Released in 1972 and designed by Gerald Genta, watchmaking's most famous designer, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was the first stainless steel luxury sports watch ever to exist. Released as a tactic to survive the quartz crisis, the Royal Oak can single-handedly be thanked for AP's existence today due to its astounding success, albeit it wasn't an overnight hit. Its sizeable tonneau-shaped case, signature integrated bracelet, octagonal bezel, exposed screws, and steel construction failed to win over collectors until a few years later. Today, the Royal Oak is one of the most highly-coveted timepieces in all horology as its previously dismissed design details have permeated across the industry and into watches like the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Vacheron Constantin Overseas, Rolex Oysterquartz, amongst many other legendary timepieces.

Counting 42 professional wins, 97 weeks ranked as the number one golfer in the world, and a long list of trophies, it can certainly be said that English golfer Nick Faldo had the world of golf at his feet during the 1990s. Looking to capitalize on his success, Audemars Piguet created three limited-edition timepieces for Nick running from the 1990s until the early 2000s. All variations of the Royal Oak, the first was a rose gold variant with 325 pieces, the second was a stainless steel variant with 150 pieces and the last was the variant we have here, with its stainless steel construction and platinum octagonal bezel with just 450 pieces produced. By far the most well-known of the three variants, this blend of steel and platinum is a luxurious take on the Royal Oak's sporty design while not going too far down the path of luxury like the first variant, or as standard as the second. With its interesting black dial, this is certainly one easily recognizable watch for all the right reasons.