Good Quality Audemars Piguet Unveils Royal Oak Floral Clock at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore Low Price Replica

This is a wristwatch that is so known to many of you, perhaps it doesn’t require much of an investigation — but this really is HODINKEE and you’ll be able to believe you’re gonna receive one. The Royal Oak Chronograph is a wristwatch that has tens of thousands of fans the world over, and a couple of detractors, too. The ROC, since I will call it henceforth, is something of a middle ground between two completely distinct Audemars Piguet buyers — the collectors, and, well, everybody else. The Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore families often appeal to very different people, but I will get to this shortly. In this review, I handle a mainstay at the AP lineup, and also an interesting piece of haute horology, though one with no own in-house motion. I’ll look at how this 41mm column-wheel, vertical clutch chronograph wears, and if the issue of where the movement came from is something worth noting at all. This is the HODINKEE Week About The Wrist with all the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, and it’s one worth spending some time with.AP is a truly unique watch manufacture. It is one of the few worldwide haute horology brands which remains in the control of its founding family, with different members of their Audemars family still sitting on its board. Think about the fact that Vacheron Constantin and A. Lange & Söhne are both owned by the Richemont Group (which owns what from Cartier and Panerai to Alfred Dunhill, bag manufacturer Lancel, women’s clothing company Chloe, Purdey Guns, and Net-A-Porter), and Patek Philippe, while keeping its independence, was sold to the Stern household less than 100 years ago. But, the ownership of AP isn’t necessarily the most interesting facet of the 175 year-old manufacture — the question that matters is that purchases AP’s watches?
The Audemars Piguet Watches With Price Replica Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph 25th Anniversary and Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph are three brand new, pre-SIHH 2018 references which we will see in shops next year, when AP is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Royal Oak Offshore line.When Audemars Piguet introduced the first Royal Oak Offshore some 25 decades ago, I do not think they expected it to be the success it’s now, even though it mostly built on the original Royal Oak recipe: proceed really large, very bold, and pricey. Many forget that in the time of its introduction in 1972, the now-classical 39mm Royal Oak caused quite a stir with its cost, its on-display twist heads in its own bezel, its steel case and bracelet, and its very high price, unprecedented for a steel watch. Now, this was to be taken to the next level with all the Royal Oak Offshore.It was big and brash, and purists who watched it at Basel back in 1993 cried the Royal Oak had been desecrated — probably the same men and women who jumped out to about the first Royal Oak desecrating luxury watches in general. Truth be told, the Offshore has been a bold move by Audemars Piguet, but today most of us know how well it has repaid. Today, the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore are Audemars Piguet’s best-selling collections — essentially synonymous with the manufacturer itself, which clearly isn’t a good thing, but we’ll leave that discussion for another time.
What’s left of the “dial” is basically a satin-brushed, ruthenium-toned ring around the edge and the two anthracite sub-dials. There’s a rehaut printed using a second chapter ring too. In my experience, legibility isn’t the strongest suit for a skeletonized watch, but that’s less of an issue in the case of this watch. The use of pink gold applied hour markers and pink gold baton-shaped palms, both filled with lume, should provide sufficient legibility in most lighting conditions. The “Audemars Piguet” logo is printed onto the surface of the sapphire crystal on the front, which gives it a pleasant floating effect.The sub-dials are easy with white printed text and white baton-shaped hands. The sub-dial at 3:00 suggests chronograph minutes and also the one at 9:00 shows constant moments. One possible issue with legibility must do with the chronograph seconds hand, which can be black with a lumed white tip. Between just how thin the seconds hand is and the colour, reading the chronograph elapsed time might be more awkward than people may like. It’s hard to say for certain until we get our hands on a tangible example of this watch.I’ve left the case and bracelet description for the last because these are a few of the most recognizable areas of the watch. This is the same Gerald Genta layout that’s popular among several collectors but with 44mm by 13.2mm case dimensions. This is a fairly large watch with a wide bezel on both front and back. All the straight lines and sharp angles additionally give it a bigger look. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph is offered in two case substances — titanium and rose gold. There are the obvious visual differences in the two substances but what I find more intriguing is that titanium is usually a light material with high tensile strength, while gold is a compact but soft material. What this means is that the expertise of wearing every variation should be significantly different, and I find this intriguing.
As we already start awaiting 2018’s SIHH novelties, we thought it’s high time to have a better look at some of this season’s favorites, including the gloriously over-the-top 15202, left for the first time as a contemporary, non-limited reference entirely in 18-carat yellow gold. It’s not merely the all-gold case that brings the 15202 significance though — there are a couple other (albeit more subtle) visual cues that set this particular reference apart, and may make it even more desirable for collectors in the future. Probably most obvious, is the very simple time plus date-only dial configuration, completed by the ‘AP’ emblem at 6:00, which pays direct homage to the original steel 5402 published in 1972. This aesthetic also tips its hat towards the yellow gold 5402BA Jumbo introduced five years later — the first time Audemars Piguet rendered the Jumbo in this precious metal.However, more notable is that the thickness — the new 15202 measures a hair over 8mm, 0.2mm thicker than the original 5402, and the closest we have seen to people pioneering ultra-thin measurements because the 40th Anniversary editions from 2012 — hence the ‘Extra Thin’ naming convention. This new-but-really-old profile, coupled with all the eminently wearable 39mm case size truly feels just like the sweet spot for the Royal Oak, and has much to do with why this iconic design managed to become this kind of future-proof classic at the first place.The Jumbo Royal Oak in its most classic configuration is a wristwatch that historically, with dimensions, should wear exceptionally thin. But this new reference is one that still manages to jump off the wrist, thanks to its strong yellow gold case, and light-gobbling “Petite Tapisserie” tonal champagne colored waffle dial. People who are searching for a slightly more toned-down aesthetic nevertheless rendered in this precious metal will appreciate the second of those 15202’s two new dial variants: a stunning blue, and this, given the spate of blue-on-bronze sports watches we have seen this year, is as much on-trend, since it is slightly less ostentatious.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph.

This is a wristwatch that is known to many of you, it may not need much of an investigation — but this really is HODINKEE and you’ll be able to believe you are gonna receive you. The Royal Oak Chronograph is a wristwatch which has tens of thousands of lovers all over the world, and a few detractors, also. The Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore families often appeal to very different individuals, but I’ll get to that shortly. Within this review, I handle a mainstay in the AP lineup, along with also an interesting piece of haute horology, though one without its own in-house motion. I will have a look at just how this 41mm column-wheel, vertical clutch chronograph wears, and whether the issue of where the movement came out of is even something worth noting in any way. This is the HODINKEE Week About The Wrist using all the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, and it is one worth spending a while with.AP is really a unique watch manufacture. It’s one of the very few global haute horology brands that stays in the hands of its founding family, with several members of the Audemars family still sitting on its board. However, the possession of AP isn’t always the most interesting side of the 175 year-old fabrication — the question that matters is that purchases AP’s watches?
The reply to that question is easy: everybody. What I mean by this is that there are two very different groups of luxury watch purchasers: the collector along with the fundamental “watch fan.” The collector is the man who spent the past 15 years residing on TimeZone and the PuristS, the kind of man who hears the title Walt Odets and understands exactly who I’m talking about. The collector is the type of guy who understands the distinction between hand handmade and polished. He has gotten well beyond the point of arguing about brands and knows enough to talk about individual projects. He reveres Patek Philippe for exactly what it meant to watches over the previous 100 years, understands the significance and appeal of vintage Rolex, but buys precisely what speaks to him. An eye lover, on the other hand, is someone who may be a little newer to high-end watches, and remains very brand conscious. Both purchase watches from Audemars Piguet, but probably different versions, and certainly for distinct reasons.Let’s beginning with the collector. The collector buys Audemars Piguet because of its history in great complex pocketwatches. The collector purchases AP because when Patek Philippe wanted some assistance on the complicated repeater of this Henry Graves Jr.. Supercomplication, it turned to AP. The collector buys AP because of watches like this, this, and this. They purchase AP since the Le Brassus manufacture has been at the forefront of engineering and materials, showing off incredible watches such as the very first minute repeating wristwatch way back in 1892, the first jump-hour wristwatch in 1921, the first skeletonized pocket watch in 1934, the debut of an whole category in 1972, the first ultra slim perpetual calendar wristwatch with central rotor at 1978, the very first self-winding ultra thin tourbillon in 1986, the first grande and petite sonnerie wristwatch in 1994, the very first self-winding grand complication in 1996, the first wristwatch equation of time with perpetual calendar in 2000, the high frequency chronometer with double-balance AP Escapement in 2009, and well, a ton of other things.
Today, watches such as the Royal Oak endless calendar skeleton (a standard at AP’s collection and among the best perpetuals on the current market, in my estimation), the Royal Oak Equation of Time, the innovative Chron-AP, and also this Millenary Minute Repeater prove that AP is certainly a top-tier manufacture. AP’s in-house self-winding caliber 3120, located inside the fundamental Royal Oak 15400, can also be among the best base movements in the world. These are the things that keep AP pertinent to “real” watch lovers that sometimes get lost in the buzz round the other kinds of AP buyers.And then there is your typical well-to-do watch buyer. For me, the best analogy for this other type of AP purchaser is told via a singular scene in 1 episode of one television show that was popular for a period of time some years back. I am talking about Entourage, and I wager the vast majority of you know the way to which scene I’m referring.Ari Gold receives a solid gold Royal Oak chronograph (not as the watch I’ll review down below) by his then-soon-to-be boss, that explains it as “One of the finest watches in the world.” The camera then pans to the solid gold watch from its box, and Ari is in disbelief about the present — and thus, AP is introduced into a whole group of potential new customers, the guys who see Entourage. From this time, you see a number of the personalities on the display wearing APs. Many at the time believed Audemars Piguet had paid for the placement, but in discussions with AP through time, it was revealed to me that not just one dollar was traded. Rather, a particular producer on the show proved to be a massive AP client, also insisted it be a Royal Oak presented to Ari. Entourage did a great deal for AP, but it was not this 1 placement that defines the “other” kind of AP client. It will give you a good notion of where AP is a favorite, and that’s in Hollywood, music, and sports, with all the young and moneyed.

Modelled on the Royal Oak wristwatch, the Audemars Piguet Floral Clock is a gift to Singapore for its 50th year of independence, on display at Gardens by the Bay.

Seven metres, or some 23 feet, in diameter, the Audemars Piguet Floral Clock is the largest and only such clock in Singapore. Combining horology, landscaping and floriculture, the clock is a gift from the Swiss watchmaking to Singapore, which celebrates its Golden Jubilee in 2015. Taking several weeks to construct (the process is detailed in photos at the end), the clock is a replica of the Royal Oak, with an octagonal bezel made of granite with weather resistant, stainless steel octagonal nuts. And each of the steel hour markers have embedded LED lights so indicate the time at night. Based on the tapisserie guilloche of the Royal Oak, the checkerboard dial of the clock is filled with over 20 varieties of tropical plants. Because the plants mature at different rates, the face of the clock will change with the seasons as the plants are refreshed.

The official opening of the clock, attended by (from left): Dr. Kiat W. Tan, CEO of Gardens by the Bay, Mr Oliviero Bottinelli, Member of the Board of Directors, Audemars Piguet Holding SA, Guest-of-Honour and Minister for National Development, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, and Mr Thomas Kupfer, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation. 

The pink Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) for instance is a perennial plant that will last for numerous seasons, making it a semipermanent part of the dial. In contrast the purple Wishbone Flower (Torenia fournieri) lasts only a year.

Madagascar Periwinkle
Wishbone Flower

The clock mechanism is electric, with a receiver for GPS satellite time signals to keep it running on time. It’s located less than five minutes away on foot from the visitor centre of Gardens by the Bay, a 101 hectare seaside park located at Marina Bay, adjacent to the city’s business district. For more information, visit Gardens by the Bay.

Laying the concrete base
Constructed the concrete tapisserie grid
Installing the granite bezel
Welding of the steel components like the hour markers
Planting

Photo credits: Gardens by the Bay