What do women want in a timepiece? The high-end AAA replica watches industry put its collective energy behind answering that question last month when scores of brands introduced their 2023 collections in Geneva. Below, we offer a take on who did it best.
The puzzle on the dial of this high jewelry watch from luxury CA fake Cartier’s iconic Baignoire (bathtub-shaped) line watches is composed of shards of mother-of-pearl, turquoise, onyx, and white gold laser-cut into miniature elements and assembled, through the art of marquetry, into a harmonious whole. Each dial requires 25 hours of work. The spiky bezel, set with diamonds, gray spinels, and blue tourmalines in an inverted pavilion setting, plays up the difference between the curves of the elongated dial and the angular texture of the gemstones. The 1:1 cheap replica watches is limited to just 50 numbered pieces. Price on request.
Fake Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 4997/200R-001 Watches
Call it eggplant, plum, amethyst, violet, or just plain purple, the zingy color of the new $38,440 high quality copy Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 4997/200R-001 watches has us mesmerized. Encircled by a diamond-set bezel, the dial of this elegant perfect super clone watches is embossed with a pattern of concentric waves, and coated with more than 50 layers of translucent lacquer. Inside the model’s refined 35 mm rose gold case ticks caliber 240, an ultra-thin self-winding movement.
To respond to the rising number of crime in crowded cities across Europe and the US, Audemars Piguet is the first brand ever to announce a compliment replacement for their clients’ stolen Swiss made replica watches.
In doing so, it has become the first major watch brand to provide a form of security for its clients in case their 1:1 CA Audemars Piguet fake watches is stolen.
According to Bloomberg, Audemars Piguet guarantees that it will repair, refund or replace stolen or damaged cheap replica watches purchased in 2022 or 2023 for a period of two years from the date and year of purchase.
More about the programme
How can Audemars Piguet clients avail the guarantee?
Clients who have bought any perfect Audemars Piguet copy watches in 2022 or 2023 can register for the new scheme. If their watch is stolen, the onus is on the client to prove that they bought the watch and are its owner. There should also be a valid police report regarding the theft of the watch.
Bloomberg says that they will have to provide a photo of the Swiss movements replica watches and serial number. Any watch that has been resold is not covered under the plan.
Once Audemars Piguet is satisfied, it will either offer a refund or a replacement of the stolen watch. In a situation where the high quality fake watches is not produced anymore, a similar model in the current collection will be offered.
The programme for those who bought best replica Audemars Piguet watches in 2022 will end in 2024. For those who bought a watch in 2023, it will end in 2025.
Audemars Piguet will initially carry out the programme as a trial without a third party insurer and might continue it depending on the number of clients who sign up for it.
High demand in secondary market and rising theft
The Bloomberg report says that the demand for Audemars Piguet super clone watches for sale, such as the timepieces from the Royal Oak collection, in the secondary market is very high and they often sell for far more than their retail price.
The report says that the luxury watchmakers are worried as watch thefts often turn violent.
Audemars Piguet Chief Executive Officer (CEO) François-Henry Bennahmias, who is set to step down later in 2023, too, noted the rise in online replica watches theft to Bloomberg.
“We listen to our clients and we have to look also at what’s going on in the world right now. We have important cities in Europe and in the US that are not as safe anymore,” Bennahmias said.
“That’s a big, big move because no one has ever done that,” the CEO added, referring to the scheme.
It’s a known fact that during the pandemic, luxury watch sales soared. With so many people at home and indulging in their passions – some even discovering watch collecting for the first time – even the sales of pre-owned Swiss made replica watches climbed. With that huge interest, and with somewhat reduced production of watches due to factory closures during COVID, prices also soared. But, what goes up usually comes down. This is the case now with the prices of certain pre-owned CA cheap fake watches. And, as prices decline, some online watch retailers of pre-owned pieces are retrenching. Both Chronext and Chrono24 (sellers of pre-owned watches) announced a rash of layoffs. Swiss Watch Expo, though, continues to grow.
According to Eugene Tutunikov, CEO of the family- operated Swiss Watch Expo, the store is stocking more 1:1 replica watches than ever, hiring more people and witnessing an increase in sales. In 2022, sales reached $80 million, up 30 percent over the previous year. “I am expecting sales of $100 million within two years”, said Tutunikov. “This year might be hard to hit that number but is possible if the global economy and demand boom in the second half of the year.” He also noted that February 2023 sales were already up 7.5 percent over February of 2022 in terms of units. In that short 28-day month, the retailer sold 715 copy watches online shop.
With one of the largest inventories of pre-owned Swiss movements Rolex replica watches in the United States, Swiss Watch Expo says its greatest number of sales by units, and the large majority of its inventory, is in Rolex – with 50 percent sales and inventory in this brand. Also important are Cariter, Omega, Breitling, Patek Philippe, and some Audemars Piguet. But, collectors are bound to happen on almost any luxury brand they are looking for since, at any given time, the Buckhead, GA, retailer has approximately 3,000 top fake watches in stock (and listed on the website). With turnover happening daily.
“When it is literally all your money, you are very very careful,” said Tutunikov, noting that the family owned company is very careful about the watches it buys and sells, as well as running a lean and mean organization. “The ethos and core of how we think about the business is to grow profitably. The reason I bring this up, is that it puts us in a position even if things slow down that we don’t need to cut back on our compensation or hiring plans. To the contrary we use the opportunity to find great people to add to the team, as well as acquire inventory at better values with higher expected margins. Most of our competitors would hire lots of middle managers or employees just to fill seats when times are good, then they realize they have bloated expenses as soon as there is a slowdown in the market. It’s a lot harder to cut expenses once they are there and reconfigure an organization in my view than to build it lean from the start. For us it is prime time to take more market share and invest across our business.”
Last year alone, the company hired two new top-notch salespeople (most of whom worked previously for big-brand names), bringing the total to seven, and another watchmaker — also bringing the total to seven. The company employs three polishers, as well, and is in the process of hiring four more people within the company for other tasks.
Officially founded 14 years ago in 2009 by Tutunikov’s mother Victoria and stepfather Jake Rokhlin, the store had roots a few years earlier. According to Rokhlin, he and his wife started their own jewelry store in 2007 and in 2008 started selling luxury replica watches online – with 60 watches in inventory. “We quickly realized that watches were the way to go and got out of jewelry. We became Swiss Watch Expo in 2009.”
Today, Swiss Watch Expo is a full-service operation that includes a complete watchmaking service center fully stocked with thousands of replacement parts and all the equipment necessary to refinish/restore a timepiece to ready it for sale. The department, headed by Rokhlin – an engineer turned watchmaker – has state-of-the-art equipment that includes testing machines for water and pressure resistance, timing machines and more. It even has its own polishing department. Its watchmakers are predominantly from bigger brands like Audemars Piguet and China Rolex super clone watches where they worked in service centers.
“We don’t have multiple locations we are not paying for the overhead of those locations and we have one building and ship all over the world from Singapore to Switzerland from here. And that is one reason we are so competitive on pricing. We do it all ourselves. From our computer program, to our sales, our own photography, our watchmaking, polishing and shipping,” says Tutunikov.
As to the watches, Rokhlin does all the buying himself, typically buying 100 to 200 wholesale replica watches at a time to get better pricing. “We won’t take any with aftermarket changes or that are over polished, or excessively worn,” says Rokhlin. “We never take anything where the serial numbers are removed and try not to buy gray market. Our strength is in pre-owned watches with light wear that we can service and turn into a beauty. I don’t want to put a lot of labor into the watch, this is how we can save time and money and we can establish our name for the quality of watches we sell.”
According to Tutunikov, who took over as CEO in 2016, after working as a trader on Wall Street, with business growing, the challenge he has now is keeping up. “We have grown so quickly in six-and-a-half years, that we need more people and we need to bring in more leadership in the organization. We are all stretched thin and maybe beyond our areas of expertise in running the company. There is always better marketing and better branding that we could do. But we are excited about the future of the pre-owned market.”
The 95th Academy Awards has passed without the sort of assault that marred last year’s Oscars ceremony.
That may not be great for television ratings and viral videos, but it was still an opportunity for the world’s most prestigious watchmakers to share a glimpse of their precious AAA replica watches on the wrists of its biggest stars.
Red carpet events (in this year’s case it was a champagne-colour carpet) are not ideal for showcasing products measuring an inch across and mostly hidden beneath a perfectly tailored cuff, but the PR teams have been ready to give us their close-ups, so here are the stars and their top CA fake watches from the 2023 Oscars.
Brendan Fraser
Winner of the Actor in a Leading Role category for The Whale, Brendan Fraser wore cheap replica Omega Speedmaster Chronoscope watches in stainless steel.
The 43mm high quality copy watches is crafted in stainless steel with a blue dial with silvery subdials.
Along with a blue anodised aluminium bezel ring with its tachymeter scale, the leaf-shaped hands and Arabic numerals are rhodium-plated, with a unique “spiral” track pattern running beneath the numbers.
Ke Huy Quan
Winner of the Actor in a Supporting Role category for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, Ke Huy Quan wore best Omega Globemaster replica watches in stainless steel, featuring an opaline silvery dial and a Co-Axial Master Chronometer movement.
Nicole Kidman goes vintage
An Academy Award winner in 2003, Nicole Kidman was on stage as one of the evening’s presenters. The long-standing brand ambassador wore a diamond-decorated Omega Museum super clone watches for sale in 18K white gold.
Call me a reluctant believer but I think I carry the mark of “The Beast”.
No, I’m not talking about the Book of Revelation, in fact, things were pretty normal when I finally got to lay my hands on Audemars Piguet’s newest Royal Oak Offshore in full black ceramic. But the high quality replica watches, a faithful callback to the first Offshore nicknamed “The Beast” due to its size and weight, is still pretty imposing, especially for someone like me who has never loved the Offshore. So it might as well be the End of Days (Offshore/Schwarzenegger pun intended) but with the new “Black Beast” I think AP has won me over.
Even recently I held on to the idea that I and my good ol’ pal Gérald Genta (Gérry to his imaginary friends like me) were the cool kids sitting in the corner channeling Mean Girls and saying “stop trying to make Offshore happen” as we proudly stuck to our refined taste for the elegant design of the original “Jumbo” Royal Oak. I don’t think Genta was trying to be a bully when he accused the designer Emmanuel Gueit of “ruining” the Royal Oak design when he created the Offshore. There’s just something so timeless and elegant about the Royal Oak and the Offshore was undoubtedly a departure (and, I’d argue, a pretty anachronistic one).
The watch market can be a fickle thing and it might be hard to imagine in the haze of its modern resurgence, but 30 years ago at the introduction of the Offshore, sales of the Jumbo and other CA perfect fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches were in steady decline and Gueit’s design would eventually prove the shot of adrenaline that the brand needed. And along with Genta, very few people were convinced at first.
It actually seems like AP’s burden over the years has been to break the mold with a whimper, not a bang. The Code 11:59 launch was roundly dismissed in the same breath as accusations that AP was a one-trick pony. But hindsight has historically been AP’s salvation. Four years on and the Code has seemingly gotten over its growing pains despite having the same movement and case design. Thirty years later and the Offshore has gone through a meteoric rise (and lately slight dip) in popularity. And while the brand had given nearly every treatment of case material and design touch possible within the confines of the “Offshore” box and never quite clicked with me, leave it to AP to pull out the stops for the 30th anniversary with the coup de grâce to my indifference to the Offshore.
There’s no magic formula for cheap replica watches to have appropriate “wrist presence” while still being wearable. In the sub-$10,000 range, it seems like every millimeter of thickness counts an inordinate amount. But if a well-established brand says “we made this watch big for the sake of being big” and charges a boatload of money – 42mm wide, 15.3mm thick, $84,000 in the case of the new ceramic Offshore – somehow people are more apt to accept it as a purposeful design choice. It was, after all, the point of the Offshore in the first place. But while the proportions of the hulking chunk of metal of the original “Beast” haven’t changed all that much (save a few tenths of millimeters in added thickness) the new “Black Beast” becomes somehow more manageable and attractive in black ceramic.
I mentioned when we introduced the luxury copy watches that while no brand “owns” ceramic, AP comes darn close. They are masters with the material, which is why I just assumed an all-ceramic Offshore was just one of the hundreds of models I’ve glossed over in the brand’s history. I apparently gave AP too much credit in their mastery as brand representatives reiterated how hard it is to work with the material and create a full ceramic bracelet for the Offshore. It’s not entirely clear to me why that’s the case, with so many fully-ceramic Royal Oaks on offer, and leads me to believe this watch was held in reserve for a big anniversary launch. But even if that’s the case, it was worth the wait.
Looking at that introduction piece and James Stacey’s early hands-on photos you can see that even in ceramic, the finishing AP has done makes the new Offshore case trend visually close to the original in a big way that leans into brand history and consumer nostalgia. Historically I’ve always thought ceramic was a material that looks better than it feels and I’d venture to say that’s still the case here, but that’s in part because the black ceramic just looks so incredibly good.
The polished faceted edges of the case, bracelet, and bezel play with the light so well and really stand out against the otherwise vertical graining of the ceramic. And while the black ceramic shows off fingerprints and smudges like you wouldn’t believe (please excuse them in all the photos), it does so in a way that almost seems like a wood-grain pattern when combined with the ceramic texture.
But aesthetics aside, after wearing the watch for a bit I started to get the impression that the lighter the material, the more important it is to have a perfectly fitted bracelet – something not possible for my 7.25″ wrist in a brief hands-on environment – which isn’t a fault of the material or the Swiss movements replica watches itself. As I looked around the room and other people clamored for their hands-on time, I saw that folks of every size, shape, and gender seemed to wear the watch with ease and swagger.
That demand for hands on time also foreshadows what will undoubtedly be a high demand for this watch in general. It’s no stretch to say this is an instant classic. While the Code 11.59 has often been floated as the entrée into Audemars Piguet for new buyers, I have heard plenty of stories of AP clients picking up Offshores as their first purchases. I wouldn’t expect anyone to be so lucky here. I texted photos to friends and posted on Instagram as soon as the AAA super clone watches was in hand and even well-heeled and well-connected AP collectors I know that previously dismissed the Offshore showed a sparkle of intrigue. It’s going to be a hot commodity even for AP and that’s saying something. I heard one other journalist muttering the price to himself while walking out the door shaking his head, and I could see he was already mentally making deals with the devil to afford the watch.
Hype aside I’ve settled into the understanding that anyone buying the “Black Beast” is getting great 1:1 replica watches wholesale from top to bottom. That includes a solid column-wheel chronograph movement Caliber 4401. The pushers have a satisfying actuation and benefit from the removal of the odd rubber covering on the original. The movement itself has nice finishing that you can see on the display caseback. And the dial, however dated I still feel it leans, has a really cool almost carbon fiber texture under the Petite Tapisserie squares and a great mix of softer elegant serif fonts with bold applied accents and bulbous date window. Yes, even with all that, AP has knocked it out of the park.
Look, whatever Faustain bargains you have to make to get your hand on the new “Black Beast” at retail, I can’t say I endorse them or absolve you of them, but I can at least begin understand them. And if I see the mark of the Beast – or rather the 2023 fake watches itself – on your wrist, I might even finally look at you, an Offshore owner, with a little envy.
Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet presents six new references of its Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding and Selfwinding Chronograph in 41 mm that have been created for the very first time in stainless steel. Four Swiss made replica watches come entirely in steel, while the other two combine a black ceramic case middle with a steel bezel, lugs and case back. In addition to this new material, these timepieces feature a new aesthetic that emphasizes both ergonomics and legibility as well as introduces new dials with a pattern that has been specifically created for the collection. This new evolution in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection continues to stand at the crossroads between technical modernity and ancestral craftsmanship.
A new contemporary material joins the collection
Featuring a complex architecture composed of stylized tumbled lugs, an ultra-thin bezel, and an octagonal case middle, the case of the Code 11.59 by cheap CA Audemars Piguet replica watches is one of the most complicated ever made by the Manufacture. Combining cutting-edge technology and ancestral traditions, the industrialization of the case and the hand-finishing of its components require arduous programming, dedicated tools and highly specialized human skills. The designers, engineers and artisans have therefore pushed the limits of their know-how even further in order to create these steel elements. In keeping with luxury Audemars Piguet fake watches tradition, the stainless steel components alternate between polished and satin-finished surfaces, playing with the light and providing captivating visual contrasts.
A dial with an original design
These six new 41 mm references inaugurate a brand-new stamped dial with a pattern specially developed for the occasion. Made up of concentric circles that create a unique structure, this ripple pattern has a texture that has never been seen before on a Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet dial and enhances legibility. Developed by high quality replica Audemars Piguet watches in collaboration with Swiss guilloché craftsman Yann von Kaenel, this motif provides a new signature design to the collection.
An aesthetic and ergonomic evolution
These new Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding and Selfwinding Chronograph copy watches for sale introduce a new design evolution into the collection and put an emphasis on comfort and readability. Firstly, new elongated hour-markers replace the Arabic numerals that have been present in the collection since its launch. Designed in 18-carat white gold, the hour-markers and hands are flattened, faceted and polished, creating a visual contrast with the new dial pattern with its intense dark tones. To enhance the legibility, the hour-markers and hands have been coated with Super LumiNova so they can be seen in the dark.
Sober and elegant tones
The six new Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet replica watches shop come in three timeless shades that reinforce the collection’s elegant and intricate aesthetic. Each dial tone is paired with a matching rubber strap decorated with a textile pattern and lined with calf leather.
Two of the latest generation calibres and a new dedicated oscillating weight
Combining watchmaking technology and traditional know-how, the six models are driven by the latest-generation movements: Calibre 4302 with a seconds and date indication and Calibre 4401, an integrated selfwinding chronograph movement with a column wheel and flyback function. Both movements are equipped with a patented mechanism that provides stability and precision when setting the Swiss movements super clone watches. With a generous diameter of 32 mm, these movements also provide enhanced chronometry.
Among the slew of new Swiss made replica watches that Audemars Piguet released today is a duo of Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph models that are made from black ceramic. Given that 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the ultra-bold and modern Royal Oak Offshore collection, it was virtually a guarantee that we would see at least a few new Offshore models this year, and two new watches have already joined the lineup. Due to the fact that the Offshore itself is essentially just a variation of the original Royal Oak design, it can sometimes be easy to forget exactly how diverse the AP Offshore collection is compared to the standard Royal Oak range. Despite the fact that the two new additions are both AAA CA fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watches with black ceramic cases and flyback chronograph movements, virtually everything else about the two new watches is different, and they ultimately represent two very different offerings.
The first of the two new black ceramic Offshore replica watches for sale is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42mm (ref. 26238CE.OO.1300CE.01), which follows the original profile for the Offshore series with a black ceramic case that measures 42mm in diameter by 15.3mm-thick. The case, bezel, crown, and chronograph pushers are all made from brushed and polished black ceramic for a largely monochromatic appearance, with the only contrasting elements being the eight exposed white gold screws that run through the case and bezel. Sapphire crystals are fitted to both the dial and the titanium caseback, while the crown screws down to the case to help create 100 meters of water resistance. While AP has created black ceramic versions of the Offshore before, the new Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42mm represents the first time that one of the models from the Offshore series has been fitted with a matching ceramic bracelet. The bracelet offers the exact same design as those that can be found on the rest of the Offshore lineup (just as you would expect), except it is now crafted from black ceramic and fitted with a titanium folding clasp.
Keeping with the largely all-black appearance of the case is a matte black “Petite Tapisserie” dial with a trio of registers, applied luminous hour markers, and the Offshore’s signature circular date window at 3 o’clock. In addition to the dial printing being done in white, the chronograph hands are also finished white for added contrast, while the brand’s logo appears as a polished applied element next to the date window. Internally, you get the same movement that can be found in the other Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42mm copy watches for men, which is the Audemars Piguet Caliber 4404. Running at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 70 hours, the Cal. 4404 is a column wheel-controlled integrated chronograph movement that offers flyback functionality and winds itself automatically with a solid 22k pink gold oscillating weight. While the core aesthetic and functionality of this new high quality replica watches are very familiar, the real news here is that you can now get a Royal Oak Offshore with a full ceramic bracelet, which was previously only available within the classic Royal Oak lineup.
The other new black ceramic chronograph joining the Offshore range is the luxury replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 43mm watches (ref. 26420CE.OO.A127CR.01), which features accenting components crafted from yellow gold for a two-tone overall aesthetic. While the new ceramic bracelet model follows the form factor of the original Offshore model, this new black ceramic and yellow gold model embraces the more modern Offshore layout with a slightly larger and more imposing case that measures 43mm in diameter with chunkier guards for the crown and chronograph pushers. Additionally, rather than having small round pushers like the classic Offshore model, the more modern 43mm version features large angular oblong pushers, which ultimately creates significantly more visual mass on the 3 o’clock side of the case. Black ceramic is used for the middle case, bezel, winding crown, and chronograph pushers, while the caseback, crown guards, and strap inserts are crafted from yellow gold. Additionally, included with the Swiss movements super clone watches are two strap options (one in black alligator leather and the other in black rubber), with a quick-change system to easily allow users to swap between the two without the use of any tools.
Just like the case of the 1:1 fake watches, the dial of the new black ceramic and yellow gold Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 43mm embraces a similar colorway with a black “Méga Tapisserie” dial with applied yellow gold hour markers that are finished with a black lacquer central stripe. Yellow gold is also used for the hands, minute track, and outlines for the trio of chronograph registers, while a date window appears in its usual place at the 4:30 location. A black tachymeter scale sits along the periphery of the dial under the crystal, and the yellow gold hour and minute hand feature black lacquer center strips to match the hour markers. Internally, the new black ceramic and yellow gold Royal Oak Offshore is powered by the same Caliber 4401 movement that can be found inside the other current-production Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 43mm replica watches shop. A column wheel operated, integrated automatic chronograph movement with flyback functionality, the Cal. 4401 runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) and offers users a power reserve of approximately 70 hours. This means that performance will be the same between AP’s two new black ceramic Offshore models, despite the fact that they use different movements.
As the more modern and extroverted version of the classic Royal Oak, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore replica watches shop has always experimented with different case materials, and the inherently contemporary nature of ceramic is one that seems to be particularly well-suited to the Offshore lineup. The black ceramic models from the classic Royal Oak line are incredibly popular, so it only makes sense that Audemars Piguet would eventually want to expand this fan-favorite style to the Offshore range. The official retail price of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42mm (ref. 26238CE.OO.1300CE.01) with a matching ceramic bracelet is $84,400 USD, while the black ceramic and gold 43mm model is priced at $60,300 USD, which makes both of them premium options within the lineup (although they are still less expensive than the solid gold versions). In addition to the fact that both use ceramic cases (which already carries a price premium), one of the models features solid yellow gold components, while the other has a full ceramic integrated bracelet and represents the very first time that Audemars Piguet has done this for the Royal Oak Offshore collection.
For 2023, Swiss Hublot will release a new limited-edition version of the 44mm-wide Big Bang UNICO x SORAI, the third piece in an ongoing collaboration between Hublot and the company of one of its brand ambassadors, former cricket player Kevin Pietersen. Hublot is a brand that heavily relies on strong relationships with brand ambassadors. This isn’t the first time Hublot has produced AAA Canada replica watches intended to support the projects and passions of its inner circle of loyal brand friends. It helps that a lot of the high quality fake watches are nice looking, including this reference 421.FX.8099.NR.SOA23, which has a gray ceramic case, a dial with colors inspired by South African sunsets, and a hip-looking orange and purple camouflage-style strap.
SORAI stands for “Save our Rhinos Africa India,” and, as the name implies, the goal of the organization is to support efforts to protect rhinoceroses, a heavily endangered species. Interestingly, SORAI is not a charity but rather more like a fundraising organization. For example, SORAI seems to be designed to create objects like this limited-edition Hublot replica watches for sale and other items to collect money for the “save the rhinos” cause. Right now, according to the SORAI website, much of the money seems to go to CARE FOR WILD, a large animal sanctuary dedicated to housing rhinoceros animals. SORAI, as a brand, has a nice polish to it, along with a handsome geometric rhino logo that is placed on the cheap Swiss copy watches dial in the subsidiary seconds dial located at 9 o’clock.
The 44mm wide Swiss movements replica Hublot Big Bang UNICO watches case is done in matte-gray ceramic, no doubt inspired by the skin tone of rhinos (though in an animal-safe way, of course). The case is 14.5mm-thick and water resistant to 100 meters with a sapphire crystal over the dial. The semi-skeletonized dial opts to use the sunset color gradient for the hour markers only, which is a subtle yet playful way of incorporating the attractive color palette.
Inside the Hublot Big Bang UNICO super clone watches wholesale is Hublot’s in-house made automatic caliber MHUB12800 UNICO 2 movement. This appears to be an upgrade from a previous generation UNICO automatic chronograph, but I will have to investigate for more details later. The 12-hour column-wheel control now has a flyback function that I don’t seem to recall as always being part of the original UNICO package. The movement includes a 30-minute chronograph, the time, and a date complication. It operates at 4Hz with 72 hours of power reserve and is made up of an impressive 354 parts.
1:1 top Hublot replica watches includes two straps with the 2023 Big Bang UNICO SORAI — a fabric gray strap and the rubber strap with the orange and purple camouflage decoration. The straps are easily removed with Hublot’s effective “One-Click” removal system and the straps with fold-over deployant clasp made of black ceramic and titanium. The 2023 Hublot Big Bang UNICO SORAI is a limited edition of 100 pieces and this reference 421.FX.8099.NR.SOA23 has a retail price of $24,100 USD.
I found fake Breguet’s Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597 especially impressive as it combines inspiration from the historical “souscription” pocket replica watches created by Abraham-Louis Breguet around 1797 with state-of-the-art attributes of today. From the shape of the bridges to the para-chute shock-absorber system, the size of the balance and the wheels, the components hearken back to the historical “souscription” Swiss replica watches. Inside the 40-mm white-gold case is the modern 505Q automatic movement, which has a 50-hour power reserve and is equipped with an inverted lever escapement and silicon horns as well as a silicon Breguet balance spring. This material’s properties include corrosion and wear resistance, insensitivity to magnetic fields and enhanced timekeeping precision. A look through the sapphire caseback reveals a gold oscillating weight whose shape refers to the one on the perpetuelle top fake watch created by Breguet in 1780.
I am drawn to the strong contrast displayed by the monochrome blue applied to the dial and the anthracite-clad movement. Also eye-catching is the dial’s handsome hand-guilloché clous de Paris motif. The multi-level blued steel hand that sweeps smoothly over the mechanism has been specially developed for added appeal. And completing the ensemble is a midnight blue alligator leather strap with a gold pin buckle.
It wouldn’t do luxury Audemars Piguet replica watches justice to call it a one-trick pony. Still, it’s tough not to. The dominance of the Royal Oak is undeniable. And there certainly is strength in numbers as well. With 122 “RO” references in the current catalog compared to 75 Code 11.59, Royal Oak Offshore, and Royal Oak Concept models combined, the Royal Oak is, without a shadow of a doubt, the backbone of the brand from Le Brassus. But is it also the heart and soul? In this installment of Breaking Down The Brand, I’ll try to find out if “life” is possible for Audemars Piguet in the shadow of the Royal Oak.
Currently, there are four collections in the AP catalog — Royal Oak (122 references), Royal Oak Offshore (34 references), Royal Oak Concept (9 references), and Code 11.59 (32 references). The complete catalog consists of 197 references. You could even state there are just two main collections with one, the Royal Oak, having two sub-collections. Yes, the “ROO” and “ROC” differ from the RO, but the origin of the two wilder, sportier, more futuristic collections are clear evolutionary creations that can’t deny their RO heritage. Today, Audemars Piguet has 165 Canada cheap fake watches in its catalog that are indebted to the original Gérald Genta design that shocked the watch world back in 1972. Only the Code 11.59, which debuted in 2019 with a lot of fuzz, is a round alternative in an otherwise octagonal realm.
A seed is planted
It was 1970 when the “seed” for the Royal Oak was planted. That year, Mr. Georges Golay, the managing director of Audemars Piguet, rang up Gérald Genta. He told him that he needed “… a steel sports watch that has never been done before.” It also had to be “… something totally new and waterproof.” And in true managing-director fashion, Golay needed the design the next day. Genta delivered. He designed “waterproof” 1:1 replica watches inspired by a vintage diving helmet overnight. The octagonal bezel with eight screws and a visible joint on the case’s exterior was a daring stroke of genius.
Golay gave the green light, and two years later, the Royal Oak was presented to the public. The Royal Oak was the first timepiece of its kind. It was the first steel watch that was treated as if it were a precious-metal creation. Indeed, with the Royal Oak, the “luxury sports watch” was born. Genta created an icon… but also some kind of monster.
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The Royal Oak is a monster
The Royal Oak design was born in 1970, but Audemars Piguet is nearly a century older. The brand’s watchmaking traditions go back to 1875 when Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet combined their talents to create timepieces featuring rare complications. The now-discontinued round Jules Audemars collection and rectangular Edward Piguet watches paid tribute to the company’s founders. For instance, when AP turned 125 in 2000, the brand introduced the Jules Audemars Dynamograph, a timepiece that indicated the torque supplied by the mainspring. The copy watches wholesale with caliber 2891 inside was added to the prestigious Audemars Piguet Classic Collection.
And in 2005, the Edward Piguet Moss Agate Tourbillon — a watch with a base plate in moss agate — became a world premiere as AP managed to find a way to drill fine stones. Do you remember or have you heard of these replica watches for sale? The chances are you haven’t because the Royal Oak is a monster that devours everything from watch collections to recollections of watches.
It’s oval time!
The Millenary collection debuted in 1995. Key elements of the collection were an elliptical case shape, an eccentric dial, and a three-dimensional perspective on the movement. In 2006, the brand wanted to show that it was more than Royal Oaks and Royal Oak Offshores because, by that time, the large and exuberant ROO was the must-have watch. I remember former CEO Georges-Henri Meylan on the stage at a theater in Geneva saying, “It’s oval time!” — I also remember the rocking performance by French/Indonesian singer Anggun that followed, but that’s not very relevant to the story. Oval time didn’t make the impact it was supposed to. Mainly, it was because many of the Millenary fake watches shop released from 2006 onward were high-end, complicated creations with a heavy price tag.
So five years later, the brand tried again with the steel Millenary 4101. And although the watch was definitely more about its oval and three-dimensional aesthetics than its complicated caliber, the 47mm watch was never able to step out of the shadow of the Royal Oak.
Another attempt to step out of the shadow of the Royal Oak
Georges-Henri Meylan, a man from an important family with deep roots in the Vallée de Joux, retired in 2009 and was succeeded as CEO by Philippe C. Merk, formerly of Maurice Lacroix. Once, when I asked Merk what luxury meant to him during an interview at AP HQ, he responded firmly and confidently, “A good sh*t in the morning!” But that answer was not the reason why Merk left AP in 2012. The official statement from the brand was that “due to differences in views on the company’s strategy, the board of directors and CEO Philippe Merk decided to stop working.” François-Henry Bennahmias, who had joined AP in 199 and worked as the president of the North American division of the company, was appointed as temporary manager and eventually became the CEO, a position he holds to this day.
It was under the leadership of the exuberant and outspoken Bennahmias that the next attempt at a watch that could exist in balance with the Royal Oak was launched. The “Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet” — the official name that suggests that it’s an extension line, like Marciano by Guess or See by Chloé — was launched on the eve of the 2019 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), and a storm broke loose.
Emotions run high
The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet provoked biting reactions. Most of the comments focused on the overly simple dial design that evoked associations with fashion Swiss replica watches from Daniel Wellington and Armani. And to reinforce their words, some critics even produced visual comparisons. Bennahmias saying in an interview that cell phone screens partially inspired the look of the watch also didn’t help. But it was not just the watch that made people lash out. The 2019 edition of the SIHH was AP’s farewell edition. The brand no longer felt at home in the salon and decided it wanted to go its own way. As a result, the brand and its CEO were blamed for being arrogant and loudmouthed by many watch professionals in many different disciplines.
The Code 11.59 has been around for three years now, and still, nobody talks about the complicated case construction with its open-worked lugs attached to the bezel. Nobody talks about the curved crystal. Even the octagonal middle case was rarely the subject of debate. Why, exactly, the Code 11.59 needed a visual reference to the Royal Oak, the best super clone watches that it was intended to steal some sunlight from, still baffles me.
The price is always right
Let’s put some numbers — or better still, prices — on the Code 11.59 to measure its success. The 41mm pink gold Code 11.59 Selfwinding (ref. 15210OR.OO.A099CR.01) has a price of €34,200. On Chrono24, that watch can be bought for €28,000. A comparable 41mm Royal Oak Selfwinding (ref. 15500OR.OO.D002CR.01) in pink gold on a leather strap has a list price of €42,000. The average price of the 41mm RO in pink gold on Chrono24 is €60,000. The price is always right: the RO is unrivaled. Not that AP has anything to complain about when talking numbers. In 2021, AP’s revenues were about 1.6 billion francs. But it has to be said that the Royal Oak is responsible for more than 90% of the turnover. And the RO’s share in the profit is even greater.
Visible success
The success of the brand is even visible in Le Brassus. There’s the new Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet and the recently opened Hôtel des Horlogers. And there are plans to demolish a part of the current headquarters. A nondescript building is making way for something that matches the modernist Bjarke Ingels Group’s style of the museum and the hotel. Still, François-Henry Bennahmias, who had been the subject of many rumors regarding him leaving or being forced to leave AP, is officially relinquishing his 11-year position as CEO at the end of next year. Under his reign, AP released a Marvel watch in the form of the bewildering Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther”. The launch of that top replica watches was done by comedian/actor Kevin Hart and Bennahmias together. And that online spectacle proved to be the most memorable watch presentation of all time… for better or worse.
The energetic and unrestrained doings of Bennahmias not only led to cringe-worthy moments but also led to success. Over the last decade, AP doubled its turnover and operating margin. At the same time, the brand became more exclusive. Under Bennahmias, the number of dealers went from 470 to 120 by 2021. And the points of sale are still decreasing now that the brand has started opening AP Houses in important cities. By 2026, there will be just 80 points of sale left worldwide, with half of them owned by the brand. Even so, Audemars Piguet is now looking for a new leader. At least Bennahmias will be present until the end of 2023 to ensure a painless transition.
More changes
It’s not just Bennahmias who is saying goodbye to AP after a long period of rumors. After 30 years, Jasmine Audemars, the “godmother” of the privately-owned brand, will step down from her role as chairwoman of the board at the end of this year. Unlike the still-to-be-determined next CEO, the new chairman of the board has already been selected. It’s Alessandro Bogliolo, CEO of Tiffany & Co. until 2021, who will take over Jasmine Audemars’s seat at the table. What this means for the future of the brand is hard to predict. You could state that the company will be fine as long as the Royal Oak is still in demand. But what if moods and tastes change? The future CEO will have to accomplish what his three predecessors didn’t manage. The new leader has the challenge of creating an alternative or a counterweight to the dominant Royal Oak collection.
Audemars Piguet is the Royal Oak
As it stands now, Audemars Piguet is the Royal Oak. The fact that the perfect fake watches celebrated its 50th anniversary this year made that only more evident. AP had no choice but to make its already-holy icon the center of attention, though it certainly didn’t need that. The demand for the Royal Oak remains much greater than the supply, and the situation shows no signs of changing. But no matter how successful and profitable the Royal Oak is, it’s also guilty of eliminating the traditional Haute Horlogerie aura of Audemars Piguet. The brand is part of the traditional Holy Trinity of watchmaking that also includes Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe. The Royal Oak is the urban warrior in a designer tracksuit. It is the outgoing kid that completely overshadows the bespoke-suit-and-cufflinks complications that are the foundation of Audemars Piguet.
But whereas Thierry Stern is very clear and outspoken about the Nautilus, saying that he doesn’t want the luxurious sports watch to overpower the brand’s image or complicated creations, AP shows no commercial signs of caring about its traditional past.
In the soil and in the blood
While Patek Philippe continues to renew its classic and complicated creations, AP puts its complications in octagonal best quality replica watches 99% of the time. It’s a choice supported by commercial success, and it is completely understandable from a financial point of view. But since AP also keeps banging on about the values of the company that was founded and remains firmly rooted in the cradle of Swiss watchmaking, the Vallée de Joux, the brand also sees itself as more than just a numbers-driven entity. AP wants everybody to know that it is a part of the region. The famous, historical region where the tradition of fine watchmaking is in the soil and also in the blood of the people who work and live there. The Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet collections were once the embodiment of that, and they could be once more.
Life in the shadow of the Royal Oak
Do the buyers of the Royal Oak care about the Swiss cradle of watchmaking high up in the Jura? Well, I doubt it. Nevertheless, when it comes to long-term, meaningful interactions between companies and consumers, people do value and care about the brand. They also care about the brand’s philosophy behind its products. Having a diversified product portfolio also helps. For instance, more product families reduce the impact of market volatility and help improve long-term portfolio performance. Having the Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet collections reinstated would create a more well-rounded AP world. These historical collections would complete the portfolio that now consists of the contemporary Code 11.59, the ultra-sporty Royal Oak Offshore, the avant-garde Royal Oak Concept, and the iconic Royal Oak.
