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!

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