The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is an extraordinary icon. Instantly recognised for its octagonal bezel with eight exposed screws, it broke with conventions in ways never-before imagined. Blurring the lines between sports and high-end watches, it redefined the rules of haute horlogerie to offer new perspectives on what a timepiece stands for. More than an object used to tell the time, it is a statement of individuality.
Multifaceted in every sense of the word, Audemars Piguet’s ladies Royal Oaks run the gamut offering eclectic hues and futuristic materials, heritage-rich mechanics and 21st century creativity, classical finishes and vibrant gemstones. It is one watch with many faces, each as exciting to wear as the next.
Since 2016, Audemars Piguet has embraced the sensual and refined finish known as Frosted Gold. Together with Florentine jewellery designer Carolina Bucci, the Manufacture adapted an ancient gold hammering technique for watchmaking, which covers its timepieces with thousands upon thousands of tiny hammered dots.
Achieving a shimmering effect that resembles freshly fallen snow, this technique is unique to Audemars Piguet and a perfect marriage of historical substance with modern creativity.
Creating the Royal Oak for smaller wrists goes back to the earliest chapters of the timepiece’s history. The watch was unveiled in 1972 and as quickly as four years on in 1976, Audemars Piguet released a downsized model for women but carefully adapted in order to keep its proportions and beloved hallmarks intact. The ladies Royal Oak was in fact the brainchild of one of the first female watch designers of the era, Jacqueline Dimier.
Cased in a plethora of materials, the 34mm mechanical ladies Royal Oaks are like miniature canvases for the manufacture to express its free spirit, often via colourful gemstones or precious brilliant white diamonds.
Colour and materials continue to inspire Audemars Piguet in 2021 as the Manufacture released a solid 18K rose gold chronograph model with, for the first time, an amethyst-studded bezel and a matching lilac purple Grande Tapisserie dial. Another first is the 34mm Royal Oak Selfwinding fully crafted in sleek black ceramic with pink gold accents, which infuses the classic Royal Oak aesthetic with a futuristic vibe.
Reflecting the progressive spirit of the early Royal Oaks, these refreshing new styles blend the traditional with the avant-garde, refining the codes of modern Haute Horlogerie for today’s global watch connoisseurs.
Photography Zantz Han
Styling Desmond Lim
Hair Greg O using @keunesg
Make-up Dollei Seah
Models Julie, Manasi, Lisa from Misc. Management
Photographer’s Assistant Jaron Tay, Joel Fong
