MichaelC
[AP Moderator]
22296
Forged Carbon Alinghi Team Chronograph
Hard to believe it has been over 7 years since the launch of this revolutionary watch by Audemars Piguet! Let's have a refresher on it.
In my opinion, the forged carbon Alinghi Team Chronograph is AP's most "audacious" Royal Oak Offshore release to date. Certainly, some other Royal Oak Offshore versions merit consideration for this distinction, but still, to this day, the very material this watch is made of remains highly polarizing. It is the first topic we consider when we speak of this watch. And when we look beyond the material, we see countless original design cues on this one that remain unique to the watch. I have always stated that AP's true limited edition watches remain just that and are not copied in other versions, and this Alinghi Team substantiates that belief.
The Regatta countdown timing feature is something we saw AP debut on the older Royal Oak Offshore Polaris. I happen to really like that Polaris dial design with the window at 12:00, and AP took the display to another level on the Alinghi Team. The circular shaped cutout on this model stretches from 12 to 3. A solid white line trims the box at 3:00, and is connected on this version to the white trimmed Alinghi logo. Early samples of this particular dial were made in this fashion, and later production dials of the 1300 piece edition were made with the red Alinghi logo un-trimmed.
If you were not a Purist when this watch came out, or did not frequent the AP forum, then you missed out on our site founder Dr. Thomas Mao's evil side. You see, leading up to the launch of this watch, we had all heard rumours of this "crazy" new Offshore AP was about to release. The excitement was really amazing, And Dr. Mao posted some thought provoking teasers. I wish I had saved them to share; I will have to search and add them to the post. My favorite was a section of the long center seconds hand, and it connected to a portion of the hours counter trim ring at 6. Definitely threw me off the track!
Back to the watch, we see lots of other original design attributes. All of the hands on this watch are awesome. The blunt and consequently appalling hour hand, the minute hand, the Star Trek evoking counter hands, and the red-orange colored seconds hand. Newly shaped luminous numerals, and a very rare dial attribute, the AP logo at 12 with a curved "AUDEMARS PIGUET" printed below it. So cool! Ceramic crown and pushers, a new crown guard, blackened bezel bolts; almost everything on this watch is specific to this reference.
The crystal was bonded to the bezel. Mine fit mostly very tight, but there were small areas where it was not perfectly clean. Certainly AP's use of forged carbon has been perfected since the launch of this watch years ago.
The watch was supplied on a rubber strap which had another unique detail, that being that the strap inserted directly into the case without the use of plots like Royal Oaks and Offshores typically utilize. I quickly changed to the optional black hornback strap with red stitching. I felt this strap took the watch to a new level. The additional lines of red really completed the theme and the three dimensional hornback strap really paired well with the modeled look of the forged carbon.
On the wrist, the watch provides great comfort. It is so light it really disappears. Some owners who struggled with normal sized steel Offshores had no difficulty wearing this slightly larger Alinghi Team Chronograph.
Originally, the watch caseback was also going to be made of forged carbon.
But the production models switched to metal, and I was told this change was made to better realize the caseback carving. Another unique Alinghi Team detail seen below are the caseback nuts.
Many folks have never been able to reconcile that such an exquisite wristwatch can be so light. It definitely is a different feeling to wear such a large watch that weighs so little. Others have complained about the appearance of forged carbon. Neither of those ideas ever bothered me. The manner in which AP uses forged carbon creates a one of a kind look, and I really enjoy that distinction.
One thing that cannot be disputed is the importance of this release by Audemars Piguet. It demonstrates the heart of the brand's core values. Is it perfect? No. Is it polarizing? Yes. That is a good thing. Actually, that is a great thing, and a huge part of what makes this brand so special.
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Forged Carbon Alinghi Team Chronograph
Hard to believe it has been over 7 years since the launch of this revolutionary watch by Audemars Piguet! Let's have a refresher on it. In my opinion, the forged carbon Alinghi Team Chronograph is AP's most "audacious" Royal Oak Offshore release to date. ...
7 years, already? Damn! I remember very well having seen it with Anthony...
At the SIHH in Geneva, but for me, it was in 2008... Which will soon be 7 years... You are right! A polarizing Watch, for sure. Some liked it, others didn't. Which is good, from my point of view, as " Vanillia watches " are sometimes boring. The forged ca...