Audemars Piguet, the vaunted manufacture from Les Brassus, wasn't doing so well at the end of the 1960s.  

Their horological prowess aside, times were changing, customer tastes were evolving, and AP was stuck firmly in a very traditional past. Fortunately for us, their executives recognized this, and bet it all on the launch of an avant garde timepiece the likes of which the world had never seen.

Utilizing the talents of a designer named Gerald Genta, AP planned from the beginning to make this new watch, dubbed the Royal Oak, a contradiction to tradition, and it became the world's first luxury sports watch — made in stainless steel, no less. The gamble paid off: Genta became a household name, and the watch world clamored to get their hands on the Royal Oak’s cutting-edge design, which featured a sharply angled watch with integrated bracelet, micro-tapisserie dial, and ultra-thin movement. Today, 50 years later, hunger for the Royal Oak remains unabated.

This particular Royal Oak, a Reference 66800, dates to the mid 1990s, and features a 28mm stainless steel case with an integrated black alligator leather strap and signed stainless steel deployant clasp, a grey micro-tappisserie Tritium dial with applied indices and matching handset, and a quartz movement within.

Checking all of the boxes as its larger brothers, this lovely piece can easily be worn as a dress watch or a demure daily driver for the lady who knows what proper watches are all about.