New Audemars Piguet Chronograph for Alinghi Team
Audemars Piguet has recently introduced a new watch to join its Alinghi series. The timepiece pays tribute to Team Alinghi, the Swiss yachting team that won the America's Cup in 2003. Team Alinghi will be defending the America's Cup at the races in Valencia, Spain, starting June 23. The company has sponsored the team since 2002.
The novel Audemars Piguet creation is called the Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Chronograph. Following the steps of the brand's Polaris launched in 2005, the new chronograph is equipped with a flyback chronograph and countdown regatta timer.
The watch's peculiarity is the fact that it is partially produced from forged carbon. The forged carbon represents a carbon fiber that has been put inside a mold, compressed at a high temperature under pressures over 300 kilos per cubic centimeter. The first watch variation features the forged carbon case and bezel. The other two variations have forged carbon bezels and cases produced from platinum or rose gold.
The Audemars Piguet watchmakers have opted for forged carbon as it is shock-resistant and characterized by chemical stability, including corrosion-resistance. The material's one more advantage is its light weight - the forged-carbon-case model weighs as little as 100 grams. The brand's specialists developed their own method of forged carbon production entirely in-house at the manufacture facility in Le Brassus, Valee de Joux. The eight-sided shape of the case with sharp angles and smooth finishing made their task really complicated.
The first glance at the Team Chronograph will make one notice a few nautical or Alinghi inspired details. The shape of the hands on the chronograph counters reminds the prow of a ship. The watch's dial sports a combination of red accents matching the red color of the Alinghi logo - a red swirl placed at 3 o'clock.
The titanium case back reveals an original relief depicting the Alinghi team during the race. The bezel of the model, the same way as the bezel on every Royal Oak model, is octogonal-shaped and features tiny screws, thus associated with a porthole of a ship. The timepiece goes on a black rubber strap.
In the heart of the Team Chronograph there beats the self-winding AP caliber 2326/2846 operating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The countdown timer allows the team members to keep track of the all-important 10 minutes prior the sounds of the starting gun. It is found on the right part of the dial.
As for the flyback function, it gives the watch's wearer a chance to stop the chronograph, return it to zero and start it again at once just with one push of the push-piece featured at 4 o'clock. The push of the same button also starts the countdown timer.
All variations of the Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Chronograph are developed in limited editions - 1,300 models with forged-carbon cases, 600 models in rose gold and 107 in platinum.
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