How the Royal Oak Chronograph became the sporting world’s horological standard

If there’s one thing that can unite almost every sportsperson, it’s an obsession with fractions of a second. And while originally developed for astronomical purposes (Louis Moinet’s 1816 ‘Compteur de Tierces’, while going unrecognised until it came to auction in 2012, is considered to be the world’s first chronograph), the complication’s name was made by sport: measuring elapsed time, recording laps, calculating speed and, occasionally, being the difference between a podium place and a consolation handshake. There are very few horologers who haven’t flirted with this most enduring and practical of innovations, but for some watchmakers, the chronograph has taken on a life of its own.

Take, for instance, Audemars Piguet. Inspired by the first modern chronograph – featuring start, stop and return-to-zero reset functions – produced by the Swiss-born and London-based watchmaker Adolphe Nicole in 1862, the Maison’s founders added the feature to their pocket watches in 1875, becoming masters of a technology that was, as yet, still in its infancy. It was the beginning of a journey in which the Maison would take that practical instrument and turn it into one of high watchmaking’s most sophisticated and sought-after complications. And it was the Royal Oak Offshore – the notorious ‘Beast’, a favourite of so many – that really put sport into AP’s chronograph DNA. Launched in 1993, the oversized 42mm watch was designed with a distinctly sporting character, and the collection soon became a playground for partnerships with athletes and sporting teams. In 2004 came the Royal Oak Offshore Juan Pablo Montoya, an automatic chronograph with tachymeter scale, carbon-fibre bezel and push-piece guards, created with the Formula 1 driver for durability and practicality.

The following years saw AP move further into the world of F1 as the Royal Oak Offshore Rubens Barrichello, launched in 2008, paired its automatic chronograph and tachymeter with pink gold, ceramic and titanium and an automotive-inspired design. For sailing, meanwhile, the Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi introduced a flyback chronograph with a regatta-timing function, allowing the wearer to measure the crucial countdown before the start of a race. And then there was Ladycat. The 2008 Royal Oak Offshore Ladycat was a 37mm automatic chronograph created to celebrate the all-female sailing team, attractive in its pared-down diameter with flashes of fuchsia drawn from the colours of the Ladycat catamaran – perhaps a foremother of the new Serena Williams timepiece. 

The ultimate expression of sport-specific chronograph technology, however, arrived in 2015. Created with Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher, the Royal Oak Concept Laptimer was designed to measure successive laps without having to reset the chronograph between each one. Its Calibre 2923 combined a chronograph with a tourbillon, while a sophisticated mechanism allowed one lap to be stopped and recorded as the next began. Taking five years to develop, this was no longer a watch merely inspired by racing, but rather a mechanical instrument designed around the demands of the sport itself.

Which brings us neatly to Serena Williams. The new 38mm Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph ‘Serena Williams’ takes that sporting lineage somewhere considerably more contemporary, pairing white ceramic with a pink-tinted mother-of-pearl dial and a new generation of in-house movement technology. At its heart is the Calibre 6401, an integrated automatic chronograph with a patented, simplified vertical clutch designed for smoother activation and improved reliability. Its redesigned layout places the hour and minute counters at three and nine o’clock, with an instant-jump date between four and five. As for the design? The balance of the robustness of a Royal Oak with a distinct femininity is intended to evoke Williams’s own philosophy toward sport: “I’ve always believed that strength and feminine energy can exist side by side,” she said at the timepiece’s launch. “People often see strength, determination and competition, but there’s also creativity, intuition and joy.” And joy is an emotion that this watch has in abundance. From the alternating satin-brushing and chamfering of the pristine white ceramic case and bracelet, to the iridescent lustre of the mother-of-pearl dial, and the perfectly practical 38mm diameter that hits such a sweet spot for many women – and men – seeking wearable, sporty sophistication, it’s a silky-smooth execution of a timepiece that serves an ace, every time.

The chronograph, evidently, has come a long way. At Audemars Piguet, sport has gradually become a laboratory for mechanical invention – and the simple ‘stopwatch’ has become haute horlogerie. The Serena Williams Royal Oak is just the latest chapter in a story where performance, precision and a very good-looking piece of engineering continue to race one another to the finish line – and there’s no prizes for guessing who’ll be making the best time.