** Some pictures in this review taken online and all credit to the owners where due **
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tour Auto 2010 was a commemorative piece for Audemars Piguet’s sponsorship of the historic Tour Auto Optic 2000 car rally and was AP’s fifth consecutive year sponsoring the event
Reference number 26363ST.OO.D003CU.01, The Gen Royal Oak Offshore Tour Auto 2010 Chronograph was a limited production run of 60 watches, driven by AP’s selfwinding, hand-decorated Calibre 2326/2840. The tachymeter scale on the inner bezel ring, decorated with alternating black and white squares, evokes the checkered flag that is waved at motor-race finishes. The dial boasts red accents on 2 of 3 subdials which brings out the dial on the wrist along with the red tip of the main chronometer hand. The gen also comes with a perforated leather racing strap to match.
The 42 mm-diameter brushed steel case is topped by a bead blasted bezel with polished steel bezel screws, while the screw-lock crown and pushers are in black rubber. The caseback is engraved with the “Tour Auto†logo and bears the engravings "Royal Oak Offshore – Série Limitéeâ€.
Interestingly enough AP, perhaps on the back of the popularity of this limited edition model subsequently decided to launch ref 26175ST.OO.D003CU.01 aka Gentleman Driver which looks almost alike to this model but with orange accents and the key difference apart from colour theme would be the colored tail of the main chronometer hands as opposed to colored tip on the 2010 Tour Auto. Of course there is also a very beautiful Franken AP Gentleman Driver in these waters too!
I believe that the AP ROO Tour Auto 2010 is now out of stock from TDs so when I came across an opportunity to have one, I could not resist! After I picked up the Tour Auto 2010, my first impression was that the bezel and tachy were a gaudy, weird alternative to the regular 'safer' look of regular AP ROOs. Even when I got down to refinishing the case, rounding pushers, servicing the transfer gears, shaving the Tachymeter, hands and dropping in an ETA datewheel, I started off wondering if this piece was worth all the effort and money dropped into it...
Fast forward to the completed project, I've been pleasantly surprised to see that it is fast becoming one of my favourite pieces for the moment (yeah that kinda lasts 3 minutes, I know I know..). Striking yet subtle on the wrist, it always gets a double take from people around (thankfully it's modded so hard to be called out),in part due to the interesting bezel structure highlighting the bezel screws and the red hints on the dial.
All in all a very lovely project I'm pleased to have completed and another to tick off my AP bucket list! I hope you guys have enjoyed the pictures as much as I have. Feel free to shoot across questions or requests for more pictures!
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tour Auto 2010 was a commemorative piece for Audemars Piguet’s sponsorship of the historic Tour Auto Optic 2000 car rally and was AP’s fifth consecutive year sponsoring the event
Reference number 26363ST.OO.D003CU.01, The Gen Royal Oak Offshore Tour Auto 2010 Chronograph was a limited production run of 60 watches, driven by AP’s selfwinding, hand-decorated Calibre 2326/2840. The tachymeter scale on the inner bezel ring, decorated with alternating black and white squares, evokes the checkered flag that is waved at motor-race finishes. The dial boasts red accents on 2 of 3 subdials which brings out the dial on the wrist along with the red tip of the main chronometer hand. The gen also comes with a perforated leather racing strap to match.
The 42 mm-diameter brushed steel case is topped by a bead blasted bezel with polished steel bezel screws, while the screw-lock crown and pushers are in black rubber. The caseback is engraved with the “Tour Auto†logo and bears the engravings "Royal Oak Offshore – Série Limitéeâ€.
Interestingly enough AP, perhaps on the back of the popularity of this limited edition model subsequently decided to launch ref 26175ST.OO.D003CU.01 aka Gentleman Driver which looks almost alike to this model but with orange accents and the key difference apart from colour theme would be the colored tail of the main chronometer hands as opposed to colored tip on the 2010 Tour Auto. Of course there is also a very beautiful Franken AP Gentleman Driver in these waters too!
I believe that the AP ROO Tour Auto 2010 is now out of stock from TDs so when I came across an opportunity to have one, I could not resist! After I picked up the Tour Auto 2010, my first impression was that the bezel and tachy were a gaudy, weird alternative to the regular 'safer' look of regular AP ROOs. Even when I got down to refinishing the case, rounding pushers, servicing the transfer gears, shaving the Tachymeter, hands and dropping in an ETA datewheel, I started off wondering if this piece was worth all the effort and money dropped into it...
Fast forward to the completed project, I've been pleasantly surprised to see that it is fast becoming one of my favourite pieces for the moment (yeah that kinda lasts 3 minutes, I know I know..). Striking yet subtle on the wrist, it always gets a double take from people around (thankfully it's modded so hard to be called out),in part due to the interesting bezel structure highlighting the bezel screws and the red hints on the dial.
All in all a very lovely project I'm pleased to have completed and another to tick off my AP bucket list! I hope you guys have enjoyed the pictures as much as I have. Feel free to shoot across questions or requests for more pictures!
