Presented in 1972 as the first sports watch in stainless steel priced higher than most gold timepieces, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak made a statement immediately. A watch made for those that want the best and won't settle for less. A watch than can only be spotted by those that are in the know and a timepiece that after 40 years has remained true to its essence and core values.

These vintage advertisements are living testament of the launch and evolution of an iconic timepiece. Well thought out taglines and powerful images characterize these ads. Here, you will find fourteen of the most iconic and our favorite Royal Oaks advertisements of all-time —all the way from 1972 thru 1998. 

Because "Some Things In Life Speak for Themselves" and the Royal Oak is "Known Only By Those Who Know", everyone knows now that "It Takes More than Money to Wear the Royal Oak".  

Now, let's start enjoying the eye candy and the time machine. 

As the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak started to position itself as one of the most iconic watches ever created by its 10th birthday, the sophistication and taglines of its advertisements also evolved. During the early to mid-eighties, the advertisements focused more on the lifestyle and the good life enjoyed by those bold and lucky enough to wear one. Also, we can see in the ads that there's some sort of an air of mystery and visual and text elements that reinforced the exclusivity of the watch and also communicated how difficult it was to spot one in the 'wild'. The ads also conveyed that if you owned one it would set you apart from the rest. Today, we feel that the essence of the Royal Oak stays true to what was done from an advertising standpoint even way back then.

As you can see in the ads, after only twenty years, the Royal Oak had already positioned itself as one of the most unique watches ever made and as an authority in the watch industry. The advertising campaigns not only capitalized on the uniqueness of its design but also on the powerful connection between its prestige and the exclusivity of owning one.

Since we truly understand what goes in the 'psyche' of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak owners, we have left our favorite advertisement of all-time for the last part of this post. The tagline clearly summarizes the essence of those who are bold enough to wear an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and reinforces how it is not a matter of money to wear a Royal Oak but having the right attitude and personality to own one. Because 'It Takes More Than Money To Wear the Royal Oak'.

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