Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Montres

Not every watch should look like an old one. Vintage styling is nice and all, but choice is even more so. The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same thing, etcetera, etcetera. And so, for those looking for something a touch more contemporary, here are three different avant-garde alternatives for three different budgets.

It’s the watch that saved Audemars Piguet, that came to define it. The eight, hard angles framing the dial and bracelet blending seamlessly into the case can be recognised from across the street—and that’s the point. The Royal Oak was meant to redefine an ailing industry, create exclusivity with a technology that was fast becoming antiquated. And it worked—but could it be better?

High end watches come with high end prices—that's no secret. But what if there were some loophole, some trick to getting watches made by top names like IWC, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin for the kind of prices you'd pay for Rolexes, Omegas and TAG Heuers? Perhaps there is.

It’s the icon of an era, an unmistakable shape that marks the turning point of an entire industry. It’s expensive now, it was expensive then, and it will always continue to be expensive. But what if you could have a watch with all of the finesse, all of the heritage, all of the looks of this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak—but for half the price?