Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402

20" x 30", edition of 30

A special print to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak. This is a Royal Oak from the personal collection of Gérald Genta, the creator of this iconic timepiece. As I played with ideas, I knew I wanted to weave in details from its origin story. The design was inspired by a diver's brass helmet and 'Royal Oak' came from the name of eight vessels in Britain's Royal Navy. These were named from the hollowed oak tree King Charles II of England hid in to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. In exploring how to bridge both oak and nautical themes, I learned that quarter sawn wood gives strength in structural integrity and beauty, much like the steel of this timepiece. In quarter sawn oak, naturally occurring silvery ribbons called medullary rays are prominent and serendipitously look like water. I used this texture on the integrated bracelet. In the bottom lefthand corner, I added Genta's signature made to look carved into the wood. 

The hands are set in a straight line within the 8 o'clock hour. I've always loved when the hands do so, and in an abstract way, they mimic the slot within the octagon to loosely echo the eight screws on the bezel. The date is set to 31 for Genta's birth year. 

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Printed to the highest industry quality by an excellent fine art printer using fully archival Epson inkjet pigments on 100% cotton rag Epson Signature Hot Press Bright paper, hand-cut to select paper sizes.

Prints are numbered and signed.

A portion from each print is given to Pencils of Promise, helping to provide educational opportunities for a PoP student in need.