A wonderfully preserved example, this Royal Oak reference 5402SA* has all the vintage charm of a two-tone watch from the 70s, rendered in Gérald Genta's classic design. The oxidation on this watch is spread evenly throughout the metal, giving it a distinguished appearance. The watch comes with its original box and papers and is an especially late example, dated to 1990.
ORIGINS OF THE ROYAL OAK
On the eve of Basel’s 1971 fair, Gerald Genta was tasked with the creation of an “unprecedented steel watch" – his night's work, today considered one of the masterpieces of his career. Audemars Piguet managing director of the time, Georges Golay, contacted Mr. Genta for help in designing a totally new, steel, waterproof sports watch, understanding that the waterproof technology would require an innovative strategy. Gerald Genta’s inspiration for the iconic Royal Oak architecture was to replicate the shape of the scaphander diving helmet on the watch case, complete with eight screws and the joint visible on the cases’ exterior. As Mr. Genta recounts: “I was given the ‘green light’ straight away to begin work on the prototype. I completed the prototype myself within a year. In 1970, I designed the watch. And it took one more year before industrial production, which finally came about in 1972”.
Intriguingly, prototypes for the Royal Oak are said to have been initially manufactured from white gold, as the softer material was easier to sculpt and manipulate the varying degree of angular, brushed and polished surfaces.
What is certain is that the discontinuation of the reference marked the end of one of the first reinterpretations of the original Nautilus design. First commercialised as a more appealing – and expensive – alternative to the Nautilus 3700, the mid-size 3800 has come to exist in all sorts of intriguing configurations over the years. In more recent times, as it has been increasingly discovered by collectors, this appreciation has grown.
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