March 28, 2024
Michael Schumacher Limited Edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore N8520 Royal Oak Offshore Watch + Video Watch Releases

Michael Schumacher Limited Edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore N8520 Royal Oak Offshore Watch + Video Watch Releases

As famed Formula 1 race car driver Michael Schumacher announced his retirement, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 57th Street Limited Edition also announced his new limited edition watch. A few days ago I debuted the Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher Limited Edition watch here via Forbes. You can visit that post for details on the watch as well as more images. Here I’d like to offer some thoughts, humor, and more views of the watch itself.

It was about two years ago that Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Rubber announced their relationship with Schumacher – and they were damn proud. Schumacher is an excellent addition to their roster of sport champions, with Schumacher himself likely looking for a new watch brand partner at the time. While I don’t know for sure, it is possible that Audemars Piguet and Hublot rivaled over the championship driver – as they have with some other people or events in the past. While not the first racer with an AP watch to their name, Michael Schumacher is likely one of the most well-known.

Michael Schumacher Limited Edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch + Video Watch Releases

It took two years to finally get his first limited edition watch. Perhaps AP was waiting for Mike to announce his retirement from racing, but that is hard to say. What everyone did expect was for the eventual watch to be based on the Royal Oak Offshore, and for it to extend the modern design of the collection. It most certainly does that. At 44mm wide it is not huge by today’s standards, but sits large on the wrist because of the wide lugs and chronograph pushers that make the case almost square-shaped. You can get a good idea of the size by seeing it on Schumacher’s frame in the pictures.

Audemars Piguet did a nice little photo shoot with him for the watch debut campaign. I loved the almost creepy picture of him holding his jacket collar all 80’s style. That pose along with Schumacher’s appearance make him a dead ringer for Blade Runner’s Roy (played by Rutger Hauer). Though I don’t think that Schumacher is an android. We’ll have to check on that.

Michael Schumacher Limited Edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Elephant Royal Oak Offshore Watch + Video Watch Releases

Michael Schumacher Limited Edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 26067bc.Zz.D002cr.01 Royal Oak Offshore Watch + Video Watch Releases

The limited edition Royal Oak Offshore watches have a mere taste of Schumacher as opposed to his personality all over it. Sure you have his signature on the black-colored gold rotor of the automatic movement and the seven stars on the dial to represent his championships – but this is really just another flavor of ROO. Don’t get me wrong, that is a good thing. Audemars Piguet’s Octavio Garcia uses opportunities like this to play around with design ideas that would never be possible in unlimited pieces. You see a new style of hands which are sure to delight or annoy hardcore Royal Oak Offshore fans. Little touches of red mark the piece such as for the date font color and red on the crown.

As I mentioned in the Forbes article I think it is interesting that the minute scale is done in that “racing flag” style which is the same style used in limited edition Michael Schumacher Omega Speedmaster watches of the past. I tend to think this was Michael’s input as it doesn’t seem likely Audemars Piguet wanted to mimic the Omega pieces. But that is just a guess. Fans of the brands seemed mixed on the design of the watch. No one seemed to dislike it, but after all the waiting I think a few people wanted to see something a bit more unique and special given Schumacher’s status. Aside from the design there is nothing unique in terms of the movement or the materials.

While the attention over the last couple of years has been around their iconic Jumbo (which celebrated a 40th Anniversary in 2012 or even a number of their lesser known Haute Horology pieces (such as the Jules Audemars Tourbillon), this year is all about that other collection stalwart: The Royal Oak Offshore.The original Royal Oak Offshore premiered to the general public in 1993 as a follow up to Gerald Genta’s much applauded A-Series “Jumbo”. As the first Royal Oak Jumbo can be credited with creating an entirely new group of wristwatch in 1972 (the Luxury Sports Watch), the Royal Oak Offshore (since the newest models came to be known after the 1993 launch) was really the initial watch for another generation of luxury timepiece customers, and launched another entirely new category: The Oversized Sports Luxury Watch.Of class, the first Royal Oak Offshore (we will call it a ROO from here on in) was not exactly oversized by today’s standards, measuring in at 42mm in diameter. However, in 1993 it had been a complete monster. With an extra thick instance along with a beefy bracelet which looked like the first Gay Freres unit on steroids, it made quite the statement. In the past twenty decades, the Offshore collection has grown almost as much in size as it has in variety of styles, and is now an icon in its own right, despite the fact that they have gotten so big that they’re downright unwearable by many an enthusiast.

Michael Schumacher Limited Edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch + Video Watch Releases

Michael Schumacher Limited Edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Kautschukband Royal Oak Offshore Watch + Video Watch Releases

Audemars Piguet collectors and race fans of an elite status will find enough to enjoy. With the limited edition status and its cool sport watch look, this Royal Oak Offshore is a conservative but satisfying homage to Schumacher’s career. We will be seeing more of this guy in the Audemars Piguet context in the years to come. The case has a cermet (ceramic metallic hybrid) bezel and will come in either titanium, 18k rose gold, or platinum with a caliber 3126/3840 automatic chronograph movement. Price for the pieces will be (titanium ref. 26568IM) $42,500, (rose gold ref. 26568OM) $75,000, and (platinum ref. 26568PM) $110,000. Or in other words around the price of a speeding ticket in Switzerland for those with the necessary income to afford them.


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