How the Royal Oak Watch Became a Cult Classic

[TheMethod]

From the NY Times (By ALEX WILLIAMS JAN. 4, 2016) :

Many iconic companies have tried to revolutionize their industries through groundbreaking design, only to end up taking a very public face-plant: Ford, with the Edsel; Apple, with the Newton; Google, with Google Glass.

That was the sort of risk that Audemars Piguet, the venerable Swiss watchmaker, took when it unveiled its Royal Oak in 1972. With its stark geometry and stainless-steel case, the futuristic Royal Oak seemed to anticipate the unloved DeLorean sports car more than the future of fine watchmaking.

And we know what happened with the DeLorean. (Yes, Marty McFly took one back to the future; the company also failed, just two years after the first cars were produced.)

That is why the success of the Royal Oak is so striking. Four decades later, the love-it-or-hate-it Royal Oak has become the ultimate cult watch, with vintage pieces commanding high prices at auction, new releases popping up on television shows and endless high-end variants becoming must-haves for the celebrity class.

With its octagonal bezel, exposed mounting screws and razor-sharp lines, the Royal Oak, as many of its devotees will attest, can be an acquired taste.

“When I first saw the Royal Oak, I thought it was ugly, too boxy, and awkward looking,” said Kevin Rose, the chief executive of Hodinkee, the watch site. “Then, after you spend enough time with it, you realize the funky-chunky-like design is really striking. It doesn’t look like every other watch, and that’s what makes it stand out.”

In a 2015 interview with The New York Times, the musician and avid watch collector John Mayer admitted that the Royal Oak looks “like a stop sign on your wrist.” But that day, he wore a Royal Oak Extra Thin in rose gold, which retails for $50,800, at the end of his tattoo sleeve.

The Royal Oak’s back story is oft told among watch nerds, since the watch was borne of an existential crisis in the industry.

Full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/fa...-classsic.html