Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVSB-qhLa80

Royal Oak Offshore by Audemars Piguet in titanium. Automatic w/ chronograph & date.

https://www.grayandsons.com/blog/audemars-piguet-royal-oak-offshore/

Basel, April 1972: at the annual Swiss Watch Show (later renamed BaselWorld), Audemars Piguet  introduced a luxury steel watch with integrated bracelet characterized by a daring and revolutionary design.  After the initial disconcert of the market, the watch - the Royal Oak - become a huge international success and one of the most iconic watches ever.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs considered enormous when the Offshore, the more “masculine” successor to the original, smaller Royal Oak watch, was launched in 1993 — but adds some modern aesthetic touches for today’s luxury-sport-watch aficionado.

The case’s crown, chronograph push-pieces, and push-piece guards have been slightly redesigned and resized; the rubber used for the crown and push-pieces of the earlier “26170” Royal Oak Offshore watches has been replaced in the new “26470” models with black ceramic. The dial’s Arabic numeral hour markers have a more sculpted look, with polished fillet borders; the sub-dials and round date window are also surrounded by polished borders. The new hands are faceted and have a luminescent coating. The colors of the date disks matches those of the dials for greater uniformity.

Of course, the Royal Oak Offshore DNA is still clearly evident: the hexagonal bezel (in satin-brushed and polished steel or rose gold) secured by eight polished steel hexagonal screws; the waffle-like “Mega Tapisserie” pattern on the dial that helps enhance its depth; and the applied Audemars Piguet “AP” initials in white or rose gold directly above a white transfer brand logo on a raised cartouche.


Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 18k rose gold - https://www.grayandsons.com/w520495-audemars-piguet-offshore-5620.html
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 25854st/0/1150st/01 - https://www.grayandsons.com/w517454-audemars-piguet-royal-oak-offshore-25.html
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Ref AP26400SOOOA002CA01 - https://www.grayandsons.com/w519928-audemars-piguet-offshore-ap26400soooa.html

Gray & Sons Jewelers specializes in buying and selling fine preowned watches and estate jewelry. To view more Audemars Piguet watches visit https://www.grayandsons.com/fine-watches/audemars-piguet.html

Jaeger Lecoultre Reverso Sun Moon

https://www.grayandsons.com/blog/jaeger-lecoultre-reverso-sun-moon/

With an 8-day power reserve and a vertical, rectangular dial case, a Reverso Sun Moon from Jaeger LeCoultre watches is worth the respect it receives from the luxury watch community. Classic appearance and engineering are coupled with modern features and conveniences, and the phases of the moon present on the dial are what give this series its sense of distinction. Fine metals such as pink gold and sterling silver make up the materials used for the cases, with leather straps and large Arabic numeral inlays completing the fine presentation.

These watches are manual wind, in the classic style of fine watchmaking, but with a generous power reserve provided by the double movement, which is clearly visible through the sapphire crystal on the back. Each watch in the series is pleasant in the hand due to its relative lightweight, yet large enough to be clearly seen when worn on the wrist. Fashionable in any situation, Jaeger LeCoultre watches are a worthwhile addition to any collection, either as an occasional fashion accessory, a piece of jewelry collected for value and aesthetic purposes, or as an everyday watch.

The hour and minute hands, the phases of the moon, and the date are all conveniently located on the dial in a way that is tasteful, giving a good appearance and letting these features clearly be seen in all conditions. Luxury timepieces of this sort deserve a special place in your collection. They will last a long time due to the quality of the fine metals and the quality of the craftsmanship. Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Sun Moon watches are a special collection worthy of your perusal.

https://www.grayandsons.com/blog/jaeger-lecoultre-reverso-sun-moon/

Corum Golden Bridge Review

Patek Philippe Watch Repair Vintage 1947 Rare Model

New and Improved Gray & Sons Blog!

While we have enjoyed our home on blogspot for many years, we have moved our website onto our own website at https://www.grayandsons.com/blog/. This makes it easier for our readers to navigate back and forth between our site and our blog and gives us more ownership of the blog.

We appreciate all of our readers and hope you will continue to follow "Watch This!" at it's new home on our site at https://www.grayandsons.com/blog/.

Thank you and goodnight.

Our Tribute To Panerai

As a pre-owned luxury jeweler we get a lot of gorgeous inventory cycling through our showroom. We've seen thousands of Rolexes, Patek Philippes, Vacheron Constantines, and Audemars Piguets throughout our time in the watch industry.

Even though we have been appraisers and dealers of the finest luxury arm candy for over three decades, we still get a tinge of excitement for each quality piece that finds its way into our hands.

As a result of our never-ending enthusiasm for our products and the brands we carry, Gray & Sons is proud to announce we will be creating tribute videos for those brands that never cease to impress.

Our first "Epic trailer"--as we like to call it--is an homage to Panerai.

We hope you enjoy.

A word about Panerai:

Panerai's watches are a natural blend of Italian design, Swiss technology and passion for the sea.

Panerai was born in 1860 in Florence during the cradle of the Renaissance. The art and the science which have made Italy famous throughout the world are values that Officine Panerai expresses through its watches, which it reinterprets over time with passion, technical excellence and exclusive design.

A watch-making laboratory, highly specialized since the nineteenth century, supplier of measurement and precision instruments to the Italian Navy in the nineteen hundreds, fine watchmaker and international brand in the twenty-first century. The deep-rooted links with the world of the sea, the true heritage of the Brand, bestow on each watch a sporting character that is unique and authentic, like the history of Panerai.

See our exclusive pre-owned Panerai collection

Gray & Sons Partners with Best Buddies to Present a Limited Edition Jaeger LeCoultre Atmos Regulateur Transparent Table Clock

An Elegant and Pronounced Timepiece Available For Purchase In The Name Of A Worthy Cause...

Eunice Kennedy Shriver dedicated her life to improve and enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities. She – sister to President John F. Kennedy – was the founder of the Special Olympics and a leader in the worldwide struggle to understand and aid the disabled. 

Upon her death, she asked that her son, Anthony Kennedy Shriver, sell her prized limited-edition Atmos Regulateur Transparent Glass Table Clock number 1/50 in the name of her lifelong commitment to this worthy cause. Today, Gray & Sons is proud to be the fine watch and jewelry establishment selected to oversee the sale and handling of this prized timepiece. The Atmos clock is being sold for the benefit of Best Buddies International, a global non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that Anthony Kennedy Shriver founded in 1989 to create opportunities for friendship, employment and leadership training for people with intellectual disabilities.

This timepiece is a Jaeger LeCoultre Atmos Regulateur Transparent Table Clock: #1 of 50. It is powered by minor changes in temperature and atmospheric air pressure. The first simple Atmos was invented by Jaeger LeCoultre in 1928. It features a glass case and transparent dial with Arabic numerals, mechanical calibre 582 movement with moon phases, month, and 24-hour display.

The last new retail price for this clock was $62,000, but you can own this Kennedy Heirloom and fine clock for only $44,500 including insured delivery from Gray & Sons. Part of this purchase may be considered a tax deductible donation- please check with your tax advisor. 

Hand Delivery & Set-Up By Master Watchmaker Available For Additional Fee.

If you would like to purchase this clock, call Gray & Sons at 1-800-918-2608 anytime from 9am to 6pm EDT.

What makes the Atmos Clocks by Jaeger LeCoultre so special?

The Atmos clocks do not need a power plug nor a winding key. Instead, they get their energy from temperature changes in the environment. The following explanation is taken from the Atmos wikipage:

“Its power source is a hermetically sealed capsule containing a mixture of gas and liquid ethyl chloride, which expands into an expansion chamber as the temperature rises, compressing a spiral spring; with a fall in temperature the gas condenses and the spring slackens. This motion constantly winds the mainspring. A variation in temperature of only one degree in the range between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius is sufficient for two days’ operation.

In order to run the clock on this small amount of energy, everything inside the Atmos has to work in as friction-free a manner as possible. For timekeeping it uses a torsion pendulum, which consumes less energy than an ordinary pendulum. The torsion pendulum executes only two torsional oscillations per minute, which is 60 times slower that the pendulum in a conventional clock.”

As pictured on Atmos Adam’s website:

Click here for the official Jaeger LeCoultre Atmos pages: 
http://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/la/en/watches/atmos-classique

If you are interested in supporting Best Buddies, please make a tax deductible donation to this worth-while cause at:  www.bestbuddies.org/donate.

Or send a check to:

Jen Miller

Best Buddies International

100 Southeast Second Street, Suite 2200

Miami, FL 33131

How Will 3D Printing Affect The Watchmaking Industry?

There have been shocking developments in the 3D printing market. From where we stand, everything from food to flesh can now be 3D printed.

For example. a 3D printed watch:

Image found 3DPrintingIndustry.com

This new technology completely disrupts classical manufacturing as we know it, and the best part is that 3D printers can now be purchased for as little as $400.

Here at Gray & Sons, our expert watch restorers and repairers could not be more excited for this technology. As an independent watchmaking establishment, we have a full team of watchrepairmen who spend hours and even days replicating the intricate insides of the luxury watches we are sworn to restore to Like New condition. It can be time-consuming, expensive, and even dangerous to hand manufacture these pieces, which cannot be purchased individually since upper-crust watch factories refuse to sell parts to smaller establishments. 3D printing will make these headaches and expenses a thing of the past.

To back up our excitement, consider this: The Economist just ran a lengthy special report on 3D printing, which it calls “A Third Industrial Revolution”.

What is 3D printing?

According to the Wall Street Journal, three-dimensional printing and other forms of what is known as 'additive manufacturing' use neither machines nor molds. They build an object from the bottom up by piling razor-thin layers of material on top of each other until a three-dimensional shape emerges. The computer-guided technologies enables individuals to create objects, particularly prototypes, without a shop full of metal presses, cutting lathes or plastic injection molds. In contrast, traditional methods like milling and drilling are subtractive - start with a large blank and whittle it down.

Consider the process of making a hammer. Traditionally, the head has to be moulded and cast and thousands would have to be made to amortise the cost of the mould, which can only make a hammer head and nothing else.

But a 3D printer can print the head and handle, just one of each, at the cost of the material only and the software programming. And then it can go on to print whatever else is desired.

3D printing can produce nearly anything from nothing but a 3D model, meaning the sky is the limit.

What will 3D printing mean for watchmaking?

3D printing has already found a home in major watch factories, where the process is used to make resin prototypes of watch cases to evaluate form and size. And the process can become so advanced, it can create designs out of metals, woods, and other natural materials and even the inner movements as well!

Gray & Son's own Expert In-House Watchmaker Junior Whyte believes 3D printing will be game-changing news for the watch industry. "In the watch industry now, most of the top of the line companies like Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, etc, don't want to sell their watch parts to watchmakers. It will especially be great for watchmaking establishments who are not authorized dealers. Watch supply stores won't have to get their parts from the upper-hand watch houses like Cartier, Vacheron Constantine and other Swiss watchmakers who typically refuse to sell their parts to individual watchmakers. Overall, this would lessen the monopoly on luxury watches and repair."

Another side-effect is that watch designers can have more freedom to produce out-of-the-box ideas, no longer constrained by the molds and machinery at hand, since the printer can print out anything!

In short, emphasis will be placed on design rather than construction, making it possible for watches to become more detailed and interesting and at the same time easier to repair.


Sources:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323716304578483062211388072.html
http://www.watchesbysjx.com/2012/04/3d-printing-will-radically-change.html


See How 3D Printing Works:


3-D printing is a revolutionary new technology unlocking a world of innovation in design. The WSJ's Diana Jou explores everything from high fashion dresses to medical models made from nothing but a printer.

The Vintage 1945 Lady by Girard-Perregaux

Girard-Perregaux recently unveiled the new Vintage 1945 Lady, the perfect addition to its BaselWorld 2013 collection, showing off the brand’s skill in creating feminine watches.

The Vintage 1945 Lady features a single rows of diamonds along the sides of a steel case. The straight lines and curves outlining this watch are an ode to Art Deco of the early twentieth century.

The gentle curve of the case and the smooth, elegant lines outlining the dial elevate this watch to true luxury status. The delicate diamonds marking the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock create a beautiful blend of form and function on this uniquely female mechanical timepiece.

You can find rare and beautiful pre-owned Girard-Perregaux  watches on our website at https://www.grayandsons.com/fine-watches/other-watches-brands/girard-perregaux.html 

We recently acquired this gorgeous womens Vintage 1945 with diamonds that is particularly inspiring. It can be seen here: https://www.grayandsons.com/w520840-girard-perregaux-25870d11a1d111b.html

Swiss Watch Industry News: Swatch VS Cartier, Tag Heuer, Cie, and others.

Watch industry news from Switzerland reveals that big Swiss watchmaker Swatch is pushing to reduce the number of movements and parts it sells to rivals.

Rivals include big luxury brands like Cie, Cartier and Tag Heuer, who use Swatch components in some of their most exclusive products. Swatch, on the other hand, is known for its playful plastic watches that are incredibly reliable and well-made. It’s almost as if these other brands are taking the best parts of Swatch and refinishing them in higher-end materials.

From the sound of it, Swatch is effectively subsidizing the competition by shouldering research-and-development and production costs for the rest of the industry. While Swatch makes itself profitable due to intense market penetration, they are still losing out in comparison to other companies due to the incredibly low price in which they have to offer their components. In some cases, rival companies can turn around and resell those same components for a profit.

"We are in a ridiculous situation that would be like having BMW supply all the engines for Audi and Mercedes," says Nick Hayek, Swatch's chief executive and the son of the company's founder. "In no other industry do you have one company supply all the critical parts to the people who then compete directly with it."

Undoubtedly, Swatch has made a strong case for themselves. And the good news is they aren’t planning to completely eliminate its supply of components to other watchmakers, but merely to reduce supplies and name their own prices.

If they win their lawsuit, smaller watchmakers could go out of business or be forced into the arms of larger companies like Audemars and even Swatch.

Whichever way the court rules, the Swiss watch industry will remain innovative and perhaps the market will see amazing new ideas as companies are forced to respond creatively to this news.

Read the full article here on The Wall Street Journal.

Gray and Sons carries the finest in pre-owned Cartier watches, used Audemars Piguet watches, and Like New estate jewelry. Visit us at http://grayandsons.com for more information.