Lionel Messi Shares The Values of Excellence With Audemars Piguet
In 1875, Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, two young passionate watchmakers, founded the Audemars Piguet watch factory in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux.
What was their wish at that time? Bring all the watchmaking processes-from the original design to the final product-under one roof. This is a brave challenge, but this decision to combine ancestral skills with innovative thinking is very wise. Since then, Audemars Piguet has perfectly combined traditional craftsmanship and innovative technology in a completely independent situation, and has become a leader in the art of watchmaking.
Elegant movement, common pursuit
In 1972, Lionel Messi was not yet born. That year, Audemars Piguet introduced a highly innovative watch, carefully designed by the watch wizard Gérald Genta, named Royal Oak (Royal Oak).
It is made of stainless steel and equipped with an ultra-thin self-winding mechanical movement, which is comparable to gold. The first luxury sports watch was born.
Its aesthetic design (octagonal bezel, 39 mm diameter case, stainless steel bracelet) breaks the traditional rules. Forty years later, the Royal Oak collection is still youthful and continues its elegant athletic image.
In 2005, Lionel Messi and Audemars Piguet made their first connection. To celebrate his first La Liga title, the top manager of the Spanish football club he played with presented him with a Royal Oak watch, which made him love at first sight. Between a promising Argentinian player and a maverick watch, a love affair that has only just met each other has just begun. So Lionel Messi started to collect Royal Oak watches, and since then, he has naturally become the spokesperson for Audemars Piguet in 2010.
As an immortal legend, Argentina national team midfielder Lionel Messi stands out with his personality charm. He is loyal and loyal, joining the club at the age of 14, and he still plays for the club to this day. He was generous and established a foundation in 2007 to help poor children, provide them with educational opportunities and medical services. He is selflessly dedicated and is the face of the UNICEF. He is loyal to his family and is impressed by the family that has supported his football career. As an outstanding athlete, Lionel Messi is fascinated by Audemars Piguet’s avant-garde fashion, unique design and high-precision technology; and the long history and immortal value of Audemars Piguet.
Since 2010, he has become the face of Audemars Piguet, sharing common values with this top Swiss watch brand: superior quality, authenticity and reliability. It was based on these consensuses that he decided to collaborate with Audemars Piguet. Audemars Piguet is currently the only Swiss watch factory still managed by the founder’s family.
When precision and passion 邂逅
Lionel Messi and the Royal Oak Collection-A Meaningful History
Passion, precision and rigor are values shared by Lionel Messi and Audemars Piguet. Obviously, the cooperation between the world’s best players and Le Brassus is bound to deepen … ‘To break the rules, you must first master them» ‘- Following the usual brand philosophy, Audemars Piguet decided to break the deeply rooted elemental characteristics of the Royal Oak series and launch this limited edition of 1,000 watches: the watch has a larger size, and the alligator strap replaces the stainless steel bracelet. Abandon the traditional ‘Tapisserie’ check pattern to redesign the dial and use a material rarely used in watchmaking-tantalum.
Royal Oak First 41mm Chronograph Limited Edition
The Royal Oak Edition Limitée Leo Messi is limited to 1000 pieces (available in stainless steel / tantalum, rose / tantalum or platinum / tantalum) ), Unique and unique. The 41 mm diameter gives it a stylish, atmospheric yet unobtrusive character. At the same time, this limited edition model abandons the traditional stainless steel bracelet and instead uses a crocodile leather strap with a more sporty rubber strap.
The elegant and simple dial of the Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition Lionel Messi limited edition watch does not follow the Royal Oak’s signature ‘Tapisserie’ check pattern. The stainless steel and rose gold models feature a vertical satin-finished dark gray dial with white and rose gold hour markers, while the platinum model has a dark blue dial with white gold indexes. The three chronograph dials and the small seconds of the three models have a fine silver-plated and circular satin finish.
The bezel of the Royal Oak Edition Limitée Leo Messi watch is equipped with 8 white gold polished hexagon screws, and the strap connection is made of tantalum metal, which slightly glows blue-gray. These unique shades come from the use of tantalum, which has amazing corrosion resistance and extremely high density (its density is twice that of steel), making it extremely difficult to machine and polish it.
This model is limited to 1,000 pieces: 500 stainless steel / tantalum models, 400 rose / tantalum models and 100 platinum / tantalum models. Each watch is housed in an original shoebox-shaped original case, with the interior lacquered with Messi’s message.
This Royal Oak Chronograph is equipped with a 2385 automatic mechanical movement with hours, minutes, small seconds, date display and chronograph functions. The movement has 304 components, a power reserve of 40 hours and a vibration frequency of 21600 times per hour (3 Hz). The watch is made of 18K gold one-piece rotor.
‘On the football field, I believe that we must be rigorous and pragmatic and pursue aesthetic beauty; action must be precise and decisive; work and relaxation must be relaxed. In fact, the football field is like the watch field. Without a strict and precise experience, Power and grace are just a shell of nothingness.
Royal Oak watches are both sports timepieces and luxury watches. I was lucky to receive this gift in 2005, my first Royal Oak watch. I immediately fell in love with this watch, which is uniquely designed, powerful and different. Gradually, the love for it grew day by day, so I started to collect this series of watches. And I began to understand the outstanding value of Audemars Piguet: adhering to tradition, pursuing perfection, being creative and unique.
I also found that in the field of fine watchmaking, there are only a few watchmaking factories that are still under the control of the founder’s family and maintain their independent operation. I particularly appreciate this. Because today’s business world is always controlled by those big groups, I think the word ‘independence’ will become synonymous with ‘courage’ in the future.
If courage is lacking in elegance, it becomes meaningless. So is football. You can take the ball across all your opponents and complete the most beautiful technical moves; but in the end, if your team fails, your unscrupulous skills will not make any sense. I am honored to participate in the design of the Royal Oak Leo Messi limited edition watch. I am also honored to name my watch under my name. ‘
Movement
Audemars Piguet Self-winding Mechanical Movement 2385
Total diameter: 26.20 mm (11 ½ francs)
Thickness: 5.50 mm
Number of ruby bearings: 37
Number of parts: 304
Power reserve: about 40 hours
Balance vibration frequency: 21600 times per hour (3 Hz)
Geneva Côtes de Genève and pearl polka dot perlé decoration
Rhodium plating
18K gold one-piece rotor
Features
Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
Ref. 26325TS.OO.D005CR.01
Case
Stainless steel case (41 mm), tantalum bezel,
Sapphire crystal glass with anti-glare treatment
Screw-down crown
Water-resistant to 50 meters
Case back
Stainless steel with the words ‘ROYAL OAK LIMITED EDITION’ and ‘LEO MESSI’
dial
Dark grey satin-finished dial with applied indexes
Royal Oak white gold hands, fluorescent coating
Strap
Dark grey ‘large square scale’ hand-stitched crocodile leather strap with AP steel folding buckle
Comes with a black rubber strap
Quantity
Limited edition of 500 pieces.
Ref. 26325OL.OO.D005CR.01
Case
18K rose gold case (41mm), tantalum bezel,
Sapphire crystal glass with anti-glare treatment
Screw-down crown
Water-resistant to 50 meters
Case back
18K rose gold with the words ‘ROYAL OAK LIMITED EDITION’ and ‘LEO MESSI’
dial
Dark grey satin-finished dial, rose gold applied hour-markers
Royal Oak hands in rose gold with fluorescent coating
Strap
Dark gray ‘large square scale’ hand-stitched crocodile leather strap with 18K rose gold AP word buckle
Comes with a black rubber strap
Quantity
Limited edition of 400 pieces
Ref. 26325PL.OO.D310CR.01
Case
Platinum case (41mm), tantalum bezel,
Sapphire crystal glass with anti-glare treatment
Screw-down crown
Water-resistant to 50 meters
Case back
Platinum, engraved with the words ‘ROYAL OAK LIMITED EDITION (Royal Oak Series Limited Edition)’ and ‘Leo Messi’
dial
Dark blue satin-finished dial with applied indexes
Royal Oak white gold hands, fluorescent coating
Strap
Dark blue ‘large square scale’ hand-stitched crocodile leather strap with platinum AP word clasp
Comes with a black rubber strap
Quantity
Limited edition of 100 pieces.