The iconic Royal Oak watch first launched in 1972 and set out to win over women’s wrists in 1976. At nearly 40, the star is approaching the prime of its life and wraps its famous octagonal bezel and eight hexagonal screws in rose gold and 40 diamonds (approx. 0.73 carat) to celebrate. The bezel tops an edgy steel 33mm case designed to fit a lady’s wrist perfectly. Its silver dial bears the famous “Grande Tapisserie” pattern designed by Audemars Piguet for this collection. Its luminescent rose gold indices are tracked by two gold and phosphorescent hour and minute hands in the centre fuelled by a quartz movement inside the case. The date display stands at 3 o’ clock and, like the crown, the central links on the steel strap are in rose gold. Price: 19’100 CHF

Time has no hold over icons. Their prestigious status endures unchanged in the face of new products that join the watch landscape every year and remain legends for watch lovers and collectors. The 2015 Royal Oak has the same unique silhouette designed by Gérald Genta and unveiled in 1972 but has warmed up its steel case with hints of gold. The octagonal bezel, screwdown crown on the case and vertical links on the strap are in rose gold. The precious metal also glows on the silver-tone chessboard dial bearing time indices and baton-shape hands all rimmed with a luminescent coating. The 41mm case houses the 3120 calibre made in the Brassus workshops. This self-winding mechanical movement brings to life the time (hours, minutes and seconds in the centre) and date functions (date display at 3 o’ clock) and provides a 60-hour power reserve. Price: 25,100 CHF

It took 8 years of hard work alongside a team of sound engineers and specialists at the Brassus factory to develop and fine tune a watch with a minute repeater of exceptional sound quality. The sound, volume, transmission and tone were all meticulously dissected and analysed then redesigned and put into the heart of the Royal Oak Concept. The watch has a 44mm titanium case topped by the famous titanium screwdown octagonal bezel. The in-house manual wind calibre brings to life the time and chronograph functions. The partly openwork black dial bears the minute track on the chapter ring and the tourbillon at 6 o’ clock beneath two openwork luminescent hour and minute hands. An orange central seconds hand tracks the seconds whilst the 30 minute counter lies at 3 o’ clock. Price upon request

122 years ago, in 1892 to be precise, Audemars Piguet designed its first wristwatch with minute repeater in its Le Brassus factory in the Vallée de Joux. This complication was very popular at the time because it told the time in the dark when electricity was in its infancy. The 2014 version showcases a three-dimensional openwork dial displaying Roman hour and minute numerals and Arabic seconds on white enamel discs rimmed with gold which seem to float. The oversize (47x42mm) oval case is in rose gold. It has a sliding trigger on the left side (at 9 o’ clock) and houses an in-house manual wind 2928 calibre which not only provides the time and minute repeater functions but also the 165-hour power reserve. Price: 476,300 CHF

We’ve got used to always seeing pitch black diving watches but the ever avant-garde Audemars Piguet has broken away from the pack and caught the ocean out with the bright white Royal Oak Offshore Diver. The 42mm case, crowns and screw-down bezel are made of white ceramic whose scratch-resistant and lightweight assets need no introduction. The applied indices and hour, minute and central second hands have a luminescent coating and touches of blue on the silver-tone dial featuring the collection’s “Méga Tapisserie” pattern. There’s a date display at 3 o’ clock. The dive time scale is engraved in silver and blue on the rotating inner bezel which is operated using the crown at 10 o’ clock on the case. All the functions are brought to life by the self-winding Manufacture 3120 calibre enclosed in an anti-magnetic internal cage. Price: 22,700 CHF

The Royal Oak Offshore is a sporty take on an icon which has been turning heads since 1993. This year the Audemars Piguet brand is bringing out 6 versions all 42mm in diameter. The dial’s rather classic and masculine colours (blue, black, grey, ivory and rose gold) match those on the chapter ring, sub-dials and the chronograph’s seconds hand when they’re not tone-on-tone. They all have the same self-winding in-house movement with a 55-hour power reserve housed in a steel or rose gold case. The dial is adorned with a tachymeter scale and “Grande Tapisserie” pattern typical of this watch collection; the small seconds are at 12 o’ clock, counters at 6 and 9 o’ clock plus a date window at 3 o’ clock. The hour and minute hands are in white gold or rose gold with a luminescent coating. Price: 22,860 CHF – 60’900 CHF