Audemars Piguet celebrated 40 years of its iconic Royal Oak timepiece last night with a gala dinner at the Old Fashioned Cafe in Milan and the arrival of a travelling exhibition.
Guests at the event included actor Adrien Brody, Russian prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova and Formula 1 driver Jarno Trulli.
The brand’s chairman Jasmine Audemars and its chief executive Philippe Merk welcomed more than 150 guests including the Swiss Consul in Italy General Massimo Baggi and Evelyn Genta, wife of the late Gerald Genta, the designer of the Royal Oak timepiece.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet has created a travelling exhibition, as launched in New York last month.
The exhibit is now in Milan, where it will remain until Monday, coinciding with the week of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, an important event for design professionals and enthusiasts in Italy.
The exhibition features design, photography, sound and film from artists Sebastien Leon Agneessens, Quayola and photographer Dan Holdsworth.
Audemars has also curated an exhibition of 100 exceptional timepieces.
After Milan, the exhibit will travel in 2012 to Paris in June, Beijing in August, Singapore in October and Dubai in December.
