identical units of a model sold in one year. Had the gamble paid off? All that remained was for retailers to sell the watches to end customers... before ordering new ones from Le Brassus.\u003C/p>",{"fileReference":819,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":820,"altText":821,"assetPagePath":822,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--2ae173a4-f716-44b2-88e4-1615a4d90530/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Royal Oak 5402ST No. A26. Calibre 2121, movement 127059. Bracelet 344, T21 Tapisserie dial. Case 67026, 39 mm. Steel. Sold to Gameo in 1972. Audemars Piguet Heritage, inv. 365.","Close up of the Royal Oak, reference 5402ST, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_gp22tiff0",{"images":824,":type":398},[825,830],{"fileReference":826,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":827,"altText":828,"assetPagePath":829,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--9e7330f0-3541-49f0-b13b-2af8df11ba24/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Royal Oak 5402ST No. A26, caseback view. Calibre 2121, movement 127059. Bracelet 344, T21 Tapisserie dial. 39 mm case 67026 in steel. Sold to Gameo in 1972. Audemars Piguet Heritage, inv. 365.","Caseback view of the Royal Oak wristwatch, reference 5402, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_3_tiff0",{"fileReference":831,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":832,"altText":833,"assetPagePath":834,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--f7bc8ed0-b41a-4a7d-b521-ce2e3456ecc8/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Royal Oak 5402ST No. A26, side view. Calibre 2121, movement 127059. Bracelet 344, T21 Tapisseriedial. Case 67026, 39 mm. Steel. Sold to Gameo in 1972. Audemars Piguet Heritage, inv. 365.","Side view view of the Royal Oak wristwatch, reference 5402, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/pa_inv_0365_4_tiffv2",[102,170,400],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":837,"gridClassNames":8,":items":838,":itemsOrder":856,":type":104},{"twoimages":7,"text":7,"title":7},{"title":839,"text":842,"twoimages":844},{"id":840,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":841,":type":79},"title-96577f9de0","Commercial Success or Failure?",{"text":843,":type":113},"\u003Cp>Since the 2010s, the original commercial failure of the Royal Oak has become a widespread misconception, albeit belied by historical facts. In their book published for the Royal Oak’s 40th anniversary, Martin K. Wehrli and Heinz Heimann recalled: “It even took the two main markets a full three years to sell their quotas of 400... Then one day, in 1974, Giovanni Agnelli, industrial magnate and the boss of FIAT appeared in public with a Royal Oak on his wrist. From one day to the next, the watch began to enjoy unprecedented success, and the amazing story truly began.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Other sources tell a different story. In March 1973, Georges Golay described the Royal Oak as a “best seller”. In May 1973, he wrote: “The Royal Oak has proved that the purchasing motivations of part of our clientele have changed.” On August 22, he increased the advertising budget by 50%. At the same time, he hired an engineer to create the Technical Department and launched the expansion of the Manufacture. Audemars Piguet’s turnover rose from 13 million in 1973 to 18 million the following year, then to 25 million in 1975. In an interview dated February 6, 1982, George Golay said of the Royal Oak: “It was an instant success.” As for the \u003Ci>Audemars Piguet \u003C/i>book published by Flammarion in 2011, it speaks of a “very great commercial success” which forced the company to “change scale and renew its traditional processes.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>What do the figures say? After coming close in 1972, the Royal Oak passed the 500 mark in 1973. It reached 618 units the following year and stabilised slightly below 600 until 1976, before increasing with the arrival of the gold versions, to reach 820 watches in 1978. While these figures may seem modest 50 years on, they were remarkable for the period.\u003C/p>",{"images":845,":type":398},[846,851],{"fileReference":847,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":848,"altText":849,"assetPagePath":850,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--70e80f22-91e4-4a17-8e50-2cf7be26a9ef/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1972. Royal Oak showcase. Three examples of Model 5402 as well as two dedicated watch boxes are exhibited on a finely brushed curved aluminum setting. September 1972, Comptoir Suisse, Lausanne, Audemars Piguet Archives. ","Royal Oak showcase with three examples of Model 5402, 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1972_vitrine_comptoirsuisseroyaloaktiffv2",{"fileReference":852,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":853,"altText":854,"assetPagePath":855,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--e0fb9ad4-4522-4a90-9602-6e768856fba3/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1973. Royal Oak Stand. In 1973, Audemars Piguet contributed to the Expo Suiza, which took place in parallel to the São Paulo Art Biennial, with a stand entirely dedicated to the Royal Oak. Audemars Piguet Archives. ","Royal Oak Stand in 1973, Expo Suiza","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1973_vitrine_saopauloroyaloakb04-12tiffv2",[102,134,400],{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":858,"gridClassNames":8,":items":859,":itemsOrder":879,":type":104},{"textcarousel":7,"table_copy":7,"title":7},{"title":860,"textcarousel":863,"table_copy":876},{"id":861,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":862,":type":79},"title-e7e507a506","The Beginning of a Story",{"text":864,"images":865,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":100},"\u003Cp>From the launch of the watch in 1972 and during the first years of its commercialisation, the Swiss market absorbed between 150 and 200 watches per year, as did Asia. The Royal Oak found an audience in Germany. While it enjoyed modest yet growing success in France, the surprise came from Italy. Carlo de Marchi, one of the key minds behind the Royal Oak, struggled to distribute it, confirming Genta’s testimony. In 1972, 89 watches were delivered to Italomega. This figure dropped to 35 in 1973, then barely 31 the following year, painfully rising to 36 and 44 watches in 1975 and 1976. According to the Audemars Piguet commercial archives, the Italian market only sold just over half of the 400 timepieces ordered in 1971. Was there a “Gianni Agnelli effect”? While it definitely made its mark on people’s memories, the commercial impact is less likely. There is however still one unknown factor, since it is not impossible that certain Italian retailers came to buy watches directly in Switzerland... Whatever the case, the Royal Oak conquered the Italian market from 1976 to 1977 in its gold or two-tone smaller 29 and 35 mm versions (Models \u003Ca href=\"/en/model/8638\">8638\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"/en/model/4100\">4100\u003C/a> and variations).\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Thus, despite the criticism, but also thanks to the debates it sparked, the Royal Oak was an undeniable commercial success from the outset. So much so that the A series, which was to be limited to 1,000 units, was eventually extended to 2,000. In 1975, Audemars Piguet launched the B series, followed the next year by the C series and finally the D series in December 1978. A total of 6,050 Model \u003Ca href=\"/en/model/5402\">5402\u003C/a> watches were sold, including 4,288 in steel, 876 in two-tone gold and steel, 736 in yellow gold, and 150 in white gold. More importantly, the Royal Oak was enriched \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/royal-oak-2-birth-of-the-first-women-s-model\">in 1976 with a version for women\u003C/a>, Model \u003Ca href=\"/en/model/8638\">8638\u003C/a> designed by Jacqueline Dimier, followed by Model \u003Ca href=\"/en/model/4100\">4100\u003C/a> endowed with a smaller diameter and a central seconds hand. Dozens of variations in materials, dimensions and levels of complications followed as \u003Ca href=\"/en/article/1976-1982-from-enfant-terrible-to-full-fledged-collection\">the Royal Oak collection took shape\u003C/a>.\u003Cbr />\r\n\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>In the wake of the new icon, numerous models inspired by the Royal Oak spirit were created throughout the Swiss watch industry. Genta recounted that a few years later, he was commissioned by Patek Philippe to design another steel watch, the Nautilus. In the same spirit, the Genevan designer revisited the IWC Ingenieur in 1976 and other designers were inspired by the Royal Oak to evolve watchmaking. One example is the Overseas 222 model designed by Jörg Hysek, launched by Vacheron Constantin in 1977.\u003C/p>",[866,871],{"fileReference":867,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":868,"altText":869,"assetPagePath":870,"disableSharing":63,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--46b2df37-04cd-4308-956c-97bef1bd2438/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","20 September 1972. SSIH training workshop A Jumbo plane was specifically charted to bring 300 English retailers to Geneva for a SSIH sales workshop. For the occasion, Georges Golay presented the Audemars Piguet collection including the first Royal Oak. © Europa Star 1972, no 77, 5/6, p. 23.","Publication of a SSIH training workshop in 1972","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/europastar_europe07719720050023originalv2",{"fileReference":872,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":873,"altText":874,"assetPagePath":875,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--a1418f93-fe0c-4bf4-87b2-1b7983033d37/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","1977. Royal Oak Advertisement. Five years after its launch, the Royal Oak came for the first time in precious materials and in three different sizes. From left to right: 4100BA (35 mm), 5402ST (39 mm) and 8638SA (29 mm). Audemars Piguet Archives. ","Royal Oak Advertisement, 1977","/content/ap/chronicles/ww/en/assets/1977_pub_ro_1_tiff0",{"content":877,":type":878},"\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"1\">\r\n\u003Ccaption style=\"text-align: left;\">1972–1994. Sales of the Royal Oak 5402. This table confirms the success of the first Royal Oak from its launch in 1972. At the end of 1974, a series without a small Royal Oak number signalled a short period of hesitation, before the launch of the B series in 1975, rapidly followed by the C and then D series.\u003C/caption>\r\n\u003Ctbody>\u003Ctr>\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>Series\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>5402ST\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>A Series\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>5402ST\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>No small number\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>5402ST\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>B Series\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>5402ST\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>C Series\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>5402ST\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>D Series\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>5402ST\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>No letter\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp>\u003Cb>TOTAL\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>STEEL\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">5402SA\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">5402BA\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">5402BC\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp>\u003Cb>TOTAL\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>GOLD\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003Cth style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cp>\u003Cb>TOTAL\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>5402\u003C/b>\u003C/p>\r\n\u003C/th>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>TOTAL\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1937\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>129\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>845\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>952\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>404\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>21\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>4288\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>876\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>736\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>150\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1762\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>6050\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1972\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">490\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>490\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>491\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1973\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">543\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>543\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>543\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1974\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">614\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>616\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>616\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1975\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">243\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">120\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">228\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>591\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>591\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1976\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">7\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">569\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">10\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>586\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>586\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1977\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">13\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">5\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">23\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">459\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>500\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">92\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">95\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>188\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>688\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1978\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">4\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">3\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">234\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>242\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">299\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">231\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">50\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>580\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>822\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1979\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">7\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">223\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">15\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>251\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">180\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">122\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">45\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>347\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>598\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1980\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">10\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">7\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">15\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">129\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>161\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">92\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">135\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">37\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>264\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>425\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1981\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">4\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">5\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">87\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>98\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">126\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">51\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">5\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>182\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>280\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1982\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">4\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">70\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>76\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">39\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">22\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">3\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>64\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>140\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1983\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">53\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>54\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">9\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">19\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>30\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>84\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1984\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">20\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>22\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">23\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>29\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>51\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1985\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">10\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>10\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">9\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>17\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>27\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1986\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>7\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">13\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>19\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>26\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1987\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">5\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>7\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">10\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">3\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>13\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>20\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1988\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">7\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">5\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>12\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">8\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>12\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>24\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1989\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">10\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>13\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">4\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">3\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>8\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>21\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1990\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>6\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">3\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>5\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>11\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1991\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1992\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1993\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>2\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1994\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>2002\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd width=\"87\" style=\"text-align: center;\"> \u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cb>1\u003C/b>\u003C/td>\r\n\u003C/tr>\u003C/tbody>\u003C/table>\r\n","apchronicles/components/table",[102,103,880],"table_copy",{"columnCount":5,"columnClassNames":882,"gridClassNames":8,":items":883,":itemsOrder":910,":type":104},{"textcarousel":7,"title":7},{"title":884,"textcarousel":887},{"id":885,"linkDisabled":33,"type":77,"text":886,":type":79},"title-230305e772","In Conclusion",{"text":888,"images":889,"imageControlIconColor":99,":type":100},"\u003Cp>More than a watch, the Royal Oak is an object of design and culture, a symbol of its time. In 1972, it reinvented the codes of luxury watchmaking. Born at the heart of a profound cultural and artistic revolution, at the dawn of the worst crisis in the Swiss watch industry, exacerbated by the financial and oil crises, it was nurtured by multiple influences. Each actor involved in its genesis enriched it: the SSIH agents perceived clients’ new sensitivities and challenged Audemars Piguet to respond. Georges Golay was able to inspire each actor in the creative process. Gérald Genta designed his masterpiece in one night. The best dial-makers, watchmakers, case-makers and advertisers enriched, refined, fleshed out and fine-tuned the Royal Oak, contributing their talents, know-how and passion to create an extraordinary watch, rich in tradition but looking to the future.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>In 1982, George Golay summed up the reasons behind its success: “I think it is beautiful, elegant and sporty in appearance, whereas watches up until now were either very elegant or very sporty.” In other words, the Royal Oak is probably the watch industry’s first example of sporting chic.\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>Editorial board: Audemars Piguet Heritage team, Le Brassus\u003C/p>\r\n\u003Cp>First publication: 24 January 2022\u003C/p>",[890,895,900,905],{"fileReference":891,"mobileFileReference":85,"caption":892,"altText":893,"assetPagePath":894,"disableSharing":33,"imageControlIconColor":31,"title":31,":type":34},"/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--ec19aeef-d54d-4086-a5d8-f417be18efd2/ap-chronicles-image.webp?preferwebp=true","2000. 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