Starting from a conventional beginning but destined for greatness, the present watch was born as a regular reference 5402ST but would end up as anything but a regular timepiece. Sold in Italy in 1973, immediately after purchase, this Royal Oak A series underwent a PVD surface treatment to render it totally black.
As it happens, around that same time the famous creative director of the Fendi house, Karl Lagerfeld, was working in Rome. Besides being renowned for his immense artistic talent, Lagerfeld was also famous for wearing only two colors: black and white. He was also known to have been one of the first men of taste to appreciate the Royal Oak. Moreover, many photos are known showing him wearing a Royal Oak completely covered in black PVD. In fact, several iterations of this model have been spotted on the designer's wrist. In 1974, he was notably photographed during the Chloé fashion show wearing a black Royal Oak with the logo at 6 o'clock, identical in all respects to the present watch.
After extensive research, carried out jointly by the current owner and Audemars Piguet, our specialist team is led to believe that the present watch is in all probability one of Mr. Lagerfeld's personal Royal Oaks. Our research has shown that after the sale in Italy in 1973, the watch never reappeared on the market – most likely because it was in the possession of the original owner - until 1995. In 2013, a second Italian owner sold this watch to a German dealer and in this same year, the current owner discovered it in the window of the aforementioned dealer’s shop. Immediately fascinated by the watch, and suspecting its history, he purchased it on the spot and went on to thoroughly research it to confirm its provenance.
Presented today in excellent condition, it is fundamental to point out that the PVD coating features signs of natural wear, as expected from a watch which underwent PVD coating in the 1970s. Especially visible on the inside of the bracelet where the buckle rubs, there is an unvarying area of wear. It is a sign that the watch was most probably only worn by one same person.. Based on our research, that of the last owner and backed by the information gracefully made available to us by Audemars Piguet, in our own opinion, many clues pointed to the Lagerfeld provenance, however the watch's early years remain surrounded in mystery, adding a layer of intrigue to this historical timepiece.
