1972 is a landmark year in the history of watchmaking. At Baselworld an entirely new watch concept is presented in an effort to save mechanical watchmaking from the advance of cheap quartz watches. A luxury sports watch made in steel, and prices close to gold evening dress watches, is presented: the Royal oak. Designed by Gerald Genta and inspired by nautical themes, it is met with lukewarm enthusiasm - to say the least - by the community: “who in their right mind” is the general sentiment at Baselworld 1972 - would pay as much as a gold dress watch for a steel sport’s watch? As we know know very well, the answer to this question is “an entire new generation of collectors”. The new design in fact appeals to a younger crowd of successful dynamic entrepreneurs, and the rest is history.

The present example - a representative of the famed A-series: the first batch of production of the model - is an opportunity for the collector to acquire a 5204 which has been brought back to its original glory by the manufacturer itself. The case is as flawless as it was when the watch was brand new, featuring extremely sharp corners and immaculate satin finish. The dial has - on demand of the client - not been exchanged for a service one, but rather Audemars Piguet restored the original dial completely, including graphics and finish. this treatment resulted in a dial color quite different from what the collector is used to seeing on a 5204 dial: the blue is closer to navy than to petrol, rendering this watch a practically unique pieces, merging a more modern dial color with the timeless class of the original Royal Oak 5204.

Phillips wishes to warmly thank scholar Marco "Mstanga" Stanghellini for his invaluable assistance in researching this timepiece.