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 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.

Watch is in very good overall condition.Case hs scratches and marks visible, including on the bezel and bracelet. The screw heads along the bezel are not all aligned properly as seen in the images. Blue tapisserie dial has aged to a tropical brown tone, with darkened luminous. Bracelet has light stretch and has.22 links, 8 of which are removable.

Made of stainless steel, the ref. 56175ST aided in popularizing the Royal Oak as it got collectors used to a luxury stainless steel timepiece from a brand like AP thanks to its smaller proportions and less expensive quartz movement.