Assouline • Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to icon
Coffee table book
Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon.
292 pages, 400 illustrations.
Hardcover in a luxury slipcase.
REF. 88768
W.32 x H.4,7 x D.38,3cm
In Stock
Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon retraces how the Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak created a stir upon its release in 1972, with its armor of hand-finished stainless-steel encasing the thinnest self-winding mechanical movement of its era and has shone around the world in the decades that have 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.
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.
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.
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.
