Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Steel Blue Dial Unisex Watch 15000ST
View Similar Items
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Steel Blue Dial Unisex Watch 15000ST
About the Item
- Creator:
- Design:
- Metal:
- Weight:92.4 g
- Dimensions:Diameter: 1.3 in (33 mm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:unknown
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 018041stDibs: LU1310317115322
Royal Oak Watch
For vintage watch collectors everywhere, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is a stylish, widely coveted status symbol. It features the incorporation of an unconventional material that would one day prove revolutionary to watchmaking, and for celebrated Swiss designer Gérald Genta (1931–2011), it is perhaps his best-known work. Incredibly, its story begins with a simple inspiration: the humble screw.
First introduced in 1972, the Royal Oak wristwatch featured a now-legendary design that Genta borrowed from antique diving helmets. More hardware than garment, these helmets were crafted in brass and attached to a diving suit with large screws. Genta translated the motif from the rim of the diving helmet to Audemars Piguet’s newest timepiece, setting eight miniature screws into an octagonal bezel, which surrounded a textured “tapisserie,” or tapestry, dial. Following its launch at what would become the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair, Audemars Piguet aptly touted a “bezel locked dramatically to its face, tightly as a porthole.”
In addition to its unique bezel design, the Royal Oak — named for a group of vessels in Britain’s Royal Navy, according to legend — was also unorthodox for its material. Though stainless steel is a ubiquitous option on watches today, in the early 1970s its use was visionary. The Royal Oak was the first luxury sports timepiece to be made from the durable material — a perfect choice for blending the form and function that are now synonymous with sports watches.
Stainless steel also allowed for a more integrated connection between case and band, paving the way for the seamless bracelet-style bands that have since been adopted by nearly every watchmaker. The knit-like design of the Royal Oak’s band is echoed by the original model's trademark tapisserie dial, a guilloché backdrop achieved by a precise engraving process. The textural element, paired with the Royal Oak’s sturdy steel and delicate yet industrial screws, gives the timepiece a unique combination of elegance and weight.
Arguably the most prolific freelance watch designer in history, Genta designed timepieces for Omega, Patek Philippe, Cartier and Bulgari, to name a few, but the Royal Oak remains one of his most influential. Since the debut of the original, Audemars Piguet has continued to issue new collections of the style, including men’s and women’s versions in yellow and pink gold, models encircled with diamonds and many more.
Audemars Piguet
The story of celebrated family-owned manufacturer Audemars Piguet and its universally acclaimed, widely coveted luxury watches begins deep in the Jura Mountains in western Switzerland.
The Vallée de Joux has been a haven of watchmaking since the late 18th century, when the residents of farming communities began creating timepieces during the winter months.
Jules Louis Audemars (1851–1918) and Edward Auguste Piguet (1853–1919), both natives of the region, were already deeply entrenched in the world of watchmaking when they joined forces to form a new house of horology near the end of the 19th century, an alliance that would be the start of a multigenerational family company. With complementary specialties within the field, Audemars and Piguet made the perfect pair in 1875: Audemars, the more technically minded of the two, oversaw production, while Piguet specialized in quality control and led the business and marketing parts of the outfit.
Audemars Piguet’s first major milestone came in 1892, when it created the world’s first minute-repeating movement for a wristwatch. (It was sold to Omega, whose origins date to 1848.) That was soon followed in 1899 with the Universelle pocket watch, a masterpiece of horology that boasted a perpetual calendar, minute repeater, alarm and chronograph with jumping seconds. It is still said to be the most complicated timepiece that Audemars Piguet has ever designed.
Between 1918 and 1919, both founders of Audemars Piguet had died and were replaced by their respective sons, incidentally both named Paul. Under the leadership of Paul Louis Audemars and Paul Edward Piguet, the watchmaker continued to innovate. It retained an ever-evolving technical focus and found new praise for its efforts, producing the world’s thinnest pocket-watch caliber in 1925, the first skeletonized pocket watch in 1934 and the world’s thinnest wristwatch in 1946.
When the quartz crisis of the 1970s left many watchmakers in the lurch, Audemars and Piguet found a creative solution, tapping the Geneva-born Gérald Genta to conceive the first-ever luxury watch in stainless steel. Launched at what would become the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair in 1972, the Royal Oak, with its octagonal face and integrated bracelet, would come to define the look of Audemars Piguet and revolutionize the luxury wristwatch industry, setting a standard that continues to this day.
Find a collection of vintage Audemars Piguet wristwatches and pocket watches on 1stDibs.
- Audemars Piguet Rubberclad Steel Silver Dial Watch 25940SK.OO.D002CA.02.ABy Audemars PiguetLocated in New York, NYPre-owned Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 42mm Rubberclad Steel Chronograph Silver Dial Automatic Men's Watch25940SK.OO.D00...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Wrist Watches
MaterialsSteel
- Raymond Weil Freelancer Steel Blue Dial Automatic Mens Watch 2780-ST-50001By Raymond WeilLocated in New York, NYUnworn. Comes with an original box and papers. Brand: RAYMOND WEIL Department: Men Model Number: 2780-ST-50001 Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland Model: Raymond Weil Fre...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Wrist Watches
MaterialsSteel, Stainless Steel
$1,079 Sale Price40% OffFree Shipping - Raymond Weil Noemia Stainless Steel Blue Diamond Dial Ladies Watch 5132-ST-50081By Raymond WeilLocated in New York, NYNever Worn Raymond Weil Noemia Stainless Steel Blue Diamond Dial Ladies Watch 5132-ST-50081. This Beautiful Timepiece Features: Stainless Steel Case and Bracelet, Fixed Stainless Ste...Category
2010s Swiss Wrist Watches
MaterialsSteel, Stainless Steel
$812 Sale Price34% OffFree Shipping - Mondaine Evo2 Stainless Steel White Dial Unisex Quartz Watch MSE.35110.SMBy MondaineLocated in New York, NYDisplay Model Brand: Mondaine Type: Wristwatch Department: Unisex Adult Model Number: MSE.35110.SM Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland Style: ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Wrist Watches
MaterialsSteel, Stainless Steel
- Raymond Weil Freelancer Steel Blue Dial Automatic Mens Watch 2780-ST-50001By Raymond WeilLocated in New York, NYNew. Original Box and Papers are Included. Covered by 3-year Chronostore Warranty. MSRP $2195 Details: Brand RAYMOND WEIL Department Men Model Number 2780-ST-50001 Country/Region of...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Wrist Watches
MaterialsSteel
$1,091 Sale Price / item40% OffFree Shipping - Raymond Weil Freelancer Steel Blue Dial Automatic Men Watch 2754-ST-05500By Raymond WeilLocated in New York, NYNever Worn Raymond Weil Freelancer 2754-ST-05500 Steel Blue Dial Automatic Men's Watch. This Beautiful Timepiece Features: Stainless Steel Case and Bracelet, Fixed Stainless Steel Be...Category
2010s Swiss Wrist Watches
MaterialsSteel
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 25721ST.OO.1000ST "Panda" Dial WatchBy Audemars PiguetLocated in New York, NYAudemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 25721ST.OO.1000ST "Panda" Dial Stainless Steel Diamond Watch. This watch is in like new condition. It has been polished, serviced and has no visib...Category
2010s European Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Stainless Steel
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Ivory Dial Fully Iced Out WatchBy Audemars PiguetLocated in New York, NYAudemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Ivory Dial Stainless Steel Fully Iced Out Watch 26170ST.OO Watch is in imeccable condition. Has be...Category
2010s Swiss Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Stainless Steel
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 42mm Diamond Watch 25721STBy Audemars PiguetLocated in New York, NYAudemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 42mm Stainless Steel Diamond Watch with Black Dial 25721ST Black dial with “Petite Tapisserie” pattern, white counters...Category
2010s European Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Stainless Steel
$46,799 / itemFree Shipping - Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 25721ST Custom Two Tone Rose WatchBy Audemars PiguetLocated in New York, NYAudemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 25721ST Custom Two Tone Rose Watch with Baguette Diamonds This watch is in like new condition. It has been polished, ser...Category
2010s European Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Stainless Steel
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Custom All Black WatchBy Audemars PiguetLocated in New York, NYAudemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Custom All Black Watch 26320ST.OO.1220ST.01 Black dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, w...Category
2010s Swiss Wrist Watches
MaterialsStainless Steel
$105,299 / item - Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 25721ST.OO.1000ST.09 Fully Iced Out WatchBy Audemars PiguetLocated in New York, NYAudemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 25721ST.OO.1000ST.09 Stainless Steel Automatic Fully Iced Out Watch Luminescent hands and markers on a silver dial. Date display at the 3 o'clock position. Chronograph - three white sub-dials displaying: 60 seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours. Automatic movement. Scratch resistant sapphire crystal. Rubberized screw down crown. Screw down stainless steel case back...Category
2010s European Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Stainless Steel
$50,895 / itemFree Shipping