This 'Royal Oak III', ref. 4100, was the first ever mid-sized Royal Oak. The 'III' stems from the fact that, after the first ref. 5402 and second Women's ref. 8638, this was the third-ever Royal Oak. Designed by Jacqueline Dimier and presented in 1977, the 4100 also debuted a centre seconds, making the Royal Oak even more sporting than the 35.5mm case design would suggest. This example is a particular stand out for its Tiffany & Co dial, signed Swiss alone a beautifully aged. It is one of just a handful of Royal Oaks known to be signed by the American retailer prior to the shift toward selling solely Patek Philippe.
Interestingly, the 4100 was created largely from demand in both Asia and Italy, where the 5402 'Jumbo' case was generally regarded as beautiful but too large for most wrists. Production spanned from 1977-1985, during which time 2721 examples were made in steel, 2130 in yellow gold, 3563 in bimetal, and 41 in white gold. Original dials are signed simple 'Swiss' alone as this example is, with signature elements of the time like petite tapisserie and block signature. Interestingly, crowns on the ref. 4100 are not screw-down as following references. It is also the only vintage mid-sized Royal Oak to have a removable caseback and traditional 3-body case construction. The vast majority of 4100 production was made with calibre 2123, a JLC 888 ébauche.
Very, very few early Royal Oaks have been found with Tiffany & Co signatures. This is one of just a few known Royal Oaks of any reference to have its Tiffany line above the Audemars Piguet signature. This is the only Tiffany-signed ref. 4100 example known. Its dial is signed Swiss only and the petite tapisserie has aged from anthracite to a mute gold-grey as the dial brass has only just begun to show through. Consistent with other known Tiffany Royal Oaks of the time, it bears a Tiffany internal inventory number scratched above the caseback on the 11 o'clock-side lug.
This Tiffany & Co 4100SA is a symphony in early 1980s Audemars Piguet aesthetic, from the Dimier mid-sized case to the lightly aged dial, non screw-down crown, and simple folding bracelet. The SA, or two tone, case construction only leans more heavily into the style of its time and zeitgeist from which this example was born. It is a distinctly American and 1980s Royal Oak, not shy nor subtle and aged extremely gracefully. It embodies a very different era of both Tiffany & Co and Audemars Piguet.
