Singing the praises of steel
Stainless steel, once disparaged, is now firmly established in the luxury world thanks to the Royal Oak, a model that quickly became a must-have. Spotlight on an alloy with high potential for sports collections.
When Audemars Piguet introduced its first stainless steel Royal Oak model in 1972, with a price tag equal to that of a prestigious gold watch, it stunned the luxury market. The message sent by this revolutionary sports model was admittedly impertinent: haute horlogerie could come up with prestigious timepieces without necessarily relying on precious metals. From this point forward, it was the design, the precision of the execution, and the quality of the movement that counted.
“Because steel is more resistant to exterior conditions than gold, it was perfect for a sports watch. Early on, we worked it like gold, bringing high-end finishing touches to the design, notably alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces,” explains Claudio Cavaliere, product manager at Audemars Piguet. In addition, this first stainless steel Royal Oak included a gold component. Audemars Piguet was selling steel for the price of gold, while putting some gold in the interior of the watch. “The idea was to protect the precious metal in a strong, watertight case,” explains Claudio Cavaliere.
With the Royal Oak’s success, other luxury watchmaking brands turned to steel, to the extent that it has become almost essential for competing high-end sports watches. The success of the venture encouraged Audemars Piguet to develop technical laboratories that have since specialized in exploring and using new materials such as titanium, alacrite, rubber, aluminum, forged carbon and ceramics, for both watch cases and movements.
