Introduced in 1972, the Royal Oak was the world’s first luxury sports watch and is often credited for saving the Swiss watch industry from demise following the quartz crisis. Its industrial design – completely unconventional at the time, especially for a luxury item – was completed in just one evening by the most famous watch designer then and now, Gérald Genta, who sought inspiration from a deep-sea diver’s helmet. Today, the Royal Oak is seen as Audemars Piguet’s and Genta’s masterpiece and remains one of the most iconic watches of all time.