Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet

Steel, diamond & rubber watch © Audemars Piguet

Debut date: 1972.

Particular features: The octagonal dial. Its bezel and back are fastened by eight visible screws in grey gold.

Gerald Genta, the designer of the Royal Oak, was inspired by a Navy boat whose hull was made of oak, reinforced with steel, and equipped with octagonal cannon ports.

But the real revolution comes from the use of steel: for the first time in watch-making, an ordinary metal was used in the same way as a precious metal.

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