Posts Tagged ‘Audemars Piguet’

Audemars Piguet 2010 Millenary Chronograph

February 5th, 2010

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The well-known Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet has recently presented a new 2010 model to enrich its sought-after Millenary Chronograph collection. This new entrant employs more than five colours in its overall design, revealing a very strong visual shock effect.

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While maintaining the same off-central dial with an uncommon combination of Roman numerals for the main dial and Arabic numerals for the tachymetric scale, the 2010 AP Millenary Chronograph highlights a much more appealing colour scheme. The original Millenary chronograph model features a disgusting fusion of chocolate brown tachymetric scale, black chronograph section with silvered totalizers and then again brown inner time zone. For me its contrast with blue and rose gold-coloured numerals somehow lacks soul. I immediately thought there’s surely a much better colour scheme for AP when I got some pictures of the 2009 model.

Compared to the unbalanced design of the 2009 Millenary Chronograph, what the new MC has featured looks well-balanced and even elegant. Anthracite black, silver and then again black for the outer, middle and inner parts of the case, make up the new, contemporary colour scheme. Decorated by the rose gold Roman numerals and white Arabic numerals, the whole dial design expresses a strong sense of the level. In addition, the bright red in the central second hand adds a little sexy spicy to the harmonious layout.

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Housed in the 18K rose gold case is an automatic AP 2385 movement, beating at 21,600 vph to ensure high precision. The movement offers a 40-hour power reserve and the watch is water-resistant to 20 meters. A matt-brown crocodile leather strap is available for the 2010 Millenary Chronograph timepiece, preserving the iconic sporty character and endowing the new watch with kind of exquisite beauty.

Luxury watches and NBA <3> – Nubeo and Kobe Bryant

November 20th, 2009

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Shaquille O’Neal has owned the high-end Audemars Piguet luxury watches featuring his own name. Not to be outdone, Kobe Bryant has started his partnership with a new Swiss luxury watch brand Nubeo. As the former best teammates and now the opponents to each other, Shaq and Kobe has competed out of the court. In fact, it is quite rare for a basketball star to be a brand ambassador for a luxury watch brand. Watch companies seem to prefer the likes of golf and racing stars.

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As with Nubeo, this relatively new luxury brand was started in 2004 by Spain born Ivan Castro, an extremely skilled jeweller. Nubeo is based in Basel, Switzerland, central to luxury timepiece manufacturing and host to the world’s foremost watchmakers’ annual fair and exhibition. With Basel proximate to the Jura mountain range, at the base of which reside a number of prestigious manufacturers of watch components. Nubeo works closely with its suppliers to ensure quality production of its complex designs. And its designers believe that such direct collaboration has been vital to the success of the Black Mamba project.

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Basel is also home to notable design and engineering firms, such as Herzon & de Meuron, renowned architect of the 2008 Olympics Beijing National Stadium and other distinguished landmarks worldwide. Distinctly reflecting the trademark Bauhaus style, Nubeo’s headquarters are strategically placed in a 13th century building with a showroom that has been renovated to embrace this avant-garde design.

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Ivan Castro, the founder of Nubeo, believes that Kobe Bryant was a best sports celebrity to partner with and cultivate new marketing and partnership opportunities, while Kobe has commented that he has actively been involved in the style and design of the watch – even the title “Black Mamba” is taken from his court nickname.

Nubeo’s collection is famous for the world’s most complex watch case, and the Black Mamba features a 131-component case made of titanium treated with DLC. Taking inspiration from Jellyfish and the ocean environment, the Black Mamba is just like a oceanic sea snake, for its bold snakeskin look. There are three versions of Nubeo Black Mamba available: Basic Black Mamba (a chapter ring with hour and minute markers), Black Mamba Ultimate (black sapphires lining the outer dial, with Arabic numerals on the bezel), and the Black Mamba MVP (black sapphires lining the bezel).

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As a stunning blend of materials such as ceramic, grade five titanium and rubber, the Black Mamba embodies the value of sports and luxury watchmaking. This is also the main purpose for the collaboration of Nubeo and Kobe Bryant. The prices are set at $25,000-$285,000, so don’t think you can easily get your hands on one of these babies. But once you’ve seen it, you’ll totally agree that the price is well worth this masterwork.

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Luxury watches and NBA <2> – Audemars Piguet and Shaquille O’Neal

November 18th, 2009


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The Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Chronograph demonstrates the pleasant cooperation between the two legendary figures in luxury watch and basketball: Audemars Piguet, one of the most elegant and famous watch manufacturers in the world, and Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most dominant centers in NBA history. Frankly speaking, I am an addict to both of them.

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Every time when I reviewed the Shaq’s dominant performance in NBA games, I can’t help thinking Shaq is the best basketball player after Micheal Jordan, even though Kobe and James are the best authentic successors to Michael Jordan. What really pleases Shaq’s fans the best is the perfect blend of power and “brutality” with making laughs.

AP and Shaq have many things in common: strength, dominant status and dauntlessness. I have been adoring owning an Audemars Piguet timepiece featuring my favorite’s name. And now, at least, Audemars Piguet makes me closer to the dream by releasing the Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Chronograph.

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The box of the watch made of polished wood imitates a life-sized basket-ball.

Coming to the watch, there are two versions of the watch: 96 pieces made of white gold with 32 diamonds bezel and numbers “2″and “3″done in rubies, and 960 timepieces are made of stainless steel. White and red which are Miami Heat colors (O’Neal then played for Miami Heat) make the main tones of the watch.

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The elegant black dial with scintillating white and red Arabic numerals “2″ and “3″ set with rubies and reversed in order, representing the Shaq’s jersey number, form the main peculiarity. The dark dial provides an excellent backdrop for the white luminous hour and minute hands, and 12-hour counters, the 30-minute, and small seconds chronograph hands.

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The Royal Oak collection has marked the first successful integrated watch-and-bracelet design. The watch is encased in full-size 18kt white gold case with a diameter of 47mm, and “SHAQ” engraved on the caseback. The hand-stitched strap of the timepiece is made of crocodile leather bedazzled with diamond. The watch bears all the signature features of Royal Oak Offshore collection – sure to be admired by every watch collector. Moreover, with the patented Ball-engineered self-powered micro gas light technology, the watch can be lighted up more than 25 years.

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To pay a tribute to the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, Audemars Piguet integrated immaculate engineering effort to the watch. The price is $89,000, and all proceeds from the sale of the Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Chronograph will go to Shaquille O’Neal’s charity foundation. Of course, not all basketball fans can afford acquiring such expensive and exclusive Audemars Piguet watches. And, if to consider the both timepieces are to benefit the charity foundations, I’m applauding to the great work done by the company.



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