Audemars Piguet

 

That's how I see it.
The opportunity came along ,I didn't  think much but those days were long and a little painful as I had to make a quick move.
I usually take my time ,I ve learnt that compulsive buys are not good and that usually my guts are right,whether they give me a good or sometimes bad feeling.
Though I took the plunge and went for it,I couldn't t pass.
It wasn't in my short term plans nor shortlisted for future acquisition,but there was always a special place in my heart for the Royal Oak perpetual calendar Skeleton,it always symbolized for me the epitome of haute horologerie and finesse,a mature achievement,a connoisseurs watch,but for some reasons always secluded in the dream watches department,almost unobtainable,a watch to consider in the future.
I had to make a sacrifice and let go my 15305,a watch I adored and I ve worn for a year,but I couldn't justify keeping both,as it was a little redundant in my small collection.So i took the decision to go for this sophisticated lady,even though I didn't(according to my standards)put enough thoughts to it.I received the last little push from a fellow Purists/Mod/inspiration(you know who you are).
The watch arrived,the sense of overwhelm hasn t left me yet,I will have time to know more about it,to enjoy it more to understand it and appreciate it.This is a watch that matures with you like an old bottle of wine,a watch that will never stops amazing you and that will reveal itself over and over with new aspects and details.
The first feeling is one of elegance,finesse,delicacy;a huge contrast between the ever so amazing modern design of the RO and the hugely refined movement,the slimness of the case and the incredible achievement to manage to fill it up with so much horological abundance.

 

 The bracelet,case,clasp are much thinner than the 15300/15305 in the true spirit of the Jumbo,much more delicate and elegant.What is it with this icreible design that we are all still in love with?Timeless.

 

 The dial is mesmerizing,some might claim for more legibility,but here you admire time and on the other hand my sight is pretty good.

A dial/movement that has 2 sides and 2 distinctive characters,a more technical,modern look underneath the dial surface,a more traditional skeletonization and decoration on the back.2completely different approaches that complement each other soooo well.
Front

 

 beauty of the mighty back:

 

 
 Everything in this watch screams elegance from the fantastic golden moon phase

to the detail I admire the most:hour and minute hands are amongst the most beautiful I ve seen,so slender and elegant with their leaf shape and different colour,a fantastic tone of grey.Note how the minute hand goes over the superbly printed railroad track,giving great legibility....

and the blued calendar hands

What else can I say I will let the pictures talk,I will take more in time,but I wanted to share  even though I posted a couple already.All these pictures are not consistent,I wanted to use different light,backgrounds,effects as its quite a difficult watch to photograph.I hope I did a decent job with it and that you all enjoy.

Today I feel more horologic-ally mature,i don t know if it makes sense but that's how I feel......
Yours,Mo

This is also an important piece, in my heart.

But now, youn raise a question: What will happe, to your RO Skeleton, I mean the no perpetual calendar one?

This one is, in my opinion, a killer watch which may well kill your RO skeleton, too.

One of my 3 fav Perpetual Calendar, in all simplicity.

Best, and huge congratulations, Momo le Chameau!

Nicolas

I had to make the sacrifice,for sure,I didn t feel I could keep 2 RO skeletons,even if i enjoyed it a lot.

This is different though a very different watch.

What are your other 2 fav perp?

Let me guess..VC Sq and.....can t guess the otherone(I am not counting the GYro!!!!!)

Mine are the De Bethune 15/ 25 and the JLC 8 days sq.

Momo le Chameau(good memories),

 

This message has been edited by moc on 2012-02-27 02:40:15

As for the other perpetual calendars, a Vacheron, for sure, skeleton ( Patrimony ) or not ( Perpetual Calendar Chrono from the ES Series ).

And I still hesitate between two others, the UN Perpetual, the friendliest I know, and the JLC Skeleton 8 Days, for sure.

But this AP Skeleton is very high in my list.

And it has a bit of JLC inside.



Best,

Nicolas

JLC?

Mo

this I don t know ,but if it was..thats why I like it so much....even more

mo

Nothing downgrading here, for sure.

Best,

Nicolas

you are right....Never thought of that!

Mo

but correct like too often. The base cal. is JLC based.

 

I am very happy....

Mo

apart from it looks great on my wrist too..!!

Congrats again Mo...you know I didn't notice once last Sat that it wasn't set to the correct time I only noticed when I looked at the pics when I got home.  I think that says it all about it's beauty.

See you soon,

Andy.

we'll meet soon again....Glad you enjoyed and thanks for the post.

Mo

Well,its Giulio Papi s personal watch,so you picked up a real treasure....can t wait to see some pics next to the other Gentas complicated watch and a couple of extra shots by itself.What coulor dial did you get?

Thanks Kari,appreciate it

Mo

there is something strange about changing the dial if not necessary.

I likethe white dial a lot it gives it a touch of sobriety and elegance whereas the blue dial makes it look more sporty...you can t go wrong with either but if it was mine i would keep it as it is.

Don t forget to post some pics.Best for your travels.

Mo

Well, this is one of the most beautiful perpetual calendars around.  As I feared, the 15305 was sacrificed, but I can completely understand your reasoning.  

I really appreciate your input my friend.

Some sacrifices are worth doing,in this case I am sure I did the right thing.The watch hasn t left my wrist since I got it ..just in time to see its behaviour with the leap year.....

Best Respo

Mo

Beautiful piece.  Elegant yet sporty. Perfect combination. 

thats the magic of Royal Oak,,a timeless classic....

Mo

I can feel the love just by staring at your photos. The post of a dream comes true is what I truly love about this forum.

You been having home run ever since. Your DB25 still haunt me every night when I stare up to the moon.

Enjoy your watch

PS: With all this excitement I can imagine the all those blood gushing to your face making it RED. You should REVERse it SO you don't have a heart attack.

Regards
Tyler

Ha haa  thats funny....well thats another story....

Thank you Tyler for the nice words,I hope to be able to meet you soon,we have a couple of Euro GTGs coming up so....

Mo

About la tentatrice rosso, a close friend of mine warn me not to step into the JLC boutique when it arrive. He claim it!

He's not a red color man but he completely fall under its spell after seeing it. Need I say more

About the GTG, this year is bad for me. At least for the until the last quarter. I will stay hopeful.

Regards
Tyler

they might tempt you and you might fall......willingly......finger crossed for the gtg Tyler

Sometimes we spend years finding the watch, and sometimes it finds you.

Enjoy it my Friend.

yes thats how it went ,this time I was chosen and to tell you the truth its a very nice feeling...

Take care

Mo

that is incredible.  excellent pictures, great watch....wear it in the best of health!!

glad you liked it...

Mo