Audemars Piguet Unveils Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph LeBron James
Luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet has the sports world and the world of haute horlogerie buzzing with the announcement of a new watch for LeBron James. Haute Time is in Miami, Florida – where James plays center for the Heat – for the announcement today and got your first look.
Nicknamed “King James”, the two-time NBA championship winner and Olympic gold medalist is one of the most accomplished basketball players ever to play the game. “I’ve loved watches for as long as I can remember,” LeBron said in a statement. “But I first became aware of Audemars Piguet through a friend and mentor of mine. The mechanics of watchmaking have always interested me.”
In honor of their relationship, Audemars Piguet created the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph LeBron James, a special limited edition timepiece.
Speaking about the collaborative process behind the creation of the 600 piece limited edition, James said, “My first visit to Audemars Piguet – seeing what it takes to create a watch and bringing everything together – was incredible. I have never imagined the number of stages and the amount of people involved in making a watch from start to finish, from conception to final product. It requires a lot of technical skills and patience!”
The Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph LeBron James begins with a 44mm 18K pink gold case with a titanium bezel. The rich combination of pink gold and grey metal is underscored by the grey “Méga Tapisserie” dial, which features pink gold applied Arabic numerals and pink gold hands. The chronograph pushpiece at two o’clock is set with a single diamond. The pushpieces and the crown are in black ceramic.
LeBron’s signature is printed in blue on the sapphire crystal display back, through which the 22 carat, partially openworked oscillating weight for the lavishly decorated, self-winding chronograph calibre 3126/3840 is visible. The 365-part movement boasts a 55-hour power reserve.
A hand-stitched “large square scale” grey crocodile strap with an 18K pink gold pin buckle completes the look.
“For me, as a professional basketball player, I continue to strive to get better, year after year. I feel as if that’s something Audemars Piguet and I really have in common,” LeBron added. “They’re always trying to improve and innovate. When they make a watch, they want it to be something people love, just as when I play the game of basketball, I want someone watching to love how I play the game. I’m very pleased how my vision and that of Audemars Piguet came together in this watch.”
The Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph LeBron James will be available exclusively at the Audemars Piguet boutiques in New York City and Bal Harbour, for a retail price of US$51,500.
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Photos courtesy Audemars Piguet.
