The royal oak
Why the icon was created overnight
The design icon that Gerald Genta came up with overnight

It wasn’t the porthole that inspired Genta to this unique bezel shape,
it was a vintage diving helmet.
His idea was to transfer the design of the old diving suits onto a case. The bezel is inspired by a vintage diving helmet attached to the rest of the suit with visible screws – no longer shrouded by the case. The bracelet is harmoniously integrated into the case, making it also symbolically an equal part of the watch and no longer reduced to its function alone.

»Back then in the early 70s, the Royal Oak wasn’t an instant success.«

Interestingly enough back then in 1972 the Royal Oak wasn’t an instant success. At 38 mm, the watch was then too large and too distinctive for a market that specialised in models that measured only 34 mm on average.
Today the Royal Oak is of the most iconic watches in the world and AP just unveiled several new Royal Oak models in April. One of them is the 950 platinum Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin. The 39mm “Jumbo” is presented with a full 950 platinum case and bracelet as well as a smoked green dial adorned with a sunburst pattern. The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin is exclusively reserved for AP Houses.


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