15 Things You Didn't Know About AUDEMARS PIGUET

fifteen things you didn't know about Audemars Piguet welcome to a Lux calm the place where future billionaires come to get inspired hello Alexis and thank you for joining us for another video a longtime fans of our channel will know that Alexis goal is to give you insights and stories into all the places products and people in the world that are regarded as the very best in their given fields any aspiring billionaire worth their salt needs a broad education on the kind of lifestyle that the elite live and this includes a knowledge of all the best most expensive products in the world one such brand that is essential for an elite member of society to know about is Audemars Piguet a Swiss watch manufacturer founded in 1875 by a Zulu LML and Edward Auguste FPGA Audemars Piguet is considered by many to be one of the most prestigious watch manufacturers in the world and the clear leader in HO Terada G with 2016 revenues of around 900 million dollars the brand's new releases are just as sought after as the vintage pieces that sell for huge prices and auction houses all over the world above their many achievements in the field of watchmaking Audemars Piguet are best known for the creation of their Royal Oak wristwatch and the majority of knowledge that one needs to know about the brand is understandably focused on that one momentous achievement if you are new here welcome be sure to subscribe and follow us on instagram at a Lux without further ado here are 15 things we didn't know about Audemars Piguet number one the Royal Oak watch was designed in a day it's hard to believe it but did you know that one of the most iconic watches ever created was actually designed in a single day on the eve of a watchmaking fair in Europe young watch stylist Gerald Ajanta was handed a brief Jean say had already made his name in the industry at companies like Omega and Universal Jeanette and he decided to think outside the box and came up with a now familiar octagonal case that at the time was a completely revolutionary idea the design also featured the exposed mounting screws that would eventually become another trademark of the Royal Oak and all in less than 24 hours number two Royal Oak prototypes were made from white gold unlike many of their competitors at the time who are using precious metals like platinum and gold Audemars Piguet caused controversy by producing watches made of stainless steel that were being sold for just as much as their more luxurious counterparts their reasoning for this was that it was easier to work with steel compared to the softness and over malleability of gold however in the run-up to the Royal Oaks debut at a trade show in Basel in 1972 the company did not have enough time to develop the necessary techniques and tools to construct the intricate design in steel so what did they do they went back to the tried and tested crowd-pleasing material of gold number-three Audemars Piguet created the concept of luxury sports watches up until the creation of the royal oak the truth is that sports watches were far from being classed as luxurious before 1972 timekeeping was seen as a serious business a time where a wristwatch was seen as a sensible necessity rather than a stylish accessory watches like the Blanc passed 50 fathoms and rolex submariner were designed purely for function ready for as much use and abuse as possible Audemars Piguet changed this with the introduction of the Royal Oak with a level of hand finishing and stylish design that had previously been unheard of in the field of sports watches the watches water-resistant feature was even advertised as a benefit for rich yacht owners who could enjoy the time on their decks without having to worry about their timepieces number four it was merely named for Safari it's hard to spank any other name than Royal Oak being used to title one of the most revolutionary watches in the world but did you know that it was almost named the Safari instead before settling on Royal Oak the prototype that was being passed through the company was nicknamed the Safari because of the sporting pretensions that evoked images of desert adventure and exploration however the nickname didn't stick and in search of something slightly more refined in luxurious sounding the company finally settled on the iconic Royal Oak number five the most expensive Audemars Piguet watch is eight hundred and sixty nine thousand dollars setting any potential customer back eight hundred and sixty nine thousand dollars the Royal Oak complication is the most expensive Audemars Piguet watch on the market today what do you get for your money you ask a stunning watch features fifty two jewel movements a transparent sapphire bracelet case back and an 18 karat white gold casing the watch boasts a perpetual calendar feature with the indication for day week month and the leap year and has a minute repeater truly an astounding feat in the watch making world and for the price it cost it really should be nothing more than exquisite number six the watch is named after a real oak tree the royal oak which is named after the exact tree whose branches providing a hiding place for king charles ii of england during the Battle of Worcester in 1651 reasons for the naming decision could refer to the fact that the tree branches kept the king secure just as your royal oak watch is durable and secure as well as being utterly dependable interestingly there have also been eight British naval ships across the history that have been named the Royal Oak which led to a misconception that the design of the watches bezel was influenced by the portal of a ship which leads us to our next fact number seven many parts of the Royal Oak watch were inspired by vintage diving helmets when Gerald Ajanta received the design brief for what was to eventually become the Royal Oak he just so happened to have come across a diver emerging from the depths of Lake Geneva like any true genius designer Jean's a-- saw something some spark of potential in this diving helmet surmising that if the screws holding the helmet in place were strong enough to make a watertight seal then the very same look and system could be applied to a wristwatch a short time later Jean's a-- had produced the design for the iconic octagonal case with its visible screw heads number eight the screws are made from gold the screws in these octagonal cases as one might expect from Audemars Piguet we're not your average metal screws knowing that they would be on display and exposed on the watch's face the company decided to add a further luxurious touch by making the screws from white gold number nine the first purchase of an Audemars Piguet royal oak was by a royal giving a literal meaning to the phrase royal seal of approval the very first person to purchase a Royal Oak watch from Audemars Piguet was none other than the Shah of Iran well-known for his love of the luxurious from palaces to cars to beautiful women the Shah was one of the first people to recognize the innovative genius of the royal oak and he made sure that he was the first time piece connoisseurs to have one grace his wrist a Royal Oak for a royal figurehead how fitting number 10 the company turned down James Bond although the famous fictional Spy has come to be known as a purveyor of all life's finest luxuries both of the original novels and in the movies odden aux pieds actually turned down an offer from MGM to be involved in the Bond franchise CEO false law unring venom yes once stated that they had held a discussion with MGM over a partnership deal with the James Bond film series but the company were unwilling to compromise their exclusivity for the sake of advertising and promoting upcoming film releases they turned down the deal instead choosing to maintain control of their mystique and reputation as a high-class individual brand if you want to know more about the weird and wonderful world of James Bond and you can do so by clicking on the top right hand corner for our dedicated video number 11 they sold only 1000 in the first three years though it is now regarded as one of the greatest sports watches of all time the Royal Oak was far from a runaway success in its early years with many critics even going so far as to say that the watch would spell the demise of the company upon its launch in 1972 watch fans didn't quite know what to make of the new peculiarly angled design and with an original price tag of $3,600 the same as other luxury watches that use more precious metals it took a long time for customers to come around to Auden off PJs a way of thinking number 12 the Royal Oak went on to be a best-seller once word got out and the popularity train began to roll in autumn alfie deyes favored the royal oak started to get snatched up by anyone who could get their hands on one and rather than sending the company into oblivion as many had predicted the exact opposite happened the royal oak kept Audemars Piguet in business during the courts crisis a period in the 1970s and 1980s where the production of quartz watches was threatened by the boom of digital watches coming out of Asia number 13 the Royal Oak was nicknamed the Jumbo though the original Royal Oak watch might seem incredibly spelled and sleek by today's standards it was originally regarded as being an example of one of the biggest wristwatches of its time today the likes of pen and I produced a 45 millimeter diameter watch as standard but this was absolutely unheard of in the 1970s upon completion the Royal Oaks measured in at 39 millimeters diameter positively gigantic for a watch in 1972 but judging by the designs of most of the leading sports watches in today's market además sigue were simply ahead of their time that didn't however stop it from being given the unfortunate title of the jumbo in its early years number 14 the offshore watch was also expected to fail after the Royal Oak the offshore is one of Aden all fides most prized and popular models 20 years after the dubious debut of the Royal Oak the offshore experienced the very same doubts and criticisms its predecessor had faced for the diameter of 42 millimeters and an incredibly thick design that included a soft iron inner case for protection against magnetism the offshore was a slightly less luxurious looking watch and many were not confident about its appeal however they needn't have worried as once the public finally came around to its new bold design the watch went on to redefine the way that brands see their luxury sports lines very much echoing the way the maligned jumbo turned into a classic timepiece number 15 most Audemars Piguet watches are still made on 100 year old machines though the company boasts several high-tech iterations of their classics these days including the Royal Oak Offshore forged carbon diaper which features a super-strong carbon fiber case titanium case back and scratch proof ceramic bezel Audemars Piguet still relies on old-fashioned methods to achieve the trademark dial finish and to get the job done part of the manufacturing process uses a 100 year old rose engine which is a pantograph type machine that runs over an enlarged version of the dial and carves out an identical pattern on the actual dial there are surely easier more efficient ways to complete this process in modern times but the company likes to keep an element of their route in order to maintain the strong historical feel of their brand thank you once again for joining us today derail xers we are so glad that you came to us for another fact fix do you own a Royal Oak watch of your own perhaps you prefer the offshore model let us know down in the comments and here's one final fact for you consider it a bonus reward for staying with us till the very end number 16 you can still buy an original Royal Oak jumbo those who want to pay homage to one of the original sports watches that change the thinking of the entire industry can do so by going into any automobile a store the modern 15 202 is available for purchase and occasionally original 50 402 models from 1972 can be found at auction but we are sure that you'll be met with some stiff competition thank you for spending some time with us a Luxor's make sure to LIKE and subscribe so you never miss another video we also hand-picked these videos which we recommend you watch next thank you for being an a lexer and we'll see you back tomorrow you

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Id: 58-poDki1Js

Length: 13min 8sec (788 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 12 2017