INTRODUCING: The Audemars Piguet 2021 Royal Oak Chronographs powered by in-house AP caliber 4401
We all know the “Holy Trinity” manufacturers can be called out at times for being on the slower side when it comes to product evolution. To be honest, that’s for a good reason, too. The pursuit towards perfection has to be careful and calculated, and each of the brands have to ensure their watches live up to the name and quality associated with their Maison. This year, however, Audemars Piguet is proving its manufacturing metal – introducing a slew of upgrades to their novelties. The 2021 Royal Oak Offshore Divers received a new movement and interchangeable strap system, and now the Audemars Piguet 2021 Royal Oak Chronographs are pushing the offering further with a first for the lineup: an exhibition caseback proudly displaying the latest generation integrated flyback chronograph caliber 4401 (originally launched inside the Code 11:59). The 41mm cases are all executed in pink gold, its hue boasting the intricate light play that results from their top-class hand finishing. The vertical brushing perfectly extends from the bezel, to the case and, if paired with it, the bracelet. The satin elements shine, whereas the polished elements go dark head on with light. When viewing from an off-angle, however,…
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If variety is the spice of life, then whoever who signs off on the G-Shock limited-editions must have some extremely tingly tastebuds. The staggering range of influences that inform these pieces is like something out of a Dr Seuss fever dream, happily jumping from Borneo rainbow toads to NASA space travel. The sheer number of limited editions that G-Shock crank out is extraordinary, too. According to G-Central (the G-Shock Watch Fan Blog), the brand produced 88 limited editions over the last 12 months at the time of writing. Here, in no particular order, are seven of our favourites. A Bathing Ape (BAPE) x Kid Cudi x G-Shock DW-6900 Before his career as a rapper took off, Kid Cudi worked at the BAPE Store in New York. Throw in the fact that he’s also a die-hard G-Shock fan and this collaboration feels like it was always destined to happen. The watch itself is a technicolour DW-6900 with a bright pink bezel, red and blue bands, and a yellow band keeper. Hit the EL backlight and up pops the BAPE Gorilla alongside Kid Cudi’s Moon Man logo. It all adds up to a super-fun combo that’s guaranteed to boost your serotonin levels…
As we’ve previously reported, eBay are raising their game in the watch marketplace. One huge stride in the right direction came with their new eBay Authenticity Guarantee – a service where watches costing $2000 and above are eligible to be substantiated by an independent verification service before being shipped to the end consumer (currently only for listings in the United States). It’s clear this is no passing fad for the platform either, eBay are in it to win it. To show their dedication to watches, and the watch community at large, eBay has created their first ever product-dedicated Instagram account: @eBaywatches. We all have heard of eBay success stories, where collectors have found some pretty sweet bargains in the marketplace. I found my coveted 1999 Seiko SBWA001 Spring Drive First on eBay, and would have had a much harder time tracking the extremely rare (one of 500) Japanese domestic market model down without the platform. While that watch was one of many victories for me on eBay, including a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse ref. 3548, future winning buyers can feel even more assured thanks to the new Authenticity Guarantee and eBay want all of #watchfam to know about this new…
Ball’s Engineer Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST has been known for many things – the monobloc titanium case, an automatic helium escape valve built into the crown, lume you could light a nightclub with – but it’s fair to say it hasn’t always been fêted for handsome looks. Sure, last year’s DeepQUEST II had a personality to match its 1000m depth rating. The bezel was muscular to say the least. The crown mushroomed out in presumption that its owner would be wearing thick gloves. And the numerals at 6 and 12 were applied in an almost matchstick arrangement of “micro gas tubes” (sealed tritium gas) so bright you could tell the time from an ocean away. Even that uppercase in the name – DeepQUEST – muscles in. It was never a watch for hiding under the cuff, but for being seen over a diving suit. But now comes the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST Ceramic – with its ceramic bezel and simpler dial – and if the DeepQUEST II is a guy two weeks into his rotation on the oil rig, the DeepQUEST Ceramic is the same man a couple of days after getting home. Cleanshaven, nice haircut, fresh shirt and a splash of…
