BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
There are certain watches in the world of horology that need no introduction and are highly sought after by almost all enthusiasts. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is certainly one of them and since its inception in 1972, it has been the shining star of Audemars Piguet’s catalog. Today we look at the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Self Winding Chronograph Bucherer Blue, the first-ever special edition watch based on the 2014 Royal Oak chronograph, created exclusively for Bucherer.
Bucherer is a Luxury watch retailer that is well known for producing limited edition watches that showcase Bucherer’s love for the color blue. In this instance, the “Méga Tapisserie” dial along with the sloped tachymeter scale on the outer flange has been presented in Bucherer’s color of choice i.e. Blue. To provide a nice contrast against the deep blue background, the bold applied numerals and the hands have been fashioned out of red gold. Furthermore, the numerals as well as the baton-style hour/minute hands have been filled with white Superluminova to aid low light visibility. The tricompax chronograph layout looks familiar and features three subdials at 6,9 and 12 to track the chronograph hours, minutes, and running seconds respectively. Finally, there is a nice circular date window at 3.
The case on this watch measures 42mm in diameter and features an interesting mix of materials. The main structure is made of steel, the signature octagonal bezel on top is crafted from red gold, and the pushers along with the crown are made of black ceramic. The case showcases finely brushed surfaces throughout and is water-resistant to a healthy 100 meters.
Flipping the watch over one gets a nice view of the in-house calibre 3126/3840 that powers this watch. This is an automatic movement that operates at a frequency of 3 Hz and offers an autonomy of around 50 hours when fully wound. The movement has been beautifully decorated using Geneva stripes, perlage, and features a 22k real gold oscillating weight.
The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Self Winding Chronograph Bucherer Blue would come packaged with a choice of three straps – a black rubber strap, a blue rubber strap and a black crocodile leather strap with golden stitching. The watch will retail for EUR 34,900. As of now, we are not aware of many of these would be produced, but the watch would be sold only through Bucherer boutiques.
Visit Bucherer here.
