Editor's note: Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak is unquestionably one of the most important wristwatches of all time and*it is steeped in history for so many reasons. For a start, the unique aesthetics of the now iconic watch and integrated bracelet were designed by the doyen of horological design, Gérald Genta, in less than 24 hours. Let that sink in: the timepiece that completely changed the game of luxury sports watches forever was conceived in less time than it would take us to fly to Geneva. What's more, when it was released in 1972, the Royal Oak cost 3300 Swiss franc … for a steel sports watch! To put that in context, you could have bought close to a dozen Rolex Submariners for the same money at the time. Anyway, we could go on forever about this wonderful watch but, instead, we thought it would be worth drawing your attention back to the time we went hands-on with the solid yellow gold*Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph. HANDS-ON: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph in yellow gold STORY IN A SECOND: When the first Royal Oak was released in 1972 in steel it was a revelation. Now, in 2016, there's a milder…

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