By Debbie O’Brien

Audemars Piguet Headquarters in Switzerland

My Journey to the Audemar Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 26300ST.OO.1110ST.06:

In my search for a new watch for my husband, I checked out the Audemars Piguet website.  So many choices!   But, before making such a significant purchase, I needed answers to questions. Questions like: who are these people, what choices are available,  how long have they been in business, what is their reputation, who even likes their product? As I studied their website, and the stainless steel Royal Oak Chronograph in particular, I knew my search was over.

When they opened their company in 1875, Jules Louis Audemars’ and Edward Auguste Piguet’s passion for creating and crafting fine time pieces was the cornerstone of their every endeavor. It is no different today. Each and every watch bearing the Audemars Piguet pedigree is built as if it will be the only watch to represent the company.

The ambassador program for Audemars Piguet mirrors this company’s never-ending quest for quality, competitive spirit, and hallmark recognition in their respective fields. Ambassadors are chosen from the art , sports, technology, community, and business worlds.

The Audemars Piguet Prestige Sports Collection redefines the word sports while encouraging a broader sense of the characteristics that define an athlete.

Royal Oak Chronograph, Model No. 26300ST.OO.1110ST.06

To name just a few of their ambassadors:

• Svetlana Zakharova, principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow
• Lebron James, two-time NBA MVP was signed on as a global ambassador
• Lionel Messi, FIFA professional and Olympic Gold Medal soccer player
• Sachin Tendulkar, right-handed batsman for the Mumbai Indians cricket team

The case and watch band are brushed, polished stainless steel, giving the watch a modern industrial appearance. The dial (or face) is a complementing metallic color with a design reminiscent of a man-hole cover! Three sub-dials are black with matching rims and white hands which point to black numbers on a silver background for quick and easy reading. The date window is white with black numbers located just above the five o’clock position on the dial.

Here are a just few of the endearing qualities of Audemar Piguet’s Royal Oak Chronograph 26300ST.OO.1110ST.06s:

• Hour marks match the minutes and hours hands
• White sub-dial hands against a black background
• The seconds hand is a contrasting red
• The hand on the seconds sub-dial is white with a red tip
• The chronograph function has a 12 hour capacity w/30 minute counter
• The movement is automatic: No winding! No batteries!
• Water resistant to 50 meters/ about 165 feet
• Watch band has a bracelet-style push button clasp
• All this and it’s only 39mm x 49.5 mm (1.5″ x 1.9″) including bolts
• 11 millimeters thick (.4″)
• Warranty, and more!

This watch retains a hard-working,  athletic look without sacrificing the luxury and the quality that are synonymous with Audemars Piguet.  Quality comes with a price, of course, but I found several authorized dealers online selling the stainless steel Royal Oak Chronograph in prices ranging between $14,500.00 and $20,000.00.

Manufacture des Forges

February 18, 2010 – Built in the beautiful Joux Valley where Audemars Piguet originated in 1875,  German magazine Immobilienmanager recognizes Manufacture des Forges  for its environmentally-friendly design.

Never before has an  industrial facility received this coveted award for its efforts in compliance to “Minergie-Eco®” standards.  Director of Audemars Germany Axel Felmy accepted the award with great pride,  mentioning  the employees and local people will all benefit from this design.

Taking into account health and environmental issues  in the construction of the building  and based on the “Minergie-Eco®” criteria the designers used non-toxic materials in the creation of the plant.  The heating system utilizes a carbon-neutral wood-fired design and instead of traditional air conditioning, the plant is cooled with a “Free-Cooling” design using outside air.

The 300 workers who are employed at the plant enjoy their ergonomic workstations created especially for them.    Special attention was paid to the lighting which is north-facing and offers views of the Orbe.  Beautifully landscaped gardens using native plants provide a stable bank on the river and a lovely sight for the workers.  The landscape design took the local trout into consideration as well offering them a shady place to rest.

Making sure standards were met by the Audemars Piguet Foundation Mrs. Jasmine Audemars, great-granddaughter of the founder and president, presided over the project.  The foundation ensures the  preservation of endangered forests and of raising awareness since 1992.

Royal Oak Offshore Tour Auto 2010 Chronograph

 March 1, 2010 – Audemars Piguet has released its Royal Oak Offshore Tour Auto 2010 Chronograph to  honor the status of becoming the “Official Timekeeper” of the historical car rally Tour Auto 2010 .  Sponsoring the Mecenat Chirurgie Cardiaque team in their Jaguar MK1 and the Blanchard/Cloche-Dubois ladies’ team in their AC Bristol  Audemars Piguet pays homage to this historical race and its drivers.

Appealing  to lovers of the automobile, this new series is sure to be a big hit.   The case back is engraved with the “Tour Auto” logo and the legend “Royal Oak Offshore – Serie Limitee” to remind youof this special event. 

Caliber 2326/2840 this timepiece has a power reserve of 38 hours.  The chronograph has central seconds hands, 30 minute and 12 hour sub-dials in red and silver.  The tachometric scale resides on the inner bezel.  The date is displayed at the 3 o’clock position.  42mm stainless steel case and bezel finished off with a sapphire crystal and black rubber screw lock down and pushers.  Water resistant to 100 meters in case you decide to go for a little dip to cool off.

The dial is Anthracite with a “Méga Tapisserie” design.  The numbers, hour and minute hands have a luminescent coating to light up the night.  The strap comes in racing black perforated leather with a stainless steel clasp.

Maintaining the car theme throughout its design, the Tour Auto Optic 2010 comes in gas cap shaped box in the style of a Ford GT.  This watch has racing written all over it.  Only a limited numbered series of 60 are available.

Royal Oak Offshore

March 13, 2010 – In conjunction with its latest boutique in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Audemars Piguet introduces the Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix chronograph inspired by racing.  With 200 exclusive international brands in the “Moda Mall” a 240 meter building with twin towers resembling sails in the Arabian Gulf, Audemars Piguet now joins the luxury watch offerings.

 This is the third store opening in the Middle East region, Audemars Piguet is plans a fourth store  in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  The Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix Collection was warmlyreceived at SIHH 2010 and is reminiscent of the world of fine cars. 

The face of the watch resembles the dashboard of a car, the crown looks reminds one of a gear and the bezel like a disc brake with bolts holding it to the case.  Limited series, each watch is a work of sophistication and fine engineering.   

Three models to choose from:

26290IO.OO.A001VE.01
. carbon case, carbon and black ceramic bezel
. black titanium crown, ceramic and titanium pushpieces and pushpiece guards
. titanium caseback with  sapphire crystal
Limited to 1750 pieces

26290RO.OO.A001VE.01
. 18-carat pink gold case and crown
. carbon and black ceramic bezel
. black ceramic and pink gold pushpieces
. carbon pushpiece guards
. pink gold caseback with sapphire crystal
Limited to 650 pieces

26290PO.OO.A001VE.01
. 950 platinum
. carbon and black ceramic bezel
. white gold crown
. black ceramic and white gold pushpieces
. carbon pushpiece guards
. platinum caseback with sapphire crystal
Limited to 75 pieces

Thailand’s King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament

March 18, 2010 – Since 2001 the King’s Cup Elephant Tournament has attracted people from all over the world to raise money to protect Thailand’s elephants and their heritage.  Audemars Piguet and Anantara Resorts to date have raised US$250,000 used to care for more than 60 elephants. 

In 2006 the proceeds were used to build an elephant ambulance for use at the National Elephant Institute (NEI) which provides free veterinary and in-patient care.  Audemars Piguet selects projects that reflect its fundamental values of tradition, excellence and innovation. 

Conserving the planet’s natural heritage and safeguarding animals, Audemars Piguet supports educational projects and environmental awareness-raising.  Anantara Resorts is a member of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) the world’s largest independent hotel group.

GHA partners are renowned for respecting local culture and traditions through their services and products.  The name Anatara is taken from the Sanskrit word meaning “without end” after a Thai tradition of welcoming passing travelers with a jar of water outside of their homes.

Thailand is thought to have a population of around 3,600 domesticated elephants and 1,500 wild elephants.  Medical care, sustenance, employment and mahout training is provided for the elephant population. 

Proceeds from the 2009 project were used as part of a joint Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, Chiang Mai University project investigating the benefits of using elephants to treat Autism.  Forty players from four continents and at least 15 countries made up the 12 teams from 2009. 

It has gone from a small two-day event to a week long extravaganza.  The event takes place on the grounds of the Anantara Resort Golden triangle, admission is free.