London based Quayola investigates and explores the possibilities offered by photography, geometry, sculpture and audiovisual installations to create unpredictable works of art.
A Journey through the origins of an iconic timepiece
From Avant-Garde to Icon
Design, photography, sound and film come together for a stellar Royal Oak 40th anniversary worldwide exhibition. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Audemars Piguet’s iconic timepiece Royal Oak, the world’s first ever luxury sports timepiece which sparked a complete paradigm shift in the watch industry, the Swiss Manufacture from Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux has put together a unique, ephemeral exhibition.
40Years
Using design, photography, sound and film from three unequivocally 21st century artists, Sebastien Leon Agneessens, Quayola and Dan Holdsworth, the Manufacture has curated an exhibition of 100 exceptional timepieces set against the backdrop of a stage that underscores Audemars Piguet’s origins, mastery and artistry.
Born amid a climate of artistic experimentation, the Royal Oak dared to overturn far more conformist customs of mechanical watchmaking.
Jasmine Audemars, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
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Gérald Genta will be remembered for his visionary spirit and passion for watchmaking tradition, to which his contribution is unparalleled.
Gerald Genta, Designer of the original Royal Oak
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The fifteen iconic Royal Oaks
40 years.15 moments in time.
From Avant-Garde to Icon, journey through time with a spirit that endures.
Designed virtually overnight by the brilliant and experienced stylist Gérald Genta, the Royal Oak was a bold response to a request for an “unprecedented steel watch.” Initially met with a blend of astonishment and contempt, the Royal Oak soon established itself as an iconic model that was to change the face of modern watchmaking.
The first Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar caliber 2120/2800 was designed to be the world’s thinnest model of its kind, endowed with a mechanical memory taking account of all calendar variations including months and leap year and requiring no manual intervention before the year 2100.
Hours, minutes, Perpetual calendar with day, date, moon phases, months
Case
Stainless Steel Case
Dial
Opaline rhodium plated dial, applied hour-marker, white gold hands
Bracelet
Stainless Steel Bracelet
Calibre
Type
Selfwiding Calibre 2120/2800
Diameter
28.4mm
Day and Date, Powered Like Never Before
Featuring a white dial with secondary dials for day and date displays at 9 and 3 o’clock framing a moon-phase display at 6, all powered by an entirely in-housed developed mechanism, this highly successful model offered an excellent alternative to the perpetual calendar movement.
Hours, minutes, days of the week, pointer-type simple calendar display and moon phases
Case
Stainless Steel Case
Dial
Silvered dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, white gold applied hour markers with luminescent coating
Bracelet
Stainless Steel Bracelet
Calibre
Type
Selfwinding Calibre 2124/2825
Diameter
26.6mm
Elegant, Unassuming, the World’s First Tantalum Case
Elegantly understated thin quartz model without seconds hand. The case features a world-first use of tantalum, a non-allergenic material ensuring a soft warm feeling on the wrist and which changes color according to the degree of oxidation induced by the climate where it is worn.
Tantalum dial with "Petite Tapisserie" pattern, white gold applied hour-markers
Bracelet
Stainless steel and tantalum bracelet
Calibre
Type
Quartz Calibre 2612
Diameter
21.1mm
Flying in the Face of Convention
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak, the first Royal Oak Offshore flew in the face of the prevailing craze for extra-thin watch cases with fully integrated movements. The concept behind this model designed to cater to the tastes of extreme sports enthusiasts was the “deconstructed” approach to the timepiece, intended to reveal how it was built and its key elements.
Blue dial with "petite tapisserie" pattern, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
Bracelet
Stainless Steel Bracelet
Calibre
Type
Selfwinding Calibre 2226/2840
Diameter
29.9mm
The Original Platinum-Iridium Selfwinding System
When launching the first Royal Oak selfwinding tourbillon watch, Audemars Piguet gave pride of place to a larger and lighter titanium tourbillon cage ensuring additional precision and a larger 54-hour power reserve. This model has a caseback-side winding crown and a platinum-iridium hammer-winding system to ensure the full visibility of the tourbillon at all times.
Hours, minutes at 12 o’clock, pointer-type date display at 3 o’clock, tourbillon at 6 o’clock, power reserve at 9 o’clock.
Case
18-carat pink gold case
Dial
White dial with "petite tapisserie" pattern
Bracelet
18-carat pink gold bracelet
Calibre
Type
Selfwinding Calibre 2875 with hammer system
Diameter
32.6mm
Hundreds of Intricacies, Months in the Making
The Royal Oak celebrated its 25th birthday with a Grande Complication model comprising three major complex mechanisms: perpetual calendar with moon-phase display, a perfectly tuned minute repeater, and a chronograph with split-second function. The unique piece on display was specifically created for the founder of the Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté.
The Perfect Blend of Performance and Sophistication
The Royal Oak Concept was an avant-garde tribute to Royal Oak’s 30 years of a watchmaking revolution, an authentic “lab watch” embodying absolute performance through a blend of technical sophistication and extreme resistance. The case is the first ever to borrow a superalloy from the aeronautical industry: alacrite 602, the hardest material available at the time.
Hours, minutes, power reserve in units around the barrel circumference at 3 o’clock, function selector via an additional pushpiece at 4 o’clock and function indicator at 6 o’clock, tourbillon at 9 o’clock and dynamograph at 12 o’clock.
Case
Case-middle and caseback in 602 alacrite, bezel in titanium
Dial
Dial composed of the mainplate, inner bezel ring with minute track and hour-markers
Bracelet
Kevlar® strap
Calibre
Type
Hand-wound calibre 2896
Diameter
29.9mm
The First Ever Forged Carbon Case
Symbolizing the brand’s partnership with Team Alinghi in the America’s Cup, this was the first ever watch with a case made from forged carbon by means of a patented production process stemming from sophisticated research and development. The goal was to use a material similar to the high-tech materials used on modern sailing boats.
Hours, minutes, small seconds, "flyback" chronograph, 20 minutes and 6 hours counters, regatta 10 minute countdown
Case
Forged carbon case and bezel, ceramic pushbuttons and crown, caseback stamped with a motif depicting the team in action and engraved with the legend "Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Limited Edition"
Dial
Black dial with "Méga Tapisserie" pattern, red Alignhi logo, luminescent hour-markers and hands
Bracelet
Vulcanized rubber with integrated case links
Calibre
Type
Selfwinding Calibre 2326/2848
Diameter
29.9mm
Inspired by an Automobile and a Racing Champion
Audemars Piguet's well-established ties with the field of motor sports, and especially its partnership with racing champion Rubens Barrichello, are honored in this chronograph with a dedicated design that includes pushpieces resembling air extractors, pedal-shaped lugs, a high-mech crown and a flange resting on the hour-markers much like a low-slung racing car hugs the ground.
Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph with sweep seconds hands 30 minute and 12 hours counters, tachometric ring
Case
Titanium case, ceramic bezel and pushbuttons, 3D wheel-shaped medallion bearing the inscription "Royal Oak Offshore Limited Edition Rubens Barrichello"
Dial
Black dial with "Méga Tapisserie Racing" pattern, counter hands in the colours of the Brazilian flag (green, yellow and blue)
Bracelet
Black "Anfibio" leather strap with titanium AP folding clasp
Calibre
Type
Selfwinding Calibre 2326/2840
Diameter
29.9mm
An Evolved Equation of Time
Ten years after releasing the first Equation of Time watch, Audemars Piguet presented this exceptional timepiece combining four celestial high complications: a perpetual calendar, a precision display of the lunar cycle, the equation of time (which displays the difference between “true” solar time and conventional time), and civil sunrise and sunset times.
Silvered dial with "Grande Tapisserie" pattern, gold applied hour-markers with luminescent coating, gold Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
Bracelet
Brown strap, hand-stitched "large square scale" crocodile with 18-carat pink gold AP folding clasp
Calibre
Type
Selfwinding Manufacture Calibre 2120/2808
Diameter
28.4mm
A Reflection of Light, Dedicated to Diamonds
The Royal Oak, dedicated in its entirety to diamonds. To create this watch, the master-jewelers of Le Brassus select only the purest completely colorless diamonds. The lapidaries then craft them one by one, shaping a customized baguette cut while achieving proportions that enable an ideal reflection of the light and impeccable brilliance through 37.76 carats.
This re-interpretation of the genuine Extra-Thin Royal Oak comes as close as possible to the original with the radiant "Petite Tapisserie" dial motif and the AP logo at 6 o’clock, the distinctive blue color of the dial, and the signature seamlessly integrated Royal Oak bracelet with its perfectly assembled links and studs arranged in progressively diminishing order of size.
The extra-thin selfwinding Caliber 5122 adorned with an anthracite color sets the stage for the openworking that extends right through to its suspended barrel. The meticulous attention to details is expressed by the various surfaces graced with traditional finishes such as polishing, satin brushing, circular satin brushing and hand-drawn file strokes.
This 40th anniversary limited edition is in platinum to accentuate the aura surrounding the Royal Oak. It embodies the collection’s powerful aesthetic codes inspired by diving-suit helmets. Its openworked extra-thin hand-wound movement is fitted with the most emblematic of all complex watch mechanisms, the tourbillon, while its back features a 70-hour power-reserve indication.
Bring home a tribute to the Royal Oak and its creator, Gérald Genta. This book presents an expansive look at how such an original vision became timeless. Available only through our boutiques and during the exhibition.
New York-based French Sebastien Leon Agneessens is an artist conceiving multimedia installations. Currently building the world tallest sound sculpture, he is also finishing his second solo record.
London based Quayola investigates and explores the possibilities offered by photography, geometry, sculpture and audiovisual installations to create unpredictable works of art.
Strong visual photography results from unexpected combinations of light and shadow. In his work, English photographer Dan Holdworth reveals details usually left unseen with supernatural precision.
Park Avenue Armory (free admission)March 21 - 24 2012March 21st, 10am to 4pmMarch 22nd, 10am to 4pmMarch 23rd, 10am to 4pmMarch 24th, 10am to 10pm
Triennale Design Museum (Free Admission)April 17 - 22 201216-22 AprilOpen 10.30 a.m. - 8.30 p.m.Thursday open until 11 p.m.
Palais de Tokyo - Saut du Loup, private space (free admission)June 6 - 10 20126-10 JuneOpen from noon to midnightWednesday open from 01:00 p.m. to midnight
UCCA (free admission)August 30 - September 3 2012
Railway Station - Tanjong Pagar (Free admission)October 10 - 14 2012Free Shuttle Services on 13, 14 OctLiat Tower AP Boutique:
