Elite Traveler Summer 2023

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elite traveler SUMMER 2023

New 100-piece, limited-edition Audemars Piguet

RoyalOakO ff shore Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph, approx. $285,000

Original Audemars Piguet RoyalOakO ff shore watch unveiled in 1993

AUDEMARS PIGUET

Originally founded in Switzerland’s famed Vallée de Joux watchmaking region in 1875, Audemars Piguet is another one of the ‘Holy Grail’ watch brands for top collectors. Since its inception, this innovative family-owned company has been building masterpieces that are museum-worthy works of art and mechanics. The brand deftly combines state-of-the-art watchmaking with visionary yet contemporary aesthetics and incomparable quality. Its research and development department is one of the most sophisticated in the watch world, and regularly works with engineers outside of the company for new developments in technology. Committed to exclusivity, the brand o ff ers timepieces in sporty, classic, elegant, high-jeweled and high-complication realms. Among its most well-known collections: Royal Oak and Royal Oak O ff shore. This year, the sporty Royal Oak O ff shore celebrates its 30th anniversary — which means some pretty bold and sophisticated watches are coming our way. No conversation about the Royal Oak O ff shore can be had, though, without mentioning its namesake and inspiration, the Royal Oak. The Royal Oak watch was created by the legendary Gérald Genta almost overnight and was introduced in 1972. Its octagonal shape, with eight distinctive screws on the bezel, made the watch unique, and it was a hit among watch enthusiasts. Considered one of the most iconic watches of the late 20th century (and today), it was the impetus for the Royal Oak O ff shore. It was just over two dozen years after the appearance of the Royal Oak that Audemars Piguet released the newest collection. The RoyalOakO ff shore made its debut in 1993 and was an immediate sensation. It was a bolder, sportier, more robust watch than its older sibling. The fi rst versions were o ff ered in stainless steel and sold, at the time, for about $16,600. They were bigger and more rugged looking than the Royal Oak and featured a larger Tapisserie pattern on the dial. They were also thicker thanks to a larger bezel and the rubber gasket that was placed

between the bezel and case that added a visual design element. In fact, that rubber gasket is a distinguishing factor of the Royal Oak O ff shore, and over the years it has been created in di ff erent materials and colors — sometimes color-coordinated with the dial or strap and other times not. Adding that element, which could be used as a design feature as well, was a stroke of genius, as it makes the watch immediately identi fi able from across a crowded room. This is the watch that Jay-Z collaborated on in 2005, as did Arnold Swarzenegger in 2011 and LeBron James in 2013. With its powerful looks and imposing style, the Audemars Piguet Royal OakO ff shore has become a true icon — a collector’s watch that is continuously in high demand. In recent years, Audemars Piguet regularly showcases new and innovative materials in this line, such as carbon fi ber, ceramic and others, and is not afraid to bedeck the O ff shore with diamonds and gemstones. It also houses some of its high complications and functions inside the O ff shore cases, including chronographs, tourbillons and more. In fact, earlier this year, in honor of the 30th anniversary, Audemars Piguet unveiled the complicated O ff shore Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph, among others. This watch boasts a black and green color combination with green dial fl ange, anodized movement parts, rubber strap and rubber gasket, and black ceramic case made using a secret recipe of zirconium oxide powder and binding elements. By bypassing a full dial in favor of smaller subsidiary dials, Audemars Piguet is able to highlight the architecture and micro-mechanics of this complicated

526-part movement. audemarspiguet.com