audemars piguet royal oak offshore watches price

[ via Audemars Piguet ]Pursuing its long-established involvement in the field of motor racing, notably including its support for Jarno Trulli and sponsorship of the Tour Auto, the Manufacture Audemars Piguet is delighted to announce its partnership with the promising young S��bastien Buemi who has just turned 20 and is joining the exclusive ranks of Formula 1 racing drivers. Switzerland has been eagerly awaiting another Formula 1 driver for the past 14 years. Associated with the image of the Manufacture Audemars Piguet, S��bastien Buemi from Canton Vaud will begin the 2009 season in Melbourne on March 29th, at the wheel of a Toro Rosso racing car powered by a Ferrari engine. In signing the agreement with S��bastien Buemi in Lausanne on February 27th 2009, Audemars Piguet's CEO Philippe Merk stated: "For Audemars Piguet, partnering this young man with a resolutely fighting spirit was an entirely natural choice. He embodies our brand values through the Tradition of a family firmly anchored in the world of motor sports; the Excellence of his career to date; and the Daring he has displayed in reaching the highest level of his discipline". After becoming Swiss champion in the mini-category at the age of 9 and then European go-kart champion in 2002, he began racing single-seater cars the following year. Right from the first race in the Formula BMW series, he was noticed by Red Bull who signed a five-year contract with him, leading to a string of impressive results including becoming Formula BMW vice-champion in 2005, Formula 3 vice-champion in 2007 and GP2 Asian series vice-champion in 2008. His track record is studded with remarkable accomplishments such as the GP2 race at Magny-Cours, the opening event of the French Grand Prix in 2008: having set off from the 21st spot on the starting grid, he pulled off a brilliant victory, the first of his two wins in the 2008 European series. In the previous year, his talent had already propelled him to a spot as the third driver on the F1 Red Bull racing team, at the age of just 18. On December 22nd 2008, S��bastien Buemi signed his first contract as a full-fledged Formula 1 racing driver, with the Scuderia Toro Rosso. The young man from Canton Vaud still has a long road ahead of him in his attempt to match and even surpass the feats of his illustrious fellow countrymen such as Toulo de Graffenried, Clay Regazzoni and Marc Surer. Audemars Piguet, a fervent sports enthusiast, is particularly proud to welcome this talented young Formula 1 driver into its circle of ambassadors. He will be wearing the iconic Royal Oak Offshore model, an undisputed benchmark in the field of Prestige sports. Keep updated with Sebastien Buemi's news on www.sebastienbuemi.com as of March 25th, 2009 Images/text provided by Paul L. & Juliane G. at Audemars Piguet

Since the company's start in 1875 Audemars Piguet has stood among the best, with its early development of the 8-ligne minute repeater and its 1960's record breaking thin movement. But it is the Royal Oak that has become AP's most renowned watch. It was designed in 1972 by Gerald Genta, who's well-known skill has been used to create masterpieces for many other high end brands such as Patek Philippe, Omega, and IWC. The Royal Oak was a surprise success, carving out its niche as a luxury sports watch.The Royal Oak got its name from three of Britain's Royal Navy's warships that sailed between 1802 and 1939. Its relationship to ships can be seen in the porthole shaped bezel, and its sporty design. In 1993 Audemars Piguet introduced the sturdier Royal Oak, the Offshore designed for the more extreme sports. The Offshore has raised the lines success to new levels. In 2003 the brand saw some of its greatest success when it sponsored the swiss racing yacht the Alinghi in the America's Cup race. Soon after AP released the Royal Oak City of Sails Chronograph to mark the success of Team Alinghi. Since then AP has also become involved in formula one racing and in 2004 honored juan pablo montoya with a limited edition piece followed in 2006 with a watch honoring Rueben Barrichello.With the brands new success they have branched out in the world. Recently, several other limited edtion pieces have been created to honor the opening of boutique stores around the world, such as the Royal Oak Offshore Rue St-Honor�� Limited Edition series of 100 . The Paris edition is a beautiful watch on a White Hornback crocodile strap with red, white and blue seams and stainless-steel AP folding clasp. The Royal Oak Offshore Ginza Limited Edition of 200 was created to celebrate the opening of the AP Boutique in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan.