From Avant Garde to Icon
Waterfront takes a journey through the origins of Royal Oak, the iconic timepiece from Audemars Piguet
D
esign, photography, sound and fi lm come together for a stellar Royal Oak 40th anniversary worldwide exhibition. To
celebrate the 40th anniversary of Audemars Piguet’s iconic timepiece Royal Oak, the world’s fi rst ever luxury sports timepiece which sparked a complete paradigm shift in the watch industry, the Swiss Manufacture from Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux has put together a unique, ephemeral exhibition. Using design, photography, sound and fi lm
from three unequivocally 21st century artists, Sebastien Leon Agneessens, Quayola and Dan Holdsworth, the Manufacture has curated an exhibition of 100 exceptional timepieces set against the backdrop of a stage that underscores Audemars Piguet’s origins, mastery and artistry. T ese rare watches, from the very fi rst Royal Oak in 1972 to the latest models unveiled at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, Geneva in January 2012, will be revealed in a series of exhibitions showcasing the brand’s ability to innovate and create. To break the rules, you must fi rst master them - 40 years ago, Audemars Piguet broke all rules of fi ne watchmaking when in 1972 it introduced the ground-breaking design of the Royal Oak, the fi rst luxury sports watch
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in Haute Horlogerie. 40 years on, the four characteristics that defi ned this timepiece and the luxury watch industry are even more than ever recognisable; the octagonal bezel fi xed with the hexagonal screws, one of the thinnest selfwinding movements, the seamlessly integrated to the case bracelet and the tapisserie pattern on the dial. T is exhibition - created, developed, and globally executed by MA3 Agency - captures and illustrates how the Royal Oak became the icon it is today, by reinterpreting the origins and modernity of Audemars Piguet through the innovative and contemporary perspective of artists Sebastien Leon Agneessens, Quayola and Dan Holdsworth. T e exhibition installation, photography, sound and fi lm of the three artists create an ambience that is sure to immerse every visitor deep in the
Vallée de Joux, the birth place of Haute Horlogerie in Switzerland, while also illustrating its story like it has never been shown before. T e Vallée de Joux in the Swiss Jura mountains has for millennia been a harsh and unyielding environment, a place of raw nature and unforgiving climate. It was not until the sixth century that monks fi rst settled in the Vallée as they saw in its austere surroundings a place of serenity and spirituality. It is also the home of Audemars Piguet since 1875, in the village of Le Brassus. T e early watchmakers worked the land during summer while during winter, by the even, Northern Light, they concentrated on mastering the most complex mechanisms known to watchmakers. T roughout the centuries, the pursuit of excellence and building a long tradition in mastery and
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