Important Watches: Part II

Important Watches: Part II

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 513. ‘D-Series’ Royal Oak, Ref. 5402ST  Stainless steel wristwatch with date and bracelet  Circa 1978.

Audemars Piguet

‘D-Series’ Royal Oak, Ref. 5402ST Stainless steel wristwatch with date and bracelet Circa 1978

Lot Closed

November 11, 12:12 PM GMT

Estimate

40,000 - 60,000 CHF

Lot Details

Description

Audemars Piguet


‘D-Series’ Royal Oak, Ref. 5402ST

Stainless steel wristwatch with date and bracelet

Circa 1978


Dial: anthracite tapisserie

Calibre: cal. 2121/1 automatic, 36 jewels

Movement number: 211’542

Case: stainless steel, back secured by 8 screws

Case number: D 1134 / B 28’921

Closure: stainless steel Audemars Piguet bracelet and folding clasp

Dimensions: 39 mm, bracelet circumference approx. 185 mm

Signed: case, dial and movement

Box: no

Papers: no 

Accessories: Audemars Piguet pouch

Developed during the quartz crisis which strongly hit the Swiss watch industry in the late 1960s and beginning of the 1970s, the Royal Oak revolutionized the industry and created a new category: 'stainless steel sports watches'. The novelty, designed by Gérald Genta, coincided with the tendency for less ostentatious watches as the focus had shifted towards understatement and quality. The Royal Oak was an all-purpose watch that was the perfect fit for different occasions, ranging from daily use to formal occasions.  


Inspired, perhaps erroneously, by the look of a diving-suit helmet, the monobloc case along with the octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet, create an aesthetically appealing design that makes this watch such an emblematic model which is sought after by collectors everywhere. 


The reference 5402 can be divided into four series, distinguished by the letters A, B, C and D in front of the case numbers.