From Iconoclast To Icon: Audemars Piguet Celebrates The Royal Oak's 50th Anniversary With Trailblazer Heron Preston
To celebrate the Royal Oak's 50th Anniversary, we hosted an evening at the AP House in NYC’s Meatpacking District.
Disruptor-turned-icon, Heron Preston, and Head of Creative and Content at SSENSE, Thom Bettridge, led a conversation about the importance of following your intuition and fearlessly chasing your passions.
After an introduction by Audemars Piguet's CEO, Ginny Wright, Preston explained the spark behind his first and one of his most well-known designs: a uniform collection for the NY Department of Sanitation dropped back in 2016. While the collection was initially met with confusion, it ultimately illuminated the rewards of daring to do things differently, much like the Royal Oak.
Throughout the talk, Preston continued to touch upon the shared characteristics of his own artistic journey and that of his favorite timepiece. Both were imagined from believing in a specific vision and born from the dedication to the unconventional craft.
For the rest of the night, guests were immersed in the space through a mini-museum where they familiarized themselves with a collection of Audemars Piguet historical timepieces such as the Grande Sonnerie Piguet & Melan crafted around 1800 and the 1983 Perpetual Calendar. The Audemars Piguet exhibit gave perspective into the brand's heritage and innovations as well as the Royal Oak's significant position within its history.
Of course, the star of the night was AP’s Royal Oak, a true disruptor to the luxury watch industry since its release in 1972. Known best for its innovative design feats in the watchmaking space, it has always gone against the grain. As both Audemars Piguet and the Royal Oak continue to disrupt the watch space while staying true to their traditions and values, we are excited to see how the next 50 years pan out.
Learn more about the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 50th Anniversary and check out more from Highsnobiety x Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 50th in NYC below:
