What I liked most in regards to the Royal Oak, and nonetheless do, is its brutality. It is a high quality I like throughout all types of creativity, as a result of to be brutal is to sacrifice the well mannered consolation of the established order in service of latest concepts. Releasing the world’s most costly mechanical metal watch in the midst of an existential trade disaster – as Audemars Piguet did with the beginning of the Royal Oak in 1972 – is brutal. Designing one thing for the old-school high quality watchmaking market with uncovered bezel screws that resemble the commercial face-covering of a diving helmet – as RO designer Gérald Genta did – is brutal. Retaining this design alive and comparatively unaltered for 50 years – whereas the remainder of the world spun by cultural phenomena from disco to punk to grunge, plus lure music, Y2K, Avatar, boy bands, Xbox, Instagram, Millennial Pink, and Squid Sport – is peak brutal.
