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.

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