{"lien_WSTV":"","tax_name":"deprecated","tax_rate":20,"id_manufacturer":"0","id_supplier":"0","id_category_default":"609","id_shop_default":"1","manufacturer_name":false,"supplier_name":false,"name":"Royal Oak Edition Limit\u00e9e Leo Messi","description":"<strong>Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition<\/strong><br \/><br \/><em>\u201cIn football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision.\u201d <\/em><br \/>Leo Messi <br \/><br \/>The Audemars Piguet manufacture was founded in 1875 in the Joux Valley in Switzerland by two keen watchmakers, Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet.\u00a0 <br \/>\u00a0 <br \/>At the time their motivation was to bring every stage of watchmaking, from the initial design right down to the finished product, under a single roof. It was a bold challenge but their decision to marry ancestral know-how with the spirit of innovation turned out to be right. Since then, Audemars Piguet has become master in the art of watchmaking, combining a sense of tradition and creative perfection while retaining complete independence. <br \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <br \/>40 years after its birth, the Royal Oak reasserts itself as a timeless icon of sporting elegance. In parallel with this anniversary and the two platinum pieces specially created to mark the occasion, Audemars Piguet presents a 41 mm chronograph dedicated to the world\u2019s best footballer, Leo Messi. It will be the only other Royal Oak special edition in 2012. Limited to 1000 pieces offered in three different versions, the Royal Oak Leo Messi stands apart both in the materials used and in its original and novel design. Some footballers are said to be able to win a match on their own. Others are said to have the capacity to help their teammates play better. Leo Messi is one of the very few to belong to both categories. At a mere 24 years old, this brilliant Argentine footballer has already left his mark on the history of football. Three times voted Ballon d\u2019Or, and several times named best player, winner of five Spanish championships and three Champions Leagues, this magician of the pitch in the number 10 shirt has revolutionised football with his exceptional technique and exemplary sense of teamwork and fair play.\u00a0 <br \/><br \/><strong>A SHARED PHILOSOPHY OF\u00a0 <br \/>SPORTING ELEGANCE\u00a0 <\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>In 1972, before Leo Messi was even born, Audemars Piguet brought out a revolutionary watch designed by G\u00e9rald Genta, named the Royal Oak. It was made in steel, powered by an ultra-thin self-winding movement\u2026 and sold at the price of gold. The first luxury sports watch was born. Its aesthetic codes (an octagonal bezel, a 39 mm diameter and a tapered steel bracelet) upset all the conventions of the time. Forty years have gone by, but the Royal Oak hasn\u2019t skipped a beat and remains an icon of sporting elegance. Leo Messi discovered Audemars Piguet in 2005. To celebrate his first Liga title, the managers of his Spanish club presented him with a Royal Oak. It was love at first sight. And that was just the first chapter in the love story between this promising Argentine footballer and this unusually designed watch. Leo Messi then began to collect Royal Oaks and it wasn\u2019t long before he slipped into the role of brand ambassador in 2010.\u00a0 <br \/>\u00a0 <br \/><strong>LEO MESSI AND AUDEMARS PIGUET\u00a0 <br \/>A STORY OF\u00a0 VALUES <\/strong><br \/><br \/>As well as being a living legend, the Argentine national team\u2019s playmaker is noted for his great human qualities. Loyal: he still wears the colours of the club he joined at the age of 14. Generous: he created a foundation in aid of underprivileged children in 2007 to provide them with access to education and health. Altruistic : he is an ambassador of Unicef. Faithful : he has remained very close to his family who have unfailingly supported him throughout his career. An exceptional sportsman, Leo Messi likes Audemars Piguet watches for their modernity, their design and their faultless technical quality as well as for the story they tell and the values they embody. As brand ambassador since 2010, he shares a certain vision of excellence and authenticity with the Swiss manufacture. For these reasons he decided to endorse one of the last watch brands still run by its founding family. <br \/>\u00a0 <br \/><strong>LEO MESSI AND ROYAL OAK\u00a0 <br \/>A STORY OF VALUES <\/strong><br \/><br \/>Passion, precision, and rigour are three values shared by Leo Messi and Audemars Piguet. It was obvious that the collaboration between the world\u2019s best player and the Brassus Manufacture was just a beginning\u2026 In line with the brand\u2019s philosophy (\u201cTo break the rules, you must first master them\u201d), it was decided to break with the Royal Oak\u2019s strong codes to launch this limited series of 1000 pieces: a slightly larger sightly larger size, an alligator strap rather than a steel bracelet, a dial reinvented without the traditional \u201ctapisserie\u201d motif as well as the use of a material rarely seen in watchmaking \u2013 tantalum.\u00a0 <br \/>\u00a0<br \/><strong>THE FIRST LIMITED EDITION ROYAL OAK 41 MM CHRONOGRAPH\u00a0 <\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Presented as a limited series of only 1000 pieces (in steel\/tantalum, pink gold\/tantalum and platinum\/tantalum), the Limited Edition Leo Messi Royal Oak is distinctive on every front. With a 41 mm diameter, it offers a generous and modern face that avoids being ostentatious. In addition, the limited series is graced with an alligator strap \u2013 and with an additional sportier rubber strap \u2013 to replace the traditional steel bracelet. The Leo Messi Royal Oak\u2019s pure and elegant dial does not repeat the \u201ctapisserie\u201d motif that was the Royal Oak\u2019s trademark. The dial is vertically brushed anthracite with hour markers in white gold for the steel version and pink gold for the pink gold version, while the platinum version sports a deep blue dial with white gold hour markers. For all versions, the three auxiliary chronograph counters and the small seconds counter are encircled by a finely brushed silvered ring. <br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Retaining the collection\u2019s eight hexagonal screws in polished white gold, the bezel of the Limited Edition Leo Messi Royal Oak and the fastening links of the strap are in tantalum, giving off subtle glints of blue and grey. The uniqueness of these sublime colour effects governed the choice of tantalum, a material with very strong resistance to corrosion and high density \u2013 about twice as heavy as steel \u2013 that is particularly difficult to machine and polish.\u00a0 <br \/>\u00a0<br \/>The Leo Messi Royal Oak is offered in a limited series of 1000 : 500 in steel\/tantalum, 400 in pink gold\/tantalum and 100 in platinum\/tantalum. Each watch is delivered in an original case in the shape of a lacquered shoe box decorated on the inside with the player\u2019s dedication. <br \/>\u00a0<br \/>This Royal Oak chronograph houses the self-winding mechanical calibre 2385 which offers hours, minutes, small seconds, date and chronograph functions. Made up of 304 components, the movement has a 40-hour power reserve and beats at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz). It is fitted with a single-block 18 ct gold oscillating weight. <br \/><br \/><strong>Why did I fall in love with Royal Oak' <\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>\u201cOn the football pitch I have always given equal importance to rigour and beauty of movement, precision and boldness, work and fluency. In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision. <br \/>\u00a0<br \/>A Royal Oak is a sports watch and a luxury watch in one. I was lucky enough to receive my first Royal Oak in 2005. I immediately fell in love with this watch and its powerful and distinctive design. As time went by, I began to collect them. And I gradually came to understand the values of Audemars Piguet: respect for traditions, the uncompromising quest for quality, the sense of innovation and the pedigree design of their watches.\u00a0 <br \/>\u00a0<br \/>I also discovered that this watchmaking manufacture was one of the few independent firms in its field that is still owned by the founding families, which was something I really liked about them. Nowadays the world is so dominated by big corporations that staying independent has become a mark of courage.\u00a0 <br \/>\u00a0<br \/>And elegance means nothing without courage. It\u2019s pretty much the same on a football pitch. You can dribble past all your opponents and carry off the finest technical feats; but if your team ends up losing the match, it\u2019s just a meaningless waste of energy. I\u2019m proud to have played a part in the creation of the Royal Oak Leo Messi, and proud that it bears my name.\u201d <br \/><strong>Leo Messi<\/strong><br \/><br \/><strong>Leo Messi Foundation Mission and Vision <\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Leo Messi Foundation has originated as an initiative of Leo Messi with the support of all his family and with the idea that all children have the same opportunities for making their dreams come true. <br \/>Since 2007, the Foundation has been working -in a tireless way- on carrying out its Mission, which is focused on favor of kids and adolescents who are in a risk situation. The prospects are to work on actions, not only in Argentina and Spain, but also abroad and together with other institutions which develop projects in alignment with the ideals of the Foundation: Education and Health Care (focused on childhood cancer treatment and \u201cMal de Chagas\u201d illness).\u00a0 <br \/>\"One day, after a visit to a hospital, I realized the special dimension of a public figure. I understood that to these sick children the presence of a known player can be very helpful. You are there and they smile and for them is a special joy because they are most eager to keep fighting, because they really believe they will outgrow the disease and to pursue their dreams.. <br \/>I reached my dream of becoming a footballer and I want you to know that I fought hard to get and I have to fight even harder to keep. That effort and that success I want to use it to help children who need it most, because that is what I chose, because I get excited every day that a child smile when he thinks that there is hope, when I see him happy. So we decided to create the Foundation Leo Messi. And I will keep fighting to bring joy to children with the same force and intensity that I need to remain footballer. This is exactly the goal that the Leo Messi Foundation wants to communicate: \"I chose to believe.\" <br \/>(Leo Messi)","description_short":"","quantity":0,"minimal_quantity":"1","available_now":"","available_later":"","price":56233.333333,"specificPrice":false,"additional_shipping_cost":"0.00","wholesale_price":"0.000000","on_sale":"0","online_only":"0","unity":"","unit_price":0,"unit_price_ratio":"0.000000","ecotax":"0.000000","reference":"26325PL.OO.D310CR.01","supplier_reference":"","location":"","width":"0.000000","height":"0.000000","depth":"0.000000","weight":"0.000000","ean13":"","upc":"","link_rewrite":"royal-oak-edition-limitee-leo-messi","meta_description":"Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition\u201cIn football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision.\u201d Leo Messi The Audemars Pig...","meta_keywords":"","meta_title":"Watch Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Edition Limit\u00e9e Leo Messi | Royal Oak 26325PL.OO.D310CR.01 Platinum - Tantalum - Crocodile S...","quantity_discount":"0","customizable":"0","new":false,"uploadable_files":"0","text_fields":"0","active":"1","redirect_type":"","id_product_redirected":"0","available_for_order":"0","available_date":"0000-00-00","condition":"new","show_price":"1","indexed":"1","visibility":"both","date_add":"2015-08-03 22:47:21","date_upd":"2015-09-30 13:25:05","tags":false,"base_price":"56233.333333","id_tax_rules_group":"1","id_color_default":0,"advanced_stock_management":"0","out_of_stock":0,"depends_on_stock":false,"isFullyLoaded":true,"cache_is_pack":"0","cache_has_attachments":"1","is_virtual":"0","id_pack_product_attribute":null,"cache_default_attribute":"0","category":"royal-oak","pack_stock_type":"3","id":4034,"id_shop_list":null,"force_id":false,"customization_required":false}
{"Compl\u00e9ment":"Platinum - Tantalum - Crocodile Strap","Statut de vente":"En vente depuis","Date":"2012","Pi\u00e8ce unique":"No","S\u00e9rie limit\u00e9e":"Oui","Nombre d exemplaire":"100","Sexe":"Homme","Gaucher":"No","Diam\u00e8tre":"41","Types":"Self-winding","Styles":"Sporty","Calibre_autre":"2385","Calibre distinction":"C\u00f4tes de Gen\u00e8ve, Circular Graining","Affichage":"Luminescent hands","Affichage_autre":"White gold hands","Complication":"Chronograph, 12-Hour Counter, Small Seconds, 30-Minute Counter","Mati\u00e8re du bo\u00eetier":"Platinum","Particularit\u00e9 du boitier":"Screwed-down crown","Particularit\u00e9 du boitier_autre":"Tantalum bezel, Steel caseback inscribed \u201cROYAL OAK LIMITED EDITION\u201d and \u201cLEO MESSI\u201d","Etanch\u00e9it\u00e9":"50 meters","Forme":"Other","Cadran":"Satin-finish","Couleur du cadran":"Dark blue","Index":"Baton-type","Index_autre":"Applied hour-markers","Verre":"Sapphire, Antireflective coating","Mati\u00e8re du bracelet":"Crocodile leather","Fermeture du bracelet":"Folding buckle ","Couleur du bracelet":"Dark blue","Plus de caract\u00e9ristiques":"MOVEMENT <br \/>Manufacture Calibre 2385<br \/>Overall diameter: 26.20 mm <br \/>(11\u00bd lines) <br \/>Thickness: 5.50 mm <br \/>37 jewels <br \/>304 components <br \/>Minimum power reserve: <br \/>approx. 40 hours <br \/>Balance wheel rate: <br \/>21.600 vibrations\/hour (3Hz)<br \/>Decorated with the Geneva stripes motif and pearled <br \/>Rhodium plated <br \/>Single-block 18 ct gold oscillating weight <br \/><br \/>STRAP <br \/>Hand-stitched strap in dark blue \u201clarge square scale\u201d crocodile with platinum AP folding clasp <br \/>Second strap in black rubber\u00a0 "}
Royal Oak Edition Limitée Leo Messi
26325PL.OO.D310CR.01
| Brand : | Audemars Piguet |
| Collection : | Royal Oak |
| Model : | Royal Oak Edition Limitée Leo Messi |
| Reference : | 26325PL.OO.D310CR.01 |
| Nber of pieces : | 100 |
| Complement : | Platinum - Tantalum - Crocodile Strap |
| On sale : | 2012 |
PDF INDEX CARD
-
Brand : Audemars Piguet Collection : Royal Oak Model : Royal Oak Edition Limitée Leo Messi Reference : 26325PL.OO.D310CR.01 Nber of pieces : 100 Complement : Platinum - Tantalum - Crocodile Strap On sale : 2012 List Price : 67 480 € Diameter : 41 mm Styles : Sporty Types : Self-winding Calibre : 2385 Calibre distinction : Côtes de Genève Circular Graining Complication : Chronograph 12-Hour Counter Small Seconds 30-Minute Counter Case material : Platinum Case peculiarity : Screwed-down crown Tantalum bezel Steel caseback inscribed “ROYAL OAK LIMITED EDITION” and “LEO MESSI” Shape : Other Water-resistance : 50 meters Dial : Satin-finish Dial color : Dark blue Display : Luminescent hands White gold hands Indexes : Baton-type Applied hour-markers Glass : Sapphire Antireflective coating Strap material : Crocodile leather Strap color : Dark blue Strap clasp : Folding buckle + More characteristics : MOVEMENT
Manufacture Calibre 2385
Overall diameter: 26.20 mm
(11½ lines)
Thickness: 5.50 mm
37 jewels
304 components
Minimum power reserve:
approx. 40 hours
Balance wheel rate:
21.600 vibrations/hour (3Hz)
Decorated with the Geneva stripes motif and pearled
Rhodium plated
Single-block 18 ct gold oscillating weight
STRAP
Hand-stitched strap in dark blue “large square scale” crocodile with platinum AP folding clasp
Second strap in black rubber
DESCRIPTION
- Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition
“In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision.”
Leo Messi
The Audemars Piguet manufacture was founded in 1875 in the Joux Valley in Switzerland by two keen watchmakers, Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet.
At the time their motivation was to bring every stage of watchmaking, from the initial design right down to the finished product, under a single roof. It was a bold challenge but their decision to marry ancestral know-how with the spirit of innovation turned out to be right. Since then, Audemars Piguet has become master in the art of watchmaking, combining a sense of tradition and creative perfection while retaining complete independence.
40 years after its birth, the Royal Oak reasserts itself as a timeless icon of sporting elegance. In parallel with this anniversary and the two platinum pieces specially created to mark the occasion, Audemars Piguet presents a 41 mm chronograph dedicated to the world’s best footballer, Leo Messi. It will be the only other Royal Oak special edition in 2012. Limited to 1000 pieces offered in three different versions, the Royal Oak Leo Messi stands apart both in the materials used and in its original and novel design. Some footballers are said to be able to win a match on their own. Others are said to have the capacity to help their teammates play better. Leo Messi is one of the very few to belong to both categories. At a mere 24 years old, this brilliant Argentine footballer has already left his mark on the history of football. Three times voted Ballon d’Or, and several times named best player, winner of five Spanish championships and three Champions Leagues, this magician of the pitch in the number 10 shirt has revolutionised football with his exceptional technique and exemplary sense of teamwork and fair play.
A SHARED PHILOSOPHY OF
SPORTING ELEGANCE
In 1972, before Leo Messi was even born, Audemars Piguet brought out a revolutionary watch designed by Gérald Genta, named the Royal Oak. It was made in steel, powered by an ultra-thin self-winding movement… and sold at the price of gold. The first luxury sports watch was born. Its aesthetic codes (an octagonal bezel, a 39 mm diameter and a tapered steel bracelet) upset all the conventions of the time. Forty years have gone by, but the Royal Oak hasn’t skipped a beat and remains an icon of sporting elegance. Leo Messi discovered Audemars Piguet in 2005. To celebrate his first Liga title, the managers of his Spanish club presented him with a Royal Oak. It was love at first sight. And that was just the first chapter in the love story between this promising Argentine footballer and this unusually designed watch. Leo Messi then began to collect Royal Oaks and it wasn’t long before he slipped into the role of brand ambassador in 2010.
LEO MESSI AND AUDEMARS PIGUET
A STORY OF VALUES
As well as being a living legend, the Argentine national team’s playmaker is noted for his great human qualities. Loyal: he still wears the colours of the club he joined at the age of 14. Generous: he created a foundation in aid of underprivileged children in 2007 to provide them with access to education and health. Altruistic : he is an ambassador of Unicef. Faithful : he has remained very close to his family who have unfailingly supported him throughout his career. An exceptional sportsman, Leo Messi likes Audemars Piguet watches for their modernity, their design and their faultless technical quality as well as for the story they tell and the values they embody. As brand ambassador since 2010, he shares a certain vision of excellence and authenticity with the Swiss manufacture. For these reasons he decided to endorse one of the last watch brands still run by its founding family.
LEO MESSI AND ROYAL OAK
A STORY OF VALUES
Passion, precision, and rigour are three values shared by Leo Messi and Audemars Piguet. It was obvious that the collaboration between the world’s best player and the Brassus Manufacture was just a beginning… In line with the brand’s philosophy (“To break the rules, you must first master them”), it was decided to break with the Royal Oak’s strong codes to launch this limited series of 1000 pieces: a slightly larger sightly larger size, an alligator strap rather than a steel bracelet, a dial reinvented without the traditional “tapisserie” motif as well as the use of a material rarely seen in watchmaking – tantalum.
THE FIRST LIMITED EDITION ROYAL OAK 41 MM CHRONOGRAPH
Presented as a limited series of only 1000 pieces (in steel/tantalum, pink gold/tantalum and platinum/tantalum), the Limited Edition Leo Messi Royal Oak is distinctive on every front. With a 41 mm diameter, it offers a generous and modern face that avoids being ostentatious. In addition, the limited series is graced with an alligator strap – and with an additional sportier rubber strap – to replace the traditional steel bracelet. The Leo Messi Royal Oak’s pure and elegant dial does not repeat the “tapisserie” motif that was the Royal Oak’s trademark. The dial is vertically brushed anthracite with hour markers in white gold for the steel version and pink gold for the pink gold version, while the platinum version sports a deep blue dial with white gold hour markers. For all versions, the three auxiliary chronograph counters and the small seconds counter are encircled by a finely brushed silvered ring.
Retaining the collection’s eight hexagonal screws in polished white gold, the bezel of the Limited Edition Leo Messi Royal Oak and the fastening links of the strap are in tantalum, giving off subtle glints of blue and grey. The uniqueness of these sublime colour effects governed the choice of tantalum, a material with very strong resistance to corrosion and high density – about twice as heavy as steel – that is particularly difficult to machine and polish.
The Leo Messi Royal Oak is offered in a limited series of 1000 : 500 in steel/tantalum, 400 in pink gold/tantalum and 100 in platinum/tantalum. Each watch is delivered in an original case in the shape of a lacquered shoe box decorated on the inside with the player’s dedication.
This Royal Oak chronograph houses the self-winding mechanical calibre 2385 which offers hours, minutes, small seconds, date and chronograph functions. Made up of 304 components, the movement has a 40-hour power reserve and beats at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz). It is fitted with a single-block 18 ct gold oscillating weight.
Why did I fall in love with Royal Oak'
“On the football pitch I have always given equal importance to rigour and beauty of movement, precision and boldness, work and fluency. In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision.
A Royal Oak is a sports watch and a luxury watch in one. I was lucky enough to receive my first Royal Oak in 2005. I immediately fell in love with this watch and its powerful and distinctive design. As time went by, I began to collect them. And I gradually came to understand the values of Audemars Piguet: respect for traditions, the uncompromising quest for quality, the sense of innovation and the pedigree design of their watches.
I also discovered that this watchmaking manufacture was one of the few independent firms in its field that is still owned by the founding families, which was something I really liked about them. Nowadays the world is so dominated by big corporations that staying independent has become a mark of courage.
And elegance means nothing without courage. It’s pretty much the same on a football pitch. You can dribble past all your opponents and carry off the finest technical feats; but if your team ends up losing the match, it’s just a meaningless waste of energy. I’m proud to have played a part in the creation of the Royal Oak Leo Messi, and proud that it bears my name.”
Leo Messi
Leo Messi Foundation Mission and Vision
Leo Messi Foundation has originated as an initiative of Leo Messi with the support of all his family and with the idea that all children have the same opportunities for making their dreams come true.
Since 2007, the Foundation has been working -in a tireless way- on carrying out its Mission, which is focused on favor of kids and adolescents who are in a risk situation. The prospects are to work on actions, not only in Argentina and Spain, but also abroad and together with other institutions which develop projects in alignment with the ideals of the Foundation: Education and Health Care (focused on childhood cancer treatment and “Mal de Chagas” illness).
"One day, after a visit to a hospital, I realized the special dimension of a public figure. I understood that to these sick children the presence of a known player can be very helpful. You are there and they smile and for them is a special joy because they are most eager to keep fighting, because they really believe they will outgrow the disease and to pursue their dreams..
I reached my dream of becoming a footballer and I want you to know that I fought hard to get and I have to fight even harder to keep. That effort and that success I want to use it to help children who need it most, because that is what I chose, because I get excited every day that a child smile when he thinks that there is hope, when I see him happy. So we decided to create the Foundation Leo Messi. And I will keep fighting to bring joy to children with the same force and intensity that I need to remain footballer. This is exactly the goal that the Leo Messi Foundation wants to communicate: "I chose to believe."
(Leo Messi)
- Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition
“In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision.”
Leo Messi
The Audemars Piguet manufacture was founded in 1875 in the Joux Valley in Switzerland by two keen watchmakers, Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet.
At the time their motivation was to bring every stage of watchmaking, from the initial design right down to the finished product, under a single roof. It was a bold challenge but their decision to marry ancestral know-how with the spirit of innovation turned out to be right. Since then, Audemars Piguet has become master in the art of watchmaking, combining a sense of tradition and creative perfection while retaining complete independence.
40 years after its birth, the Royal Oak reasserts itself as a timeless icon of sporting elegance. In parallel with this anniversary and the two platinum pieces specially created to mark the occasion, Audemars Piguet presents a 41 mm chronograph dedicated to the world’s best footballer, Leo Messi. It will be the only other Royal Oak special edition in 2012. Limited to 1000 pieces offered in three different versions, the Royal Oak Leo Messi stands apart both in the materials used and in its original and novel design. Some footballers are said to be able to win a match on their own. Others are said to have the capacity to help their teammates play better. Leo Messi is one of the very few to belong to both categories. At a mere 24 years old, this brilliant Argentine footballer has already left his mark on the history of football. Three times voted Ballon d’Or, and several times named best player, winner of five Spanish championships and three Champions Leagues, this magician of the pitch in the number 10 shirt has revolutionised football with his exceptional technique and exemplary sense of teamwork and fair play.
A SHARED PHILOSOPHY OF
SPORTING ELEGANCE
In 1972, before Leo Messi was even born, Audemars Piguet brought out a revolutionary watch designed by Gérald Genta, named the Royal Oak. It was made in steel, powered by an ultra-thin self-winding movement… and sold at the price of gold. The first luxury sports watch was born. Its aesthetic codes (an octagonal bezel, a 39 mm diameter and a tapered steel bracelet) upset all the conventions of the time. Forty years have gone by, but the Royal Oak hasn’t skipped a beat and remains an icon of sporting elegance. Leo Messi discovered Audemars Piguet in 2005. To celebrate his first Liga title, the managers of his Spanish club presented him with a Royal Oak. It was love at first sight. And that was just the first chapter in the love story between this promising Argentine footballer and this unusually designed watch. Leo Messi then began to collect Royal Oaks and it wasn’t long before he slipped into the role of brand ambassador in 2010.
LEO MESSI AND AUDEMARS PIGUET
A STORY OF VALUES
As well as being a living legend, the Argentine national team’s playmaker is noted for his great human qualities. Loyal: he still wears the colours of the club he joined at the age of 14. Generous: he created a foundation in aid of underprivileged children in 2007 to provide them with access to education and health. Altruistic : he is an ambassador of Unicef. Faithful : he has remained very close to his family who have unfailingly supported him throughout his career. An exceptional sportsman, Leo Messi likes Audemars Piguet watches for their modernity, their design and their faultless technical quality as well as for the story they tell and the values they embody. As brand ambassador since 2010, he shares a certain vision of excellence and authenticity with the Swiss manufacture. For these reasons he decided to endorse one of the last watch brands still run by its founding family.
LEO MESSI AND ROYAL OAK
A STORY OF VALUES
Passion, precision, and rigour are three values shared by Leo Messi and Audemars Piguet. It was obvious that the collaboration between the world’s best player and the Brassus Manufacture was just a beginning… In line with the brand’s philosophy (“To break the rules, you must first master them”), it was decided to break with the Royal Oak’s strong codes to launch this limited series of 1000 pieces: a slightly larger sightly larger size, an alligator strap rather than a steel bracelet, a dial reinvented without the traditional “tapisserie” motif as well as the use of a material rarely seen in watchmaking – tantalum.
THE FIRST LIMITED EDITION ROYAL OAK 41 MM CHRONOGRAPH
Presented as a limited series of only 1000 pieces (in steel/tantalum, pink gold/tantalum and platinum/tantalum), the Limited Edition Leo Messi Royal Oak is distinctive on every front. With a 41 mm diameter, it offers a generous and modern face that avoids being ostentatious. In addition, the limited series is graced with an alligator strap – and with an additional sportier rubber strap – to replace the traditional steel bracelet. The Leo Messi Royal Oak’s pure and elegant dial does not repeat the “tapisserie” motif that was the Royal Oak’s trademark. The dial is vertically brushed anthracite with hour markers in white gold for the steel version and pink gold for the pink gold version, while the platinum version sports a deep blue dial with white gold hour markers. For all versions, the three auxiliary chronograph counters and the small seconds counter are encircled by a finely brushed silvered ring.
Retaining the collection’s eight hexagonal screws in polished white gold, the bezel of the Limited Edition Leo Messi Royal Oak and the fastening links of the strap are in tantalum, giving off subtle glints of blue and grey. The uniqueness of these sublime colour effects governed the choice of tantalum, a material with very strong resistance to corrosion and high density – about twice as heavy as steel – that is particularly difficult to machine and polish.
The Leo Messi Royal Oak is offered in a limited series of 1000 : 500 in steel/tantalum, 400 in pink gold/tantalum and 100 in platinum/tantalum. Each watch is delivered in an original case in the shape of a lacquered shoe box decorated on the inside with the player’s dedication.
This Royal Oak chronograph houses the self-winding mechanical calibre 2385 which offers hours, minutes, small seconds, date and chronograph functions. Made up of 304 components, the movement has a 40-hour power reserve and beats at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz). It is fitted with a single-block 18 ct gold oscillating weight.
Why did I fall in love with Royal Oak'
“On the football pitch I have always given equal importance to rigour and beauty of movement, precision and boldness, work and fluency. In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision.
A Royal Oak is a sports watch and a luxury watch in one. I was lucky enough to receive my first Royal Oak in 2005. I immediately fell in love with this watch and its powerful and distinctive design. As time went by, I began to collect them. And I gradually came to understand the values of Audemars Piguet: respect for traditions, the uncompromising quest for quality, the sense of innovation and the pedigree design of their watches.
I also discovered that this watchmaking manufacture was one of the few independent firms in its field that is still owned by the founding families, which was something I really liked about them. Nowadays the world is so dominated by big corporations that staying independent has become a mark of courage.
And elegance means nothing without courage. It’s pretty much the same on a football pitch. You can dribble past all your opponents and carry off the finest technical feats; but if your team ends up losing the match, it’s just a meaningless waste of energy. I’m proud to have played a part in the creation of the Royal Oak Leo Messi, and proud that it bears my name.”
Leo Messi
Leo Messi Foundation Mission and Vision
Leo Messi Foundation has originated as an initiative of Leo Messi with the support of all his family and with the idea that all children have the same opportunities for making their dreams come true.
Since 2007, the Foundation has been working -in a tireless way- on carrying out its Mission, which is focused on favor of kids and adolescents who are in a risk situation. The prospects are to work on actions, not only in Argentina and Spain, but also abroad and together with other institutions which develop projects in alignment with the ideals of the Foundation: Education and Health Care (focused on childhood cancer treatment and “Mal de Chagas” illness).
"One day, after a visit to a hospital, I realized the special dimension of a public figure. I understood that to these sick children the presence of a known player can be very helpful. You are there and they smile and for them is a special joy because they are most eager to keep fighting, because they really believe they will outgrow the disease and to pursue their dreams..
I reached my dream of becoming a footballer and I want you to know that I fought hard to get and I have to fight even harder to keep. That effort and that success I want to use it to help children who need it most, because that is what I chose, because I get excited every day that a child smile when he thinks that there is hope, when I see him happy. So we decided to create the Foundation Leo Messi. And I will keep fighting to bring joy to children with the same force and intensity that I need to remain footballer. This is exactly the goal that the Leo Messi Foundation wants to communicate: "I chose to believe."
(Leo Messi)
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Brand : Audemars Piguet Collection : Royal Oak Model : Royal Oak Edition Limitée Leo Messi Reference : 26325PL.OO.D310CR.01 Nber of pieces : 100 Complement : Platinum - Tantalum - Crocodile Strap On sale : 2012 List Price : 67 480 € Diameter : 41 mm Styles : Sporty Types : Self-winding Calibre : 2385 Calibre distinction : Côtes de Genève Circular Graining Complication : Chronograph 12-Hour Counter Small Seconds 30-Minute Counter Case material : Platinum Case peculiarity : Screwed-down crown Tantalum bezel Steel caseback inscribed “ROYAL OAK LIMITED EDITION” and “LEO MESSI” Shape : Other Water-resistance : 50 meters Dial : Satin-finish Dial color : Dark blue Display : Luminescent hands White gold hands Indexes : Baton-type Applied hour-markers Glass : Sapphire Antireflective coating Strap material : Crocodile leather Strap color : Dark blue Strap clasp : Folding buckle More characteristics : MOVEMENT
Manufacture Calibre 2385
Overall diameter: 26.20 mm
(11½ lines)
Thickness: 5.50 mm
37 jewels
304 components
Minimum power reserve:
approx. 40 hours
Balance wheel rate:
21.600 vibrations/hour (3Hz)
Decorated with the Geneva stripes motif and pearled
Rhodium plated
Single-block 18 ct gold oscillating weight
STRAP
Hand-stitched strap in dark blue “large square scale” crocodile with platinum AP folding clasp
Second strap in black rubber