AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK & ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SIDE BY SIDE

After acquiring a pair of Royal Oak and the Royal Oak Offshore.
I was thinking maybe a side by side comparison to see how both these watches stack against each other.

Having recently converted the Royal Oak Offshore to bracelet, the comparison is more closer to the intended purpose...

Size wise, the Royal Oak Offshore comes in at 42mm while the Royal Oak is at 41mm.
Only 1mm difference between them but with the extended crownguards... it looks bigger... but only slightly.

The difference in thickness is more apparent.
With the Royal Oak coming in at less than 1cm thick and the Royal Oak Offshore closer to 1.6cm thick.
Totally different feel here.
Once is thin, refined, understated.
The other is tall, chunky and "in your face"

General feelings on bracelet finishing also comes in different.
The Royal Oak feels sharp, precise and clean.
Meanwhile the Royal Oak Offshore feels rounded with soft curves.
This does not mean that the quality is different, just the "feel"

On the watch head, both watches are similar in looks.
The thin Royal Oak looks more refined... understated even.
Finishing is top notch with sharp angles and beautifully brushed surfaces.
While the Royal Oak Offshore with the thicker watch means thicker bezel and visible gaskets.
Finishing is of the same standard.

On the wrist, both wears vastly different.
The Royal Oak wears slim. Understated. Oozing with class and quality.
The Offshore on the other hand wears with a commanding presence. Big, bold and brash.

Both watches are excellent timepieces in their own right.
The Royal Oak currently carries a retail price in the mid rm50,000 while the Offshore comes in at the higher end of rm80,000.
Prices are due to be adjusted comes 1st Sept 2015.

The Royal Oak and the Royal Oak Offshore are both well made, well finished, features an iconic design, manufactured by a powerhouse brand and priced in the premium luxury segment.

Of the two, if I were to choose only one, it would be the Royal Oak.
For me, it's more comfortable to wear, more of an all rounder and costs less.
Of course, different strokes for different folks.
Both still have a place in my collection for the time being.

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SAFARI STRAP TO BRACELET CHANGE

Well, living in a hot and humid country like Malaysia, sweat is a common problem when wearing watches.

Personally, I am not a fan of watches on straps...

Sometimes it can't be helped with watches like Panerai... but for everything else, I would preferably pair it with a bracelet.

With the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Safari that I got, it only comes with a hornback alligator strap.

So, I need to get a bracelet for it.

If you guys are wondering, yes... the price is steep for a bracelet... enough to get a mid range luxury automatic watch...

1st things 1st... I will need flat head screwdriver, toothpicks, the bracelet and the watch itself.

Remove the screws in both sides with the flat head screwdriver.

After removing the screws from both sides, use the toothpick to push out the pin inside.

After pushing out the pin, this is what everything looks like.

A pin in the middle with 2 screws on either side keeping the pin in place.

I think this is a better way rather than using a whole screw pin.

Make sure you don't drop the screws or it'll be difficult to find if you have carpeted floors.

Aligned the bracelet properly and push back the pin.

After pushing the pin in, start tightening the screws back.

After finishing both sides.

Voila... watch is now on bracelet.

The watch on bracelet...

1st thing that strikes me is... damn the watch is heavy...

I mean the watch head is pretty heavy and chunky by itself.

With the bracelet? More so...

Feels totally different on the wrist.

Huge wrist presence.

Maybe I should try on rubber strap?

Let's see how the bracelet holds up.

ZENITH X CORTINA EVENT @ SUNSET BAR SHANGRI LA TANJUNG ARU BEACH RESORT

An event was held recently to showcase Zenith's Basel 2015 collection and also a celebration of Zenith's 150 year history.
Organised by Zenith together with Cortina Watch, one of Zenith's Authorised Dealers here in Kota Kinabalu.

My watch of choice for the event...
One of my favourite... The Zenith El Primero Striking 10th.

Excellent setting for the night.
Cool sea breeze...
Excited to see the 2015 Novelties... so let's get started.

El Primero Chronomaster Night Vision with a ceramicised aluminium case on the left.
Zenith Pilot Type 20 Bronze on the left.

The new El Primero 36,000 VPH models.
Both black and white dial.
Clean... with overlapping subdials still but with a solution to reading the chronograph subdials accurately.

The El Primero Sport models.
Awesome look... not so awesome size... at 45mm... sigh...
A little smaller, I reckon it will give the Rolex Daytona a run for their money.

The all new Classics collection.
This one houses an El Primero movement.
I was hoping to see the 3 handed Elite 6150 version but it was not released yet according to Mr.Hugo Escude.
What's so interesting about the Elite Caliber 6150?
Well, it's a standard 3 hand movement with a double barrel setup providing 100 hours of power reserve... Not bad at all...

For the ladies, there is the Star Collection.
This particular dial has a hand painted flower over a mother of pearl base... Unique...

This model gave my wife butterflies in the stomach.
Nicknamed "Origami"
The dial is made to look like folded paper.
In real life, this piece looks beautiful.
With a retail price that is not too astronomical i might add.

This is the centrepiece... nuff said...

Breathtaking no?

Mr.Hugo Escude, Brand Director for the Asia Pacific region getting busy with the local media.
Nice chap to talk to. Highly passionate.

Overall, another great event, with great crowd and great watches.