At the Salon International de la Haute Horology (SIHH) last week, Audemars Piguet introduced a number of new Royal Oak models in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the famous timepiece the Gerald Genta created in 1972. This model is the Royal Oak Self-Winding 41 mm and is available in stainless steel with steel bracelet (shown below), rose gold with rose gold bracelet (shown above) and rose gold with strap.

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In celebration of the reopening of the famous Russian dance and opera house, the Bolshoi, Audemars Piguet has unveiled a special limited edition timepiece, the Jules Audemars Extra-Thin "Bolshoi."

The new Jules Audemars comes in an 18k white or pink gold ultra thin case that measures 41 mm in diameter by 6.7 mm in height. The 21k gold oscillating weight is skeletonized, with an image of the Bolshoi engraved in the center.

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Audemars Piguet introduced a skeletonized Royal Oak at SIHH 2010, a timepiece that has been in high demand among collectors. For SIHH 2012, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic Royal Oak, the world's first high-end steel sports wristwatch, they've created a limited edition, ultra-thin version of the Royal Oak Skeleton.

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Today, in conjunction with the opening day of the US Open tennis tournament, Audemars Piguet has announced their newest professional sports ambassador, the world's current number one tennis player - Novak Djokovic.

The most notable recent partnership between a watch company and professional tennis player, is the 2010 deal between Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille and the world's current #2 professional tennis player Rafael Nadal. The result of the relationship between Mille and Nadal has been widely publicized, mostly because Nadal wears a specially designed Richard Mille timepiece during all of his matches; and because Nadal is consistently ranked among the best tennis players in the world.

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Audemars Piguet ambassador Darren Clarke, amid tough weather conditions at Royal St Georges, won the British Open (July 17, 2011). He ended up three strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, with scores of 68, 68, 69 and 70. On his wrist, was an ultra-light Royal Oak prototype in titanium (shown above).

Philippe Merk (left), LeBron James (center), Francois-Henri Bennahmias (right)

The new LifeandTimes blog just published an interesting interview by Ben Clymer, of Audemars Piguet International CEO Philippe Merk, Audemars Piguet U.S. CEO Francois-Henri Bennahmias and Miami Heat NBA superstar LeBron James.

At SIHH 2011 there were two major trends, vintage retro watches and ultra-thin watches. This beautiful timepiece, with a mere 6.7 mm thick case, is the latter. To utilize such a thin case, Audemars Piguet, had to create an even thinner movement. The calibre 2120, like all movements at AP, was designed and produced in-house. The self-winding movement features 37 jewels, 214 parts, 40-hour power reserve and the balance beats at an unusual 19,800 vph (2.75 Hz). All parts finished by hand; mainplate rhodium-plated, bevelled and circular-grained; bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève.

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