hope alls well with watch lovers around the world :) anyways, for all watch lovers in Singapore, do drop down to the now defunct Tanjong Pagar Railway Station on Oct 10-14 for the 40th Anniversary Exhibition of the Royal Oak if u r keen to find out more about the wonderful history of it. Designed by Genta and for me, his best watch design.
Note what follows is my opinion... i believe the the Royal Oak is the best steel sports watch to buy in the S$10-16k range. If you have a budget of around 10-15, then the 15300 in the low teens will be a great buy if the size and looks do it for you. if you want something newer and bigger, then the 15400 at below S$16k is a very nice piece too. And if you were to step up the budget range to the S$16-20k-ish range (depending on newness and condition and source), a base Royal Oak Offshore like the themes black is a great steel sports watch to own. i prefer the ones with the arabics than the stick markers personally.
my watch... LOVE IT! ;)
check out the collection here
http://www.audemarspiguet.com/en/watch-collection/royal-oak
some of the newer openworked squelette pieces
and do register for the guided tour too if u want to be poisoned more effectively ;)
http://www.audemarspiguet.com/s/ro40y-register/
all watch lovers should have an Audemars Piguet ;)
ROYAL OAK 40 YEARS THE
JOURNEY OF AN ICONIC TIMEPIECE TO BREAK THE RULES, YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THEM.
To break the rules, you
must first master them - 40 years ago, Audemars Piguet broke all rules of fine
watchmaking when in 1972 it introduced the ground-breaking design of the Royal Oak, an
unprecedented steel watch and the first luxury sports watch in Haute
Horlogerie. No one could have predicted anything whatsoever regarding its
legendary destiny when it was launched. 40 years on, the Royal Oak not only became one of the brand’s
signature pieces but it is also one of the world’s most recognisable
timepieces.
To celebrate the 40th
anniversary of the Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak, the Swiss Manufacture from Le
Brassus has put together a unique, ephemeral exhibition. Using design,
photography, sound and film from three unequivocally 21st century artists,
Sebastien Leon Agneessens, Quayola and Dan Holdsworth, the Manufacture curated
an exhibition of 100 exceptional timepieces set against the backdrop that
underscores Audemars Piguet’s origins, mastery and artistry. These rare
watches, from the very first Royal Oak in 1972
to the latest models are presented to showcase the brand’s ability to innovate
and create, illustrating how the Royal
Oak became the icon it is today.
Apart from the 100 iconic
Royal Oak timepieces and invaluable memorabilia dating back to the beginning of
the 70s, the exhibition features a working guillochage machine with a highly
skilled watchmaker, a watchmaker working on two Royal Oak movements, a
magnifying video camera linked to a video monitor embedded in the counter, as
well as four exploded views of the watches. Visitors will be treated to a whole
new level of interactive experience as they witness the beating heart of the
skilled craftsmanship in assembling Audemars Piguet’s finest movements.
As part of the celebration
of the forty regal years, the newly launched limited edition Royal Oak Leo
Messi Chronograph case no. 10 in platinum and tantalum, will be displayed for
the first time in Singapore. This exclusive piece will be auctioned off at the
end of the exhibition run, with proceeds going to the Leo Messi Foundation.
Other highlights include the Royal Oak Grande Complication which was specially
created in 1998 for the founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté and the
Royal Oak Concept as an avant-garde tribute to the Royal Oak’s 30 years of watchmaking
revolution.
The Royal Oak 40 Years
Exhibition will culminate its worldwide tour in Singapore
from 10 – 14 October 2012 at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, following the
showcase in New York, Milan,
Paris, Geneva and
Beijing. Guided
tours will be available to enhance the exhibition experience. Shuttles buses
will be available from the Audemars Piguet boutique at Liat Tower
and Tanjong Pagar MRT (Exit B). Admission to the Royal Oak Exhibition is free.
cheers, raph
[images in this post copyright of Audemars Piguet except for the one with my (c) on it]
The tonneau-shaped watches were a novel creation in watchmaking history and represented an authentic revolution in horological design codes.
Such emblematic shapes were eventually interpreted through the Malte. Vacheron Constantin’s Malte collection is not just linked to the brand’s horological complications, it carries with it design forms which have since become highly identifiable with this prestigious brand.
“Creating a form-shaped collection was fully legitimate for Vacheron Constantin. The tonneau shape was chosen as it is a beautiful and elegant alternative to the round form. The Malte collection incorporates design elements deeply-rooted in the brand’s history. Most importantly, we have an extraordinary variety of tonneau-shaped watches in our Heritage Collection and archives,” says Christian Selmoni, Artistic Director, Vacheron Constantin.
As part of the brand’s 100th anniversary celebration of the tonneau-shaped watch, Vacheron Constantin, the oldest established watch Manufacture with an uninterrupted production history since its founding in 1755, showcased 12 heritage timepieces from its Geneva Heritage Collection. These historical watches, representative of the evolution of its tonneau-shaped watches over the past century, were showcased in an exclusive exhibition held at Capella Singapore.
These included one of the earliest tonneau-shaped 18K yellow gold wristwatches from 1912, a Chronomètre Royal from 1968, a dual time of 1982 featuring two independent movements and a 1995 platinum piece with a power reserve display and calendar date indicator. More than half of the heritage pieces on show were created in the early 20th century.
In addition to the heritage pieces, contemporary pieces including the highly popular Malte Tourbillon and 2012 novelties were part of the exhibition. There are four models in the 2012 Malte collection: the Malte Tourbillon, Malte Small Seconds, Malte Lady and the 100th anniversary commemorative timepiece issued in a limited edition of only 100 pieces worldwide.
In line with the 100th anniversary, a new tonneau-shaped movement, otherwise known as a form movement, the in-house Calibre 2795 which meets the criteria and seal of quality of the Hallmark of Geneva, was launched and housed in the Malte Tourbillon.
The commemorative Malte 100th Anniversary is the main highlight of the 2012 collection and is specially designed to have a vintage appeal. It is housed in a platinum case and is powered by an in-house Calibre 4400 manual-winding movement that also bears the Hallmark of Geneva.