BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
If there is one watch that comes to mind when one thinks of Audemars Piguet, it is the Royal Oak. The brainchild of Gérald Genta, bearing a unique iconic design the Royal Oak is a grail watch for many watch enthusiasts out there. As the Royal Oak has been a part of the Audemars Piguet line up for a very long time there are there are a plethora of choices available if you were planning to get your hands on one. But just before you pull the trigger on your dream Royal Oak version, we would like you to read the next few lines carefully. Audemars Piguet has come up with a new one-off version of the Royal Oak. It is a chronograph with a beautiful purple/blue colorway and is a unique piece which has been created specifically for the upcoming One Night For One Drop charity event to be held in Las Vegas on March 8.
Let us begin by talking a little about the main highlight of this watch, the dial. Featuring the brands signature Tapisserie pattern the dial on this watch has been rendered in a stunning shade of purple which gives the watch a distinctive appeal. The sub-registers are positioned at 3, 6 and 9 and have been presented in a subtle shade of blue which provides a nice contrast against the purple background. On the outer periphery of the dial is a blue chapter ring which houses the minute/chronograph seconds printed in white. The hour markers have been applied, giving a lot of depth to the dial and have also been filled been luminous material to aid low light visibility. The baton style handset is well-proportioned and mimics the shape of the markers contributing towards the overall harmony of the dial. Finally to complete to dial you have the ever controversial date window which in this instance has been neatly tucked away between 4 and 5.
Moving on to the case. Coming in at a diameter of 41mm the case on this Audemars Piguet unique edition is sized to fit a variety of wrists and has been made out of platinum. The angular geometry of the case combined along with the signature octagonal bezel has always been an integral part of the Royal Oak design and things are no different on this watch. On top of the case is a sapphire crystal whereas the case back is closed and is engraved with the text ‘UNIQUE PIECE’ signifying the extremely limited nature of the watch. Powering this watch is the brands Selfwinding caliber 2385. It is an integrated chronograph movement with a column-wheel chronograph mechanism. The movement operates at a frequency of 3 Hz, offers a power reserve of 40 hours and features a monobloc oscillating weight made of 18-carat gold.
So in case you are really looking forward to owning a Royal Oak, this is the right time as you have an opportunity to get your hands on one of the rarest Royal Oak’s ever produced. But for that, you would need to participate in the One Night For One Drop charity auction hosted by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas on March 8 to benefit One Drop, a safe water charity. The watch would come attached to a bracelet made out Platinum and there would be an additional blue alligator strap within the package to make it all the more special. The estimated value of the watch is $112,000.
Visit Audemars Piguet and One Night For One Drop.
