The word iconic is one of the most overused and abused words in the watch industry, however, I bet everyone agrees that the Royal Oak actually IS a true design icon. One that defined the modern luxury sport watch. In 1972, Audemars Piguet and Gerald Genta created an archetype; match a sporty but clearly expensively-crafted steel watch with an integrated steel bracelet and an automatic, ultra-thin movement. Et voila, there’s the luxury sports watch, an archetype that has never seemed more relevant than today, as demand for such watches is higher, much higher, than availability.
