The Birth of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore
One may not typically think of watches when it comes to challenging the status quo but the birth of the Royal Oak Offshore challenged all industry standards and expectations. Like Gerald Genta’s original Royal Oak, it’s the watch that broke all the rules and gave way to a cultural shift in the luxury watch world.
HOW THE OFFSHORE CAME TO BE
During a time when women wearing men’s watches was in vogue, Emmanuel Gueit, a second generation watch designer, was tasked with re-imagining the capacity and composition of the Royal Oak.
Stephen Urquhart, who was with Audemars Piguet since 1974, became Joint President and Managing Director in 1989 and within that same year, he gave Gueit — what eventually would become — one of the most essential assignments of his career.
The instructions were to create something that would entice a younger audience as well as to “give men a chance to continue to have the bigger watch.” (Adi Soon, Birth of the Beast ) What Gueit proposed was initially seen as preposterous by his superiors.
His prototype presented a watch case that came in at 42mm, something that was absolutely unheard of in the then-36mm-average era.
“The Royal Oak Offshore was the size of a pocketwatch, but on the wrist.” — Sebastian Vivas, Heritage and Museum director
The creation shook the watch industry and resulted in a plethora of ridicule and disdain. The prediction of many naysayers was that ultimately it would be a failure. Gueit didn’t receive much applause internally either.
In response to his conceptual sketches, Georges-Henri Meylan, who served as CEO of Audemars Piguet’s for many years, is even quoted having told Gueit:
“Look, I’m sorry but you’re crazy.”
Critics were fast to label it, assigning it the designation: “The Beast.” It took 4 years for the design to be reworked and refined and it debuted in 1993. While it was initially perceived as pretentious, not many really understood the potential of what it could become, let alone what it would eventually represent.
“It was a risk of course, but “risk” is the Offshore’s middle name”. It has always sparked controversy so it’s nothing we haven’t handled before.” — François-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet
WHO THE HELL IS GERALD GENTA?
Gerald Genta has been referred to as “The Bob Dylan of the Watchmaking World” as well as “the watch world’s first true celebrity designer.” He, himself, has actually stated that “The profession did not exist before me.”
This is probably the reason why Constantin Stikas entitled one of his interviews with Genta: “Creating Design Rules.” Within the space of 50 years, Genta estimated to have designed at least 100,000 different watches and he’s worked with countless major watch brands.
While the Royal Oak is undeniably the biggest success of his career, he went on to design many other famous watches such as Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, Cartier’s Pasha de Cartier, IWC’s Ingenieur and many more.
The year is 1969. It’s 4 o’clock and the phone is ringing. It’s Mr. Georges Golay, the managing director of Audemars Piguet: “Mr. Genta, I need a steel sports watch that has never been done before, I want it to be something totally new and waterproof. I want the design by tomorrow morning.”
Luxury watches, back then, came wrapped in gold while steel was usually reserved for sports watches. The mere thought of a luxury stainless steel sports watch was in and of itself offbeat.
An overnight assignment was a non-issue for Genta. In fact, it probably fueled the creative genius. It was the cultural acceptance of the design that would require a slight waiting period. It was literally “too big for the standards of the time,” Genta remarked. The watch measured 36 by 33mm, while other popular pieces came closer to 32 by 34mm.
Inspired by the system of the scaphander helmet (traditional diver’s helmet), Genta sought to replicate the design with the inclusion of the eight screws and with the joint visible on the case’s exterior.
The Royal Oak was released in 1972. It wasn’t a major hit. 40 years later, visible screws, one of Genta’s most technical details, have become the obligatory trademark of most modern sport watches.
THE ROYAL OAK IS ALL GROWN UP
Gueit’s conception of a more grown-up version of the Royal Oak is symbolic. He faced the same challenges in 1993 as Genta did in 1972. It’s apparent that most revolutionary ideas are initially rejected before they are accepted but disruptors like the Royal Oak and it’s mutated little (bigger) brother, the Offshore, are demonstrative of WHY convention should be challenged: because it can.
Innovation shouldn’t STOP because someone got upset. Sometimes what makes the most sense is to be like Abbie Hoffman and start a revolution for the hell of it.
When the Offshore saw light and Gerald Genta laid his eyes on it, he was stunned. He reportedly stormed into Baselworld, heading for the AP pavilion shouting “You killed my baby!”
He nicknamed it “the whale” and while he made his disapproval clear, Audemars Piguet stood confidently by their creation. He wasn’t wrong; it’s true that the Royal Oak will never be the same. It morphed.
Not everyone is lucky enough to have cool parents and the Offshore may seem privileged in being able to carry the Royal Oak family name if it weren’t an actual descendant of it, but considering that it’s distinguished roots are pretty apparent, it’s as they say, a chip off the old block.
(And like many of us, it has daddy issues too.)
