captivate watch collectors and aficionados with undiminished power. From its introduction in 1972 to the present day, the Royal Oak Automatic watch--with its unique octagonal porthole bezel and hexagonal white gold screws whose slots form a perfect circle around the bezel--struck a chord with watch lovers, and sired a dynasty of timepieces ranging from basic time and date models all the way to the Royal Oak Grande Complication watch, with its more than 600 parts, and numerous functions that include a split second chronograph, a perpetual calendar, and a minute repeater. With over one hundred and fifty hand-polished case and bracelet facets, the striking form of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch produces a subtle play of light that has to be seen to be appreciated, and an incomparable sensual feel that beckons the fingertips to touch. True to the rich heritage of Audemars Piguet, the Royal Oak watch collection utilizes mechanical movements of the highest traditional Swiss craft, many enriched with high complications such as the tourbillon or the perpetual calendar, thus satisfying and even expanding upon the lofty ideals of haute horlogerie cultivated by the House since 1875. Moreover, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch in its myriad forms has for more than three decades proven beyond any doubt that the definition of an exclusive luxury timepiece need not be limited to "round, gold, and on a strap".
