Antiquorum Presents An Illustrious Trio Of The Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks
4 min read
Save the date! At Audemars Piguet upcoming auction on July 21st, 2021 in Monaco, Antiquorum promises to be filled with exceptional surprises for watchmaking enthusiasts. Are you ready to bid on some highly coveted lots, including three extremely rare Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks?
Considered the very first luxury sports watch in steel, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak will boast a five-decade-long commercial success in 2022. Having taken numerous forms since its creation in 1972, the Royal Oak is a deeply sought-after model on the vintage watch auction market, promising incredible results during this Monaco auction. “Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is one of the best success stories in contemporary design, and we are so proud to present for our Monaco auction three special and very rare Royal Oak models, especially in anticipation of its 50th anniversary in 2022 for the Gerald Genta design. And in addition to the rich history of the Royal Oak, the connection to Monaco runs deep: Genta had lived in Monaco for several years and his wife, Evelyne – who had worked with him on his eponymous brand for many years – was also the UK Ambassador to Monaco!” Romain Réa, Antiquorum CEO.
The story of Audemars Piguet’s bestseller is well known amongst watch enthusiasts: first launched in 1972, the famed Royal Oak was the brainchild of esteemed designer Gerald Genta. Audemars Piguet had approached Genta to design a steel sports watch, which remained rare back then, and Genta decided to take inspiration from vintage diving helmets which were screwed in to remain attached to the rest of the suit and apply those visible screws to an octagonal bezel with an integrated bracelet. The legend has it that Genta sketched the design in one night—and the rest was history.
Estimate: EUR 80,000-150,000
Estimate: EUR 100,000-200,000
A very coveted complication in the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak collection, each of these lots comes with a full set and a watch winding box to fully wind the watch. LOT 432 also comes with index cards to help decipher the phases of the moon, an indication present on both models at 6 o’clock.
Estimate: EUR 80,000-150,000
This splendid steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with the black tapisserie dial, completes this illustrious trio of Royal Oaks. This model is particularly rare, produced as part of an “unmarked” series of Royal Oaks. While the original Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was produced in series A, B, C and so on, this model (numbered 344) appears to have been created in-between series A and B in 1976 and corresponds to the 1972 design by Gerald Genta. In excellent condition, this is the first time the watch has appeared on auction and was entrusted from the original owner, with all the original papers. Having gathered a trio of Royal Oaks sure to rack up incredible results, Antiquorum will also present additional lots sure to impress, including a very rare F.P. Journe Résonance and one of the most acclaimed Patek Philippe Nautilus models, of which more information will follow in the coming weeks.
For more information, please visit https://www.antiquorum.swiss/
