Audemars Piguet's Exceptional Tradition of Excellence Cabinet

i love watches yuh... including these ultra kicka$$ haute horology ones i had the opportunity to take shots of today... as i am fond of saying... 'let me audemars piguet u!' oh and yes they have other cool watches other than the royal oak and offshores :)

The Tradition of Excellence "Cabinet" collection was sold as a set of 8 watches with a cabinet specially built by AP for this set of 8 watches which are limited to 20 examples each number.

"Eight masterpieces in limited editions of just twenty constitute the Tradition of Excellence collection, built up between 1999 and 2006. Each year for the past three years, the Manufacture has offered a model embodying the quintessence of watchmaking know-how in a particular field. More than ever, cutting-edge technologies are placed in the service of hand-crafted creativity, culminating in accomplishments that push back the frontiers of the watchmaking art. Each watch is accompanied by complete documentation presenting the specific features of the model and the technical and philosophical choices that governed its creation. Enriched by the technical and aesthetic research required for these creations, and the integration of the inner workings with stylish exteriors achieved by the technical departments, the Tradition of Excellence collection takes all the time it needs to optimise the activity of all those involved. Finally, an original marquetry-work cabinet has been created by a craftsman in the Vallée de Joux, specifically designed to house the eight masterpieces of the Tradition of Excellence collection."

enuff words then... some cabinet pieces comin up!

Jules Audemars Number 1 ~ Tourbillon with minute repeater and chrono with split second in the Tradition of Excellence Collection. limited to 20 pieces each.

the movement is exceptional... the chrono has 2 pillar wheels and a titanium clutch lever with dual adjustment for altering the position of the chrono wheels. reduce jump on starting the chrono hands.

Jules Audemars No 2 ~ Tradition of Excellence Collection ~ minute repeater and perpetual calendar with window leap year indicator and window big date

Tradition Perpetual Calendar

Royal Oak Number 4 platinum offshore ~ Tourbillon, chrono and 10 day power reserve with special indicator(unique Double Power Reserve Indicator with unprecedented last day resolution -
displays power reserve in days, and an auxiliary fine PR indicator for the last 24 hours), manual wind. limited to 20 in the world

The chronograph contruction utilizes a new, ultra light coupling lever made entirely of titanium, thereby reducing its inertia. The theory is that such a design and construction will significantly reduce/eliminate hand jump upon chronograph function engagement

a last pic of this exceptional movement...

raphmeister's deserted island dream… desert island dream... D.I.D... whatever...

[the original post for this is up at paneristi.com (if u're wondering about the 'risti references) as it's a pass it on deal there... where folks tag the next forummer to do a d.i.d]

i had to travel to Kathmandu for an important assignment ... I was thinking plane or ship and it was a bit of coin toss ... take to the air with her

or the sea with her... hmm

but the Captain gave me assurances that she would take good care of me as we headed for our destination...

I wasn’t so sure about her crew though... they looked kinda leaden…

long story short… I wake up and find my bare ar$e in water(u r lucky there is no pic of this... might not fit in the monitor too)...
plane sinking... thankfully these guys were around and dragged me from the watery depths...

and left me ashore with ten items: 2 watches, 2 songs, 1 book, 1 movie, 1 photograph, 1 memory, 1 meal, 1 person...

well of course i will pass over these pieces first as they all probably won't hold up well on the island... ;)

and go with (1) Rolex Sub 14060M ~ my first proper watch when I was slaving away at my first job... i decided I needed a decent watch to reward myself then. At the time, i thought it was the only watch I needed and that lasted awhile. an amazing beater that works in the office and in shorts :) I dived and swam with it and knew that if I were ever on a deserted island(which i now find myself on)... I would want it on my wrist...

(2) the 372 - I have been panerai-less at times since lovin the brand n buyin my first pam in 2007 but I always dreamed of owning a kicka$$ 47mm luminor styled Pam and now that i do i don't ever want to be apart from it :) it doesn't get better than this in the current lineup impo... such a fantastic heritage piece

yup i'd be most happy with these 2...

(3 & 4) songs - hendrix little wing live at the isle of wight(but most live version would probably rule)... lamb's gorecki (& U2 & dépêche mode please!!! ;)

(5) one book – the holy bible... (6) one movie - Chungking Express - a wonderful love story directed by Wong Kar Wai & shot beautifully by Christopher Doyle & it has california dreamin...

(7) one photograph - it represents a start down a path. a journey which has its ups n downs but I wouldn't trade it for anything else... my partner in crime when she decided i was worthy

(8) one memory - the birth of these ristis! my children when they were born and watching them grow each day...

(9) one meal - my mums cooking! My mum is an amazing cook n was a professional cook n food consultant for some time as well... Her food is just so good and made with love of course :) Standouts are her popiah & kueh pai tee(pics of these are below)... but her chilli garam prawns and curry crabs are also un-freakin-believable... I am blessed with her wonderful food and love...

(10) one person - initially I was thinking some deserted island fun...

but the saner head prevailed ;) as wif many I hv to cheat a lil here... I need all my family wif me... we'll survive well together... wife can do the cookin & cleanin, the boy can get firewood and go fishing, hunting etc... lil bel can help with the washing and maybe repairs to the shelter as she can crawl into tiny spaces... i can chill on the hammock ;) jus kiddin yuh

yup i think we could be comfortable and happy here...

& that’s a wrap! thanks for making it this far and I hope you enjoyed it! :) life's a journey and it's important to have the right travelling companions to make it a great one. i am blessed with a wonderful family, cool friends from my younger days to a LOT of watch (and pam) crazy mates now :) have a great LIFE! Cheers, Raph

some drink thru a little straw... some jump into the fountain & let it satiate them fully ;) the kool aid! & my 2nd Panerai in 2 months PAM292 joins the PAM372

i'll keep this simple... with panerai if you have a Luminor(with it's distinctive crown guard) then you kinda need to have a Radiomir(wire lugs, cushion case shape ;) 

an example is my luminor and radiomir from before... the wonderful 232 (47mm radiomir) on the left and 000 base logo(44mm luminor) on the right

the thing is the radiomir i have placed an order for will probably only start delivering late this year or early next year as it's a 2012 novelty... that is TOO long a wait... wait wait wait... So what were the contenders? the 232 i had before(reference pic above), the cali 249 and the dark horse, the 292... the 232 is wonderful but i'll wait for an ecru lume version(i have an aversion to green 'cept maybe on some rollies) if and when it comes out (below 7k euro with the p3000 please :) the 249 is out of the running coz of what i have coming... so the 292 came out of nowhere for the WIN!!!

cali 249... i can't wait for the new batch :)

i wasn't convinced about the 'new materials' thing earlier(see a recent panerai post of mine and excuse the sheepish expression) but this makes sense. Panerai pre-vendome(before it's acquisition by Vendome/Richemont) made pvd watches or steel watches with a physical vapor deposition process done that left a black layer over it. most pvd or dlc(diamond like carbon) blackened pieces ranged from shiny lead like look to slightly matt depending on the process. ceramic is harder than steel so is more scratch resistant, the matt black is amazing and the overall feel of it is pretty damn cool. with pvd you can also scratch it up and see steel below the black. with ceramic that won't happen. the weight is not too light too for this piece as it has a steel case back and other steel bits. the case though should be through and through ceramic. (the other much known ceramic piece in the Richemont lineup is the iwc top gun / pilot ceramics but i digress)

so thumbing through the 2012 catalogue the smart folks at Panerai put in my hands (like giving an addict a list of all the different types of drugs available)... and checking my Radiomir requirements: (1) ecru or white-ish/light cream ivory lume (no strong green numbers please), (2) 45 or 47mm, (3) a simple dial ie no date, pr indicator etc, (4) no pig on the dial = the PAM292 (non J series). the N series is the latest, which is what i got and from my number, i think the O series is coming soon. the J series has the pig on the dial and makes it worst impo but it's desired by many coz of it. thank goodness i prefer this dial :) the pig dial one is probably about S$14+k thereabouts, the non-pig brand new is about mid to high 8s and pre-owned should be high 7s or low 8s depending on age and condition.

so the answer to the question of what's in the box if u didn't read all the text above and only came by to see pictures :) dark menacing beauty... I LOVE IT!

the black strap though is not for me so it had to go...

these screws are sooooooo tiny... to strap change, get a good 1.4mm screwdriver (i recommend the bergeon 5971)

now that's better...

mandatory wristshot on acquisition night...

and chilling beside another wonderful piece... the 372

There is one very BIG ISSUE! HUGE ISSUE about these watches though... 
my other watches aren't getting any love or wrist time ;)

there is a disconnect with this piece, the 372... it is too good to not be a special edition from panerai and yet it isn't a special edition... it's lack of exclusivity will likely hurt it's non-boutique pricing (AD and grey) though that doesn't matter to me, i find that it should be worth more than it's current price... the market and me don't jive on this and my 292 of course

one thing i will have to rectify soon though is this... the 27/22 strap it comes with a pvd buckle which i can't use on my 26/26 straps and i'm not a fan of taper so there it may remain, unused...i need a new 26mm pvd buckle asap!

and voila! by magic a matt black buckle has materialised!

and that's it. for all folks looking to buy pams, it would be good if you get a chance to see the ones you shortlist, example after your internet searches/mag browsing etc, see it in the metal/ceramic/composite to decide what works for you... try them on and see how u look and feel wif em on as it makes a difference(advice for all watches really as it will lead you to the choice that is best for you. enjoy the hunt!

cheers, raph


PS. some additional pics

the 292 over the 384 for me... i like clean simple dials for PAMs

and some pams came out to play...

 

and to end off some shots of my 292 that i love coz it shows the wonderful case angles in black!