When we came up with the idea of the Modern Classic series, the idea was simple: in a world that will forever be fixated on the glory days, give credit to the watches that have made a difference since the industry?s luxury revival in the early 1990s. Over the last couple of years we?ve paid tribute to designs as diverse as the Chanel J12, the Lange 1 and Patek Philippe?s Aquanaut. But when we talk about designs that influenced the modern era of watchmaking, one looms large above the rest.
Size has always been the story with the Royal Oak Offshore. Alongside the emergence of Panerai as a consumer watch brand, it created the market for big watches (and the parallels don?t end there; where Panerai had Sylvester Stallone, it was Arnold Schwarzenegger who helped fuel the Offshore?s success). It was the original enfant terrible of modern watch design, and played a crucial role in the transformation of the wristwatch from functional item to status symbol. It opened up the valleys of the Jura to hip-hop moguls, film stars and basketball icons, and paved the way for brands such as Hublot, Linde Werdelin and Roger Dubuis. A phenomenal success, it has spawned more than 130 references in the last 25 years ? most of them limited editions. The Offshore today: a 25th anniversary limited edition that showcases a whole new look
And yet, two and a half decades ago, things were not quite as confident. Briefed by then-CEO Stephen Urquhart to design a modern take on the Royal Oak as it marked ...