Many cool watches were born in this decade, and we have decided to include some of the funkiest and most “definitely 70s“. So why the Royal Oak? Because it was the first and introduced the revolutionary concept that we find also in the Nautilus.
In many ways, the seventies were a revolutionary decade for the world of watchmaking. In particular, they marked a change in taste: the elegant gold watches fashionable until the late XNUMXs were replaced by sporty steel watches. The watch that started this revolution was, of course, theAudemars Piguet Royal Oak, which has already blown out fifty candles but is as iconic as it was when it was launched in 1972.
Royal Oak ref. 5402 first generation
Piaget Polo
Born in the late 70s, the Piaget Polo represents the perfect synthesis of his decade. Available in both yellow and white gold (also simultaneously in the two-tone version), it was created by Piaget as "luxury sports watch“. A strongly felt desire at the time, as AP has just demonstrated. The Polo is definitely an extravagant solution, but if you're looking for rationality, you're in the wrong decade. Though quickly forgotten, the Polo was a big hit. In all its variants, it represented one third of Piaget's total sales.
Wittnauer Futurama 1000
Il Wittnauer Futurama 1000 it is certainly not the most famous of the pieces, but it has great admirers in its field. And others cannot see it. We get it: the level of funky matters. A chest asymmetric D-shaped, yellow gold plated, houses a retrograde mechanism, with a dimension of 48 mm from lug to lug.
Rolex “Texan” ref. 5100
The 70s wanted nothing to do with the previous “old” days. And mechanical watches aren't exactly "innovative." Hence, together with 20 other brands, Rolex created a consortium to develop a new technology, the quartz mechanism: "The Beta-21: a milestone in watchmaking. This chunky mechanism needed suitably thick cases, and Rolex went totally wild with the case design ref. 5100. All 1000 specimens were sold in pre-order, and the lucky owners were invited to join the "Rolex Quartz Club“. This means that, after buying a Rolex Texan, you get unlimited access to the Rolex headquarters in Geneva and a tour of the manufacture.
Patek Philippe “Beta-21” ref. 3587
Among the different companies that participated in the Beta-21 consortium, we find Patek Philippe. The same problems that Rolex faced with the Texan, Patek Philippe solved with the thick case of the ref. 3587. This funky, huge (43 mm) yellow gold case is one of the most popular silhouettes in watchmaking. Not the classic icon, like the Royal Oak, but we've all crossed paths with the “Patek Beta-21” and no one has forgotten it.
Zenith El Primero Flying Saucer
In 1969, Zenith paved the way for the automatic chronograph revolution that would mark the XNUMXs. The first model of the famous El Primero, had a rather traditional steel case; however, shortly after, a new model was added to the catalogue, extremely funky and definitely 70sdefinitively consecrating the Top-of-the-line Zenith chronograph and absolute icon of the decade.
