Audemars PIguet Royal Oak Offshore Limited Edition LeBron James
Friday night in Miami, Audemars Piguet sponsored a mega event for the launch of the brand’s new LeBron James limited edition watch created in cooperation with brand ambassador and Four-time MVP Miami Heat basketball player LeBron James. We gave you a quick peek at that watch Friday night here. Now we bring you more detail about the watch and the event.
The watch houses a proprietary mechanical movement, visible via a sapphire caseback.
First, the watch: The Royal Oak Offshore Limited Edition LeBron James Watch is crafted in 18-karat pink gold with a titanium bezel. The watch houses the 365-part self-winding chronograph movement, caliber 3126/3840, and features LeBron’s signature printed in blue on the sapphire crystal case back of the watch. The dial of the watch is a superb rendition of the famed tapisserie with rose gold numerals on it. It is created in a limited edition of 600 pieces, each retailing for $51,500.
LeBron James
As to the relationship between Audemars Piguet and four-time MVP Awarded basketball player and three-time Olympic medalist, LeBron James – it has been ongoing for some time, as LeBron had been introduced to the brand by friend Jay-Z. About 2-1/2 years ago, James became a global ambassador for Audemars Piguet (which you can read about here), and went right to work on creating a timepiece to reflect his style.
In fact, LeBron James went to the Audemars Piguet factory recently to experience the making of the timepieces first hand. “Visiting the Audemars Piguet Manufacture in Le Brassus for the first time was an amazing experience. It is such a beautiful place, and I really enjoyed learning and seeing firsthand how the watch is made from beginning to end,” said LeBron after his visit.
Sketch of the LeBron James Royal Oak Offshore
“I never imagined the number of stages and the amount of people involved in making a watch from start to finish, from conception to final product. It requires a lot of technical skills and patience.”
LeBron had definite input into the design of the new Royal Oak Offshore LeBron James watch. “When designing my watch, I requested materials such as titanium and black ceramic that were very strong and durable yet elegant and sophisticated. I requested the alligator strap. I love the strap. We talked about a lot of possibilities and I thought gray would be the perfect color.”
A portion of the proceeds from each LeBron James watch will be donated by Audemars Piguet to the charity LeBron founded: The LeBron James Family Foundation, an initiative to keep kids in school and on the right track. Prior to creating his own watch, LeBron James is typically seen wearing an Audemars Piguet Millenary 4104 watch.
