Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet and luxury publishing house Assouline celebrate the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary with a dedicated book entitled Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon. Written by Bill Prince, an award-winning cultural journalist and former deputy editor of British GQ, the book presents the Royal Oak’s history from a broader cultural perspective, while shedding light on new archival materials uncovered by Audemars Piguet’s Heritage department alongside exclusive testimonies of long-standing friends of the brand. The lively narrative text is illustrated with imagery from six decades of groundbreaking art, architecture, fashion, music and cultural history, paralleling the evolution of this trailblazing timepiece beloved by innovative tastemakers and influential celebrities around the globe. The two brands will celebrate the launch of the book with dedicated events in London, New York and Los Angeles in the weeks to come.
“The beauty of Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon resides in the seamless harmony between the book’s modernity and the historic richness of its content. A bridge between past and future, it represents a remarkable tribute to the heritage of this iconic timepiece and to the people who have contributed to its success.”
François-Henry Bennahmias, Chief Executive Officer, Audemars Piguet
A NOVEL CULTURAL TAKE ON THE ROYAL OAK’S HERITAGE
Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon retraces how the Royal Oak created a stir upon its release in 1972, with its armour of hand-finished stainless steel encasing the thinnest selfwinding mechanical movement of its era and shone around the world in the decades that followed. For the first time, steel was ennobled to the same status as gold. Inspired by the profound cultural, artistic and industrial changes of the 1960s and early 1970s, this forward-looking timepiece anticipated a more active yet casual lifestyle, while heralding the beginning of a new high-end watchmaking era combining sportiness and refinement.
“We had to invent a model both sporty and stylish in spirit, suitable for evening wear and for the daily activities of today’s man of taste.”
Georges Golay, Audemars Piguet Managing Director from 1966 to 1987
Although an outlier at birth, the Royal Oak soon found an audience among the free-spirited youth, who recognised the watch’s audacious blend of technological advances and ancestral craftsmanship. The Royal Oak has been a canvas of innovation ever since, conversing with art, music, architecture and sports. Today, a cultural artefact beyond watchmaking, the Royal Oak is an object of permanence in a world of obsolescence, embodying the creative freedom and the youthful spirit of those who have contributed to writing its story.
Furthering the Royal Oak’s unique cultural journey, Bill Prince also gives voice to what he calls the “Generation Royal Oak,” a group of watch connoisseurs who came of age following the timepiece’s launch and whose achievements reflect the global, cultural movement that inspired it. This cohort notably includes the likes of Kevin Hart, Bjarke Ingels, Elle Macpherson, Mark Ronson, Serena Williams and Ning Zetao, to name but a few.
THE ENCOUNTER OF TWO PIONEERING BRANDS
For this ambitious project, Audemars Piguet has worked in collaboration with luxury publishing house Assouline. Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon reflects the two brands’ uncompromising blend of heritage and innovation as well as their passionate dedication to craftsmanship, precision and excellence. Conceived by the two entities as both a cultural reference book and a timeless object of design made in the image of the Royal Oak, it also attests to their common endeavour to create lasting cultural artefacts to be passed on across generations.
Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon is now available through Assouline’s network.
“Working on this book has been a dream. A lot of freedom within a very specific frame. The book is strong and precise – the Royal Oak DNA on paper.”
Prosper Assouline, Assouline’s co-founder
About Bill Prince
Bill Prince is an award-winning journalist and an expert on luxury, culture, men’s style and watchmaking. The former Deputy Editor of British GQ, Bill’s current role is Acting Editor in Chief of Wallpaper•. Alongside his present role, Bill writes as an expert on men’s style and luxury for Daily Telegraph and is a contributor to Vanity Fair On Time. Since 2020, Bill has been an Academy member of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, for which he served as a Juror in 2021.
About Assouline
Founded in Paris in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline, Assouline is the first luxury brand on culture. It began with the desire to create a new, contemporary style of book, using the couple’s experienced eye for visually rich stories and compelling narratives.
Guided by their passion for knowledge, culture and travel, the Assoulines have since expanded their vision to 1,700 titles in three main collections, along with special editions and unique library accessories – a grand oeuvre of inspiring creations. Throughout the last quarter of a century, the brand has established a network of international boutiques in prominent locations across the globe. Assouline has also inaugurated a curated library service, working closely with clients to visualise, design, and develop bespoke, one-of-a-kind libraries.
With a distinguished team of creative talents – which includes the founders’ son Alexandre – the brand continues to reinvent the notion of true luxury. Assouline’s roster of collaborators includes some of the world’s most respected brands, artists, photographers, writers and designers.
Assouline continues to exude an unparalleled signature style and elegant savoir-faire, which has globally
redefined modern publishing. – www.assouline.com
About Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families
(Audemars and Piguet). Based in Le Brassus since 1875, the company has nurtured generations of talented craftspeople who have continuously developed new skills and techniques, broadening their savoir-faire to set rule-breaking trends. In the Vallée de Joux, at the heart of the Swiss Jura, Audemars Piguet has created numerous masterpieces, testament to the Manufacture’s ancestral savoir-faire and forward-thinking spirit.
Sharing its passion and savoir-faire with watch enthusiasts worldwide through the language of emotions, Audemars Piguet has established enriching exchanges among fields of creative practices and fostered an inspired community. Born in Le Brassus, raised around the world. – www.audemarspiguet.com