New York, New York – Reported by Elite Traveler, the private jet lifestyle magazine
Since 2009, Sébastien Buemi has proved his worth on motor-racing tracks around the world. The young and immensely talented Swiss driver has been part of the Audemars Piguet family for almost three years now as brand ambassador, joining motorsports legend Michael Schumacher. Since then, the native of Canton Vaud has been pursuing his quest for excellence and is already asserting himself as one of the finest drivers in the history of Swiss motorsports.
The ultra-sporty version of the Royal Oak (Audemars Piguet’s icon watch since 1972), the Royal Oak Offshore is the ultimate extreme chronograph that has for almost 20 years embodied the inexhaustible creativity and technical excellence which the Manufacture has devoted to serving performance and style. After having associated its name in the past with great drivers such as Rubens Barrichello, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jarno Trulli, Audemars Piguet is continuing its race to the heights by presenting a 250-piece special series of the Royal Oak Offshore dedicated to the young Swiss champion.
Royal Oak Offshore Sébastien Buemi
A quest for perfection, the pursuit of performance, as well as a passion for precision and high aesthetic standards: these are just some of the key values that Sébastien Buemi shares with the Manufacture in Le Brassus. Audemars Piguet continues to cultivate long-established ties with the world of motor sports thanks to the limited series it has created (Royal Oak Offshore Jarno Trulli, Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix, Millenary Tour Auto 2011, Jules Audemars Gstaad Classic, etc.), as well as through the major events it has been sponsoring for several years such as the Gstaad Classic, the Spa Classic and the Tour Auto.
Sleek bodywork and high-tech materials
Representing the quintessence of a successful alliance between Fine Watchmaking and the technical sophistication of exceptional motor sports, the Royal Oak Offshore Sébastien Buemi offers a blend of inventive aesthetic appeal and cutting-edge mechanics. Its 42 mm case is made of grade 5 stainless titanium, a material that is ultra-light, non-allergenic, anti-corrosive and very pleasant to wear thanks to its low thermal conductivity. Its extremely virile grey color is softened by the sandblasted finishing and elegant polished bevels admirably combining the sporting elegance and controlled power exuded by the case middle. The emblematic feature of this superlative chronograph, the famous octagonal bezel equipped with eight hexagonal steel screws, has been subtly designed in ceramics. This virtually scratch-proof high-tech material, borrowed from the automobile world and seven times harder than steel, has been chosen for its excellent durability and its radiance.
The “Méga Tapisserie” motif characteristic of the Royal Oak Offshore is interpreted in black with luminescent hour-markers, three-color (black, grey and white) sub-dials and red chronograph function hands to ensure optimal legibility of the elapsed times. The yellow outer minute circle (transferred either in black against a yellow background or in yellow against a black background) harmoniously adorns the dial and highlights the inner bezel ring featuring a tachometric scale. The choice of this color is no coincidence, since it echoes Sébastien Buemi’s favorite color that has been an integral part of his equipment for years, particularly on his racing helmet.
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The transparent sapphire crystal case back, bearing a transfer of the driver’s personal logo, provides an opportunity to admire the beauty of the Manufacture Audemars Piguet Calibre 3126/3840 powering this eminently technical chronograph.
Controlled speed and an exceptional calibre
Driven by Manufacture Audemars Piguet Calibre 3126/3840, developed on the basis of the legendary Calibre 3120, this self-winding chronograph is a remarkable “engine” known for its great precision and exceptional reliability. These two qualities are ensured by a variable-inertia balance fitted with eight inertia blocks to guarantee accurate adjustment and excellent stability; an anthracite oscillating weight mounted on ceramic ball bearings; a cross-through balance bridge; as well as a stop-seconds time-setting mechanism. For optimal user-friendliness, the in-house made Calibre 3126/3840 is also fitted with an ingenious fast-date adjustment system serving to avoid any risk of the date disc blocking if a correction is made at midnight.
Entirely hand-assembled in the Manufacture workshops in Le Brassus, this calibre remains a benchmark in terms of its decoration. The main-plate is circular-grained on both sides. The bridges are adorned with Côtes de Genève and the sinks are diamond-polished, while the 22-carat gold oscillating weight is adorned with the refined touch of the Audemars and Piguet family crests. This bidirectional winding oscillating weight has also been given a galvanic treatment endowing it with an undeniably modern anthracite color.
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