Half a century ago, on April 15, 1972, at a one-hour exhibition in Basel, the manufactory from Le Brassieu showed an unusual novelty – a luxury sports watch completely in steel. Gerald Gent came up with a brilliant design. All the main codes of the future style icon he captured in his drawing – an octagonal bezel on eight screws, an integrated bracelet with a special link pattern, a dial with a graphic cellular pattern Tapisserie. Over the past half century, the appearance of «Royal Oak» has not changed much, but in total, more than 500 modifications of Royal Oak have been released in housings of different diameters.
The most coveted and sought after among collectors is still the original model Royal Oak diameter of 39 mm, nicknamed Jumbo («Giant»), Ref. 15202. Half a century ago, among the neat classic costume models, it really seemed huge. By the round date, four versions of the Jumbo were released – with a new manufactured calibre 7121 and a special rotor with the logo 50 Years. The steel model fully preserved the original’s 1972 aesthetic, including the Petite Tapisserie dial, made with the help of vintage guilloche machines, and even the historical shade of Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 («Night Blue, Tone Cloud 50»).
Photo: press service
