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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver (Ref 15703)

Kyle — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 01:21:18 +0000

A quintessential dive watch…

Perhaps one of the most exciting new watches of 2010 is the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver — Ref 15703. What I like most about this new Royal Oak Offshore Diver is its relative simplicity in both form and function. The look is monochromatic – black dial, black pushers and a black strap paired with the signature AP Royal Oak brushed stainless steel case. The Royal Oak Offshore Diver tells the basic time and date and has a dive-time measurement scale via an inner-rotating bezel. By reducing to watch to its most basic elements — all done to AP’s high quality standards, of course — the 15703 seems to be really an outstanding watch — in or out of the water. Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

The 15703 has a 42mm brushed stainless steel case (13.75mm thick) that is water resistant to 300 meters. The dial, strap and crowns are executed in black and black rubber. The watch actually features two black rubber crowns — one at 3 o’clock position to set the time and another one at 10 o’clock which controls the inner rotating dive bezel.

The bezel features features a minutes scale on which five- and one-minute periods are clearly highlighted. The wearer can only turn the bezel by deliberately unscrewing the rubber crown.

The dial is marked by baton shaped hour-markers that are also luminescent. The hour hand is distinguished by two additional bands of luminescent coating on the side, as you can see here:

The movement inside the Royal Oak Offshore Diver is AP’s selfwinding Calibre 3120 (a “manufacture”, or “in-house” movement) which features a 22-carat gold oscillating weight engraved with the AP monogram and the Audemars and Piguet family crests. The Caliber 3210 is hand-assembled in the work shops of Le Brassus and no doubt is of exceptional quality in both function and finishing. Otherwise, it is a straightforward selfwinding model without any complications!

If you want to see and learn more about the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Ref 15703, you should check out the mini-site dedicated to the new RO Offshore Diver, that Audemars Piguet just launched. I especially recommend the feature on the site that is a world map which highlights 10 of the top “Urban Diving Spots” in major cities around the world. You can also download pics and wallpapers for your viewing pleasure, too.

The AP 15730 price is approximately $15,000. In summary — I WANT THIS WATCH!

Did You Know?

It is worth remembering that Audemars Piguet actually invented the first high-end sports watch in 1972, which it named Royal Oak, and that it achieved the unprecedented feat of raising steel to the rank of a noble metal on a par with gold. In 1992, the octagon then took on its extreme sports appearance with the advent of the Royal Oak Off shore. This collection makes ample use of rubber that is often associated with steel, and sometimes even with gold. Its dials feature a distinctive criss-cross or grid pattern named “Méga Tapisserie ”.

Lionel Messi for Audemars Piguet

Kyle — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:17:24 +0000

If you haven’t yet heard, Lionel Messi has joined Audemars Piguet as its newest ambassador. You can see the full press release with pics (and even the official Audemars Piguet video) here, but I figured something a bit more exciting would be appropriate for all you blog readers — Top 10 Messi goals, anyone?

As an aside, I found this sentence in the Audemars Piguet press release interesting:

In joining the Audemars Piguet “family”, Leo Messi thus becomes the first footballer to associate his name with that of a prestigious Swiss watch brand.

Really? Hmmm….I think Hublot and Maradona will have something to say about that!

Wrist Shot Rewind

Kyle — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:39:19 +0000

We recap our favorite wrist shots…

Readers of this blog know that we here at First In Watches like to keep an eye on “who’s wearing what” — particularly when it is discovered by an “in the wild” spotting of a wrist shot. Come to think of it, we’ve spotted and called quite a few candid wrist shots over the past year, and so we thought we’d take a moment to reflect. Enjoy!

For starters, we spotted Bill Clinton wearing a Panerai to his meeting with North Korea’s dictator:

and then there was France’s Nicolas Sarkozy wearing a very stately Girard-Perregaux:

Moving on from world leaders, we founder ourselves wondering what YouTube founder Chad Hurley was wearing (in fact we still don’t know!):

And then there are society’s seedier characters, from which we have set our spying eyes upon everything from disgraced Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff’s forfeited watch collection:

to plea-dealing lawyer Scott Rothstein’s gaudy wrist wear:

and — yes — we’ve even been lured in to writing about “Narco Bling” aka the watches of Mexican drug lords:

Alas, our passion for the elusive wrist shot is rarely satiated. And so our relentless pursuit of precious metals housing precious movements often leads us to search the wrists of athletes — out of their uniforms and into casual mode, elite athletes are no match for our horologically trained eyes which have transformed many an innocuous photo into a story about a wrist shot.

For example, we outran Jamaican super-sprinter Usain Bolt striking to catch him in his trademark pose with a Hublot Big Bang Ceramic:

And when it comes to the hoops game, it was an easy drive down the lane for this slam dunk shot of Shaq with this Audemars Piguet:

Likewise, Kobe Bryant was quick to flash the peace sign giving us a clean steal and a clear look at his Nubeo:

and the same for the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade — spotted in a watch only an NBA player could wear, a Haimov:

Check that — Dwayne Wade has most recently been spotted wearing Hublot! Nice trade, D-Wade!

So what will Team Perpetuelle spot next? Stay tuned!

We hope you enjoyed this special edition of “Wrist Shot Rewind”!

Audemars Piguet Tour Auto 2010

Kyle — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:03:20 +0000

Audemars Piguet to join seventeen Ferrari 250 GT SWB’s on the scene in 2010…

Today I am highlighting the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tour Auto 2010. This watch is a commemorative piece for Audemars Piguet’s sponsorship of the historic Tour Auto Optic 2000 car rally which will take place in late April this year. This is AP’s fifth consecutive year sponsoring the event, and I know that the brand has produced a special watch every year going back to 2007 (not sure about 2006).

The Royal Oak Offshore Tour Auto 2010 Chronograph is a limited production run of 60 watches, driven by AP’s selfwinding, hand-decorated Calibre 2326/2840. The watch is equipped with a chronograph function with central seconds hand along with 30-minute and 12-hour counters. The tachometric scale on the inner bezel ring, decorated with alternating black and white squares, evokes the chequered flag that is waved at motor-race finishes.

The 42 mm-diameter brushed steel case is topped by a bead blasted bezel which looks pretty cool, in my opinion. The case assembly screws are also in polished steel, while the screw-lock crown and pushers are in black rubber. The caseback is engraved with the “Tour Auto” logo and bears the legend “Royal Oak Offshore – Série Limitée”. Water-resistant to 100 metres. Comes on a very nice looking black-with-red-underlay hand-sewn perforated leather strap with stainless steel AP folding clasp.

As for the event itself, it is basically a classic car rally which has several stops all around France, from Vichy to Aix en Provence. Approximately 220 classic collector cars spanning 2 different classification categories (“competition” or just for fun!) are expected. Autos “on the scene” will include the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, Ferrari 250 GTO, Lamborghini Miura, Porsche 904 and 906, Ligier JS2, AC Cobra, Lotus Elan. A Ford GT40 is the current title holder in the competition class. Also of note are the seventeen Ferrari 250 GT SWB’s participating this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first victory of the Ferrari 250 SWB in the our de France Automobile. Audemars Piguet joins other headline sponsors Leica, Motul, Alain Figaret, and Pictet. More at www.tourauto.com!

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Argentina

Kyle — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:18:55 +0000

50 Rose gold, 100 Titanium, Beautiful Presentation Box…

Titanium case, steel bezel ($35,000 USD est)

Ref. 26365IS Ti

While I am hot on the subject of Argentina (see Hublot Big Bang Maradona 3/3/10) this is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore “Pride of Argentina” commemorative watch. Commemorating what, you ask? The 200 years of Argentinian independence, that’s what! Actually, the watch commemorates the “May Revolution” of 1810 which was the starting point of the Argentine War of Independence, but without a formal declaration of independence (the Argentine Declaration of Independence actually took place on July 9, 1816). But as you can see on the back of the watch (below), it is clearly the 1810 date that is being commemorated given the engraving of the the Cabildo, a symbol of the 1810 May revolution. The concept is similar to the AP ROO “Pride of Mexico” watch produced last year, but of course the invocation of national pride is to each its own

The watch – actually there are two variations – are to be “officially” presented in May and won’t be shipping until July / August. Movement is a caliber 2326/2840 (automatic chrongraph). Perhaps my favorite part of this watch is its presentation box – love those colors – Argentina pride!

Below: Rose gold case + bezel ($69,500 USD est)

Ref. 26365OR

Presentation box

National Flag of Argentina

Musically-inspired Watches….da dee da…

Kyle — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:56:55 +0000

The “right” way…..

Finely tuned – the Audemars Piguet Millenary Quincy Jones Edition

and the wrong way….

Off-key – the Piaget Limelight Jazz Party Polo Tourbillon Relatif

Seriously – those little musical notes intended to imitate Roman numerals are more than tacky! Sure you are free to disagree – that’s what the comment button is for

Audemars Piguet “New York 57th Street” Royal Oak Offshore

Kyle — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:24:40 +0000

Yawn…..

Here’s the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore New York 57th Street special edition that some have been waiting for. Obviously this watch is to commemorate, and will be exclusively available at, AP’s recently opened New York flagship store that was opened late 2009.

While some will clamor to get this watch, well as for me…..what can I say – I’m less than impressed. What’s up with that color scheme? The stitching on the strap doesn’t even appear to match the “peachy” looking color on the dial. I guess I am just getting tired….yawn….with AP’s “SKU proliferation” (c’mon let’s face it – Audemars Piguet has way, way too many variations on its famous Royal Oak Offshore line). Do we really need a Montauk Highway ROO and a 57th Street ROO? I’m not even going to comment on the diamond bezeled version.

Maybe I’ll post some more details / specs later, but for now here’s the watch (and a nice exterior pic of AP’s 57th St Boutique):

Night View of the Entrance to the Audemars Piguet Boutique – 65 East 57th Street, New York, NY

SIHH 2010 Audemars Piguet Millenary Chronograph

Kyle — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:46:41 +0000

Another new one from Audemars Piguet – the Millenary Chronograph. To be honest (I’m always honest here!) The design of this watch is one that I have not and still do not like. Is this a dress watch? Or a sport watch? Now we seem to see a combination of both with the addition of chronograph counters, one of which is larger than the other two. There are way too many circles on this dial for me. In other words, the addition of a chronograph to this watch design seems awkward to me. Because there is so much more to like from AP this year, on this one I’ll pass, thanks. If you are interested in the specs on this watch, check it out over on the SIHH forum.

SIHH 2010 Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Perpetual Calendar with Caliber 2120

Kyle — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:08:13 +0000

Watch fans – your enthusiasm can continue to run on high, because there are still new watches being “revealed” at SIHH 2010 in Geneva! And of course as your loyal editor here at First In Watches, I remain vigilant and at the ready to share with you some of the most interesting ones here on this blog…..but of course if you want to see them ALL, just check out Perpetuelle.com’s official SIHH 2010 forum!

So here’s a new one from Audemars Piguet that will no doubt be pleasing to many. The Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Perpetual Calendar with Caliber 2120. The watch comes in 2 variations, both pictured – Case in 18-carat pink gold, silvered dial and (26390OR.OO.D093CR.01) case in 18-carat pink gold, brown dial (26390OR.OO.D088CR.02):

SIHH 2010 is ON! Just to name a few….

Kyle — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:33:42 +0000

Well watch fans this is it! Just a quick note to tell you that all the action for the next few days will be over on Pereptuelle.com’s Official SIHH 2010 Forum. The best thing for you to do is check in and check back often because these pages are being updated CONSTANTLY over the next few days.

Quick tips:

1) in any given thread, the newest watches posted will always be at the top.

2) EVEN BETTER – If you sign up / register with Perpetuelle.com, the threads are actually marked so that you can see which brands have new watches since you last viewed/checked in. Makes it much easier to browse the forum!

Quick word – Don’t be surprised if you see just an image or two – we have so many watches and specs to post but sometimes the image is worth a thousand words!! But don’t worry for all you detail-oriented guys – we’ll be back around to fill in the specs or other interesting details as soon as we can!

For now, here’s just a few that caught my eye:

IWC Da Vinci Ceramic

Jaeger-leCoultre Extreme Labs

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix

Kobe and Shaq Go 1-On-1 – Who will win?

Toby S. — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:30:09 +0000

The 2009 – 2010 NBA season is now officially underway (finally!). Many of last year’s top teams got even stronger during the offseason, and the competition for the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy is going to be fierce. Will Ron Artest help Kobe Bryant and the already solid Lakers team repeat? Or, will Cleveland’s offseason acquisition of Shaq help Lebron James and the Cavs take down the West. My prediction: if Kobe Bryant and the Lakers stay healthy I will have to put my money on them.

When you look at watch brands you tend to notice most relationships (or “ambassadors”) are created with athletes that are in racing, water sports, polo, tennis, and golf. When it comes the NBA and NFL you don’t see a lot of these relationships. However, the star of the biggest contender in the West (Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant) and in the East (Cleveland Caveliers – Shaquille O’Neil) are an exception. Let’s take a look at each athlete and their watches and see which one comes out with the “W”.

First up – Kobe Bryant and the Black Mamba from the Swiss watchmaker Nubeo. For those of you wondering where the name “Black Mamba” comes from it is actually Kobe’s nickname.

If you’re unfamiliar with Nubeo I recommend checking out their website – www.nubeo.com. They have a very cool line of men’s and women’s watches, though they are “priced for the pros” at about $25,000 on up. Nubeo certainly has a much different look in the “sport watch” category than any other brand I have seen. My favorite is by far Kobe’s Black Mamba (pictured below), which sells for about $25,000 (a hefty price tag….unless you are Kobe Bryant). The collection goes all the way up to $250,000 for the very limited Black Mamba MVP, which has rings of baguette cut, whiskey-colored sapphire crystals (also pictured).

48mm diameter, ceramic with matt black finish, with a black natural rubber buckle in Titanium Grade 5 with DLC treatment

The Nubeo Black Mamba on the Lakers Black Mamba

Nubeo Black Mamba MVP Watch – $250,000

Now let’s take a look at Shaquille O’Neil and his AP (Audemars Piguet) Royal Oak Offshore. This watch was introduced in 2007, and it’s probably good that AP limited its production to only 960 pieces being that it was designed when Shaq was wearing #32 and playing for the Miami Heat. Oops! Even so, a quick Google search shows that this watch is still selling for more than $30,000 (likewise a hefty price tag….or about 3 minutes of playing time for Shaq, depending on how you look at it). I have been unable to locate any information on whether AP is continuing to work with Shaq and the collection, so if you have some info on this please leave a comment below.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Watch, Steel, Limited Edition

The Superman himself wearing the special edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore:

Kobe and Shaq were at once arguably the best tandem in the NBA when they both played for the Lakers. Who you like more is up to you (if you like either player), but i’m going to have to give Kobe the win for best watch.

Quincy Jones Gets His Own Audemars Piguet Millenary

Kyle — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:37:25 +0000

Presenting the Audemars Piguet Millenary Quincy Jones – Now That’s a Watch!

Sometimes the expression of a particular watch design can often “make it or break it.” Here is an example of a watch design that definitely “makes it” – the just announced Audemars Piguet Millenary Quincy Jones Limited Edition. Audemars Piguet has released several different variations of the Millenary, and I think this one is by far its best. It is a watch unconditionally fitting of a Music Impresario such as Quincy Jones. The watch – limited to 500 pieces – has a blackened and polished steel case with the Millenary’s signature “off-center” positioning of the hours, minutes and seconds functions. The case back is engraved with Quincy Jones’ signature, and also reads “Millenary Quincy Jones – Limited Edition” as a reminder of its exclusivity. The piece is comes on a black leather strap with matching “AP” folding clasp. The watch contains Audemars Piguet’s in-house Caliber 3120.

Who is Quincy Jones, you ask? He is arguably the most successful and accomplished musician, composer, producer, arranger and conductor of all time! Some of you may know him as the producer of Thriller, by late pop icon Michael Jackson. Others, for his landmark 1989 album, Back On The Block–named “Album Of The Year” at the 1990 Grammy Awards– which brought such legends as Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Miles Davis together with Ice T, Big Daddy Kane and Melle Mel to create the first fusion of the be bop and hip hop musical traditions. You can click here to learn more about him on The Official Quincy Jones Website.

The Man With 27 Grammy Awards to his name

The Kind of Watch That is Made In Honor of A Man with 27 Grammys

Jumping back to my opening statement, take a minute to visually contrast the Millenary Quincy Jones to another recently released take on the Millenary – the Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph. Although the Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph is in some ways a “cool” looking watch, its expression just does not seem to fit the Millenary collection very well – particularly when compared to the refined elegance of the Quincy Jones version.

There is one other pretty spectacular Millenary, the Millenary Piano Forte (profiled by my fellow watch blogger Monochrome) – which not by coincidence was also created in honor of Quincy Jones - but even this fine watch does not surpass the refined and sophisticated look of the Millenary Quincy Jones, in my view

What do you think?

Oh – last thing – if you are wondering when and where might you see this watch first in person – look no further than Geneva…January 2010…at the SIHH.

Bernie on the (Auction) Block: Madoff’s Monoblocco Rolex, Other Watches Up for Grabs

Kyle — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:29:12 +0000

A huge treasure trove of items formerly owned by now disgraced $50 billion-or-so Ponzi scheme ringleader and provacateur Bernie Madoff will be up for auction this weekend in New York. Sure there will be all the furs, diamonds, and sports memorabilia you can handle (and even a few vintage duck decoys) – but my interest in this one-of-kind auction is, of course, the watches. Now, being a man of means – that is, a man of means with OPM (other people’s money) – ole’ Bernie managed to assemble himself quite the watch collection. In fact, The Wall Street Journal reports today that: “A collection of more than 40 watches, including some women’s watches, 17 Rolexes and several Audemars Piguets, Franck Mullers and Jaeger-LeCoultres, will be auctioned off. ” The Journal actually singles out one of the more notable big ticket watches, “an 18-karat yellow gold, black-faced vintage men’s Rolex, the Monoblocco, valued between $75,000 and $87,500…” and went on to quote Antiquorum Auctioneers SA Watch Director and Expert Julien Schaerer as saying “It’s a pretty rare watch and it’s pretty desirable” suggesting that an all original timepiece could fetch as much as $75,000 to $100,000. Not bad for a Ponzi-scheme’s work, eh?

After just a few minutes reviewing the lineup one will see that Madoff had an incredible collection of vintage Rolex watches (I wonder what my vintage Rolex-wearing friends at Hodinkee think?), but he also had quite a few other nice modern and vintage watches as well – Patek Philippe, Blancpain, Hublot, Frank Muller, IWC, JLC….the list goes on and on. As for all these, I can make not attestations to their authenticity (do you really want to take Madoff at his word?), nor what kinds of prices they may fetch (but don’t expect to steal any of them at bargain prices)…and so while online bids will be allowed, I would highly recommend you preview these watches in person before making a purchase.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the lots that look interesting, shall we?

LOT 237- ROLEX:

Gents 18ky vintage Rolex O.P. “Monoblocco” chronograph wristwatch; aka “Prisoner Watch”; domed plastic crystal; black dial w/ rose tri-sticks &; Arabic numerals; gold hands; polished bezel; 35mm round case; dk brown alligator strap (tang); Model 3525; 17 jewel Rolex mechanical winding mvmt; Serial 380223 (1945).

The meaning of the moniker “Prisoner Watch” – Rolex offered similar timepieces to prisoners of war in Germany during World War II, including those involved in “The Great Escape.”

LOT 235- ROLEX:

Gents 18ky vintage Rolex Oyster chronograph wristwatch; Monochrome motif; gold dial w/ luminous sticks &; Arabics, 3 gold sub-dials; 35.1mm round case; Brown stitched Alligator strap (tang); 17 jewel Rolex Geneve mechanical winding mvmt; Case 4048; Serial 58105 (1935). Note: Professionally restored.

LOT 255 Audemars Piguet

Gents st.steel Audemars Piguet chronograph wristwatch; silver dial w/ 2 sub-dials (at 3 &; 9 positions); 38.81mm round case; brown alligator strap w/ AP deployant buckle; Automatic mvmt; Serial D99198.

LOT 253- Patek Philippe

Gents 18kw Patek Philippe Annual Calendar wristwatch; black dial w/ silver Roman numerals; date at 6 position; 3 black sub-dials; syn saph crystal front &; back; 36.95mm round case; black alligator band w/ 18kw deployant buckle; Model 5035G; 35 jewel Patek Philippe automatic mvmt, Cal. 315/198, Serial 3059777.

LOT 254- Audemars Piguet

Gents 18ky Audemars Piguet Huitieme chronograph wristwatch; crème colored dial &; sub-dials (3); date at 3 position; gold hands; 40.4mm round case; dkBrown alligator strap w/ 18ky AP double deployant clasp; Automatic mvmt; Serial C54966.

LOT 265- Jaeger-LeCoultre

Gents st.steel Jaeger-LeCoultre wristwatch; Master Control Collection, Master Geographic model (discontinued); 38mm round case; silver dial, day at 3/24 hour GMT at 6/power reserve at 10; polished bezel; brown crocodile band w/ deployant buckle; automatic mvmt; Case 142.8.92; Serial No 1401

All pictures and lot information from Gaston and Sheehan. I would also note that the auction is being conducted by Gaston & Sheehan Auctioneers on behalf of the U.S. Marshal’s service (not Antiquorum), and I could not yet confirm if all the watches listed are Madoff’s or if other lots are also included (will let you know if not the case).

If you happen to go to the auction, would love to hear your thoughts.

SIHH 2010: Audemars Piguet Millenary Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph

Kyle — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:08:45 +0000

As I said…these previews are most certainly one of my favorite times of the year. And here we have a very striking and bold looking watch from Audemars Piguet that will be officially unveiled at SIHH 2010.

At first glance, the watch dial looks to busy, too difficult to read. But then again it has some cool materials that give the watch a very nice sporty and tough look to it – forged carbon case – bezel, crown and pushers in cerarmic – and also some blackened steel on this watch – the caseback and the buckle. Wow – what a combination of materials! Even so, I’m not quite sure what to think of this watch….it kinda-sorta-just-a-little-tiny-bit reminds of Audemars Piguet’s Survivor (maybe it is the carbon), but at the same time it is very much a different watch. In fact it belongs to a completely different collection (Millenary collection rather than Royal Oak Offshore). I will say that the look of the movement through the caseback is pretty cool.

Anyhow, got lots of great pics on this one, and also the full spec set at the bottom, just for fun Last but not least – a hat tip to my watch blogger friend Jason over at Professional Watches – seems he saw this one coming many many months ago (click here to read what I am talking about)!

Millenary Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph

Reference 26152AU.OO.D002CR.01

Limited edition of 120 carbon-forged pieces

The watch has an Audemars Piguet Caliber 2884 in it – as described by AP:

Audemars Piguet Calibre 2884 is an oval hand-wound movement entirely developed and crafted by AP. It is a complex movement equipped with a tourbillon, an ultra-efficient column-wheel chronograph mechanism and twin barrels. Each movement is first assembled on a trial basis in order to set it into motion. This stage alone calls for ten full days of painstaking adjustments. Once the watchmaker is sure that it runs completely smoothly, he takes it apart and scrupulously cleans the parts before final assembly and casing up. It takes about 15 days to create a finished movement that then undergoes various tests.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Millenary Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph

Reference
26152AU.OO.D002CR.01
Forged carbon case, black crocodile leather strap
Limited edition of 120

Movement
Calibre : 2884 hand-wound with twin barrel and tourbillon
Carbon mainplate
Bridges in eloxed aluminium and blackened steel
Total diameter: 38.40 x 33.40 mm
Casing diameter: 37.40 x 32.40 mm
Thickness: 9.7 mm
30 jewels
336 parts
Up to 240-hour power reserve
Cadence of the balance: 21,600 vibrations per hour
Finishing: all parts decorated by hand.

Case
Forged carbon with black ceramic bezel, crown and push-buttons
Dimensions: 47 x 42 mm
Cambered glareproofed sapphire crystal
Blackened titanium back fitted with sapphire crystal
Water resistant to 20 metres

Dial
Openworked to reveal the movement
White hour-markers with luminescent coating
Blackened luminescent hands

Strap
Hand-sewn “large square scale” crocodile leather with AP folding clasp in blackened titanium

Functions
Hours and minutes
Chronograph
Power-reserve indicator

Source: Audemars Piguet.

Audemars Piguet Unique Piece raises $215,000 for Jarno Trulli Charity Foundation

Kyle — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:52:22 +0000

It is time to give this watch some love!

I am pleased to bring you this a sharp looking unique piece from Audemars Piguet – the “Royal Oak Abruzzo Tourbillon and Chronograph”. Actually, this Audemars Piguet watch was announced earlier this year but was just recently auctioned in Singapore for S$305,000. That’s about $215,000 US!!! Wow – that is more than double what AP’s Equation of Time went for at the recent ONLY Watch 2009 auction! So why the lack of love (ie publicity) for this watch? Well, First In Watches is here to fix that – and to make sure that you know the full story behind the good cause that this watch was made for!

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Abruzzo Tourbillon and Chronograph

Auctioned at: $215,000

I think this happens to be a phenomenal looking Audemars Piguet – one of its finest looking Royal Oaks – and I much prefer it to many of their other many limited edition Royal Oaks which are sometimes a bit garish (a la RO Las Vegas editions).

So what is this unique piece all about? Well, its actually in support of a very good cause – the ‘Abruzzo nel Cuore’ (Abruzzo in the Heart) Foundation, which was established by Formula 1 driver and Abruzzo native Jarno Trulli to support the devasatation caused this past April by an 6.3 magnitude earthquake that destroyed 90% of buildings, including 99 churches in L’Aquila, which served as historical sites for the Roman Catholic Church, and left more then 65,000 homeless and injured with a total death toll of 307 people, making it the deadliest to hit Italy since 1980.

A Scene of Devastation from the Earthquake

Pledging its support and commitment, Audemars Piguet Manufacture created the unique “Royal Oak Abruzzo Tourbillon and Chronograph” timepiece in sandblasted titanium especially for this charitable occasion.

To date, Abruzzo in the Heart has raised more than €285,000 through the auctioning of Formula One keepsakes generously donated by fellow drivers (with thanks to Jenson Button, Mark Webber, David Coulthard and Sébastien Buemi) and donations contributed through the Abruzzo in the heart website.

Commenting on this special watch, Oliviero Bottinelli, Managing Director of Audemars Piguet Asia stated:

We are glad to be given an opportunity to work with Jarno Trulli on this meaningful event. Many lives have been lost but it is the aftermath of such tragedy that we have to so carefully tread. Audemars Piguet is happy to support the “Abruzzo nel Cuore” project. For this occasion, ONE Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph in sandblasted titanium has been crafted by the Manufacturer. We thank all contributors in the realm of Formula One racing with their generosity. Thank you Jarno, your people must be proud of you. You have and will make a difference.

First In Watches salutes Audemars Piguet, Jarno Trulli, the Abruzzo foundation, and all its generous donors who support this good cause, and all our condolences to those who have suffered from this awful natural disaster.

ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches

Kyle — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:22:06 +0000

Only Watch is a charity auction of unique watches created by many of the most important watch brands in Switzerland. This exceptional event is held every two years in Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show and is under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert 11. All the proceeds from Only Watch go to support research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The next Only Watch auction is organized in close collaboration with Patrizzi & Co and the Monaco Yacht Show, and will take place on 24 September 2009.

Participating brands include Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, BNB Concept, Bovet Fleurier, Breguet Montres, Cartier, Corum Montres, De Bethune, Delacour, Franck Muller, Frédérique Constant, Glashütte Uhrenbertrieb, Hermès, Hublot, Jaquet Droz, Louis Vuitton, Maximilian Büsser & Friends, Mont Blanc, Omega, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Swatch, Tag Heuer, Tourneau Timepieces, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Zenith International.

Below is a mosaic of their “pieces uniques” – you can view larger images and a quote from each respective brand about their 2009 “Only Watch” contribution HERE.