So my story with AP began in around 2005, when I was only 16. I was taking a walk by a watch dealer in Toronto, and saw something that caught me eye. What was it? A rose gold Rubberclad. I was amazed at the sheer size of this watch, and the colour contrast, between warm rose gold and rubber. At this time I had never heard of AP, but I was interested. When I got home, I did a search online for this watch, and my jaw dropped as I realized it was a $30,000 watch (at the time), I was thinking "why would anyone pay $30,000 for a watch with rubber?"
I spent the next few months reading about the world of haute horology, and soon became familiar with the names Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, etc., but none of them appealed to me as much as AP. There was something about the design of the Royal Oak that caught my eye. I was surprised that people were paying thousands for a stainless steel watch, and never could have imagined that I would in the future.
In June 2006, I had learned about the 15300 model Royal Oak, with the new in-house 3120. I was intrigued, as I had never seen such a beautiful looking movement in a stainless steel watch. I went to an AD in Montreal to check it out, and after 4 hours of looking at it, and comparing it with the original Jumbo, I knew I had found my watch. The combination of polished and brushed surfaces was so complex and beautiful, with such a simple dial. I chose the blue dial in the end, as I found the white dial too sterile for my liking. The dealer gave me a price I couldn't refuse (it was possibly the cheapest AP in the display case), and I had it on my wrist quite soon.
For the next few weeks, I couldn't stop staring at the watch. Every few minutes I would admire the dial, or take it off and stare at the display back. It saw the everyday activities of a normal teenager, I took it swimming, through airports and on crowded streets in Asia (Tokyo, Hong Kong). After a few short months, it saw its fair share of tear and wear, there were a few dings on the bezel, and numerous scuffs on the bracelet. However, one thing was bugging me about this watch. Every time I wore it for prolonged periods, the clasp would get to be uncomfortable, almost as if were binding my wrist. It didn't conform too well to the shape of my wrist. Also, the love I once had for the blue dial quickly disappeared, as in sunlight, the dial looked like plastic. It also scratched too easily for my daily activity (I didn't know how to take care of watches at the time). I put it up for sale near the end of 2006.
Having owned my first AP, I was impressed with the quality and finish of the watch, but felt the 15300 was not "the" watch. In January 2007 I saw a military dial 14790 on the Sales Corner and bought that. This time the watch fit well, but it was too small for my taste. I liked the "cartoonish" numbers on it however.
I never really wore it, maybe a few times. I was sidetracked by a few other watches, and this was my collection in mid-2007.
Again, none of the watches really did it for me.
I returned to the Offshore, and after going to numerous ADs in Asia and trying them on, I thought it far too big for my wrist, but I still wanted one ever badly. I was turned off by the fact the movement was not "in-house", and that the chrono hand seemed to jump every time it was engaged. The price for a Offshore has also significantly increased since the first time I laid my eyes on one.
I searched on the Sales Corner for months for an Offshore, and was hoping to buy a Rubberclad, knowing that the 15300 dinged easily. However, the lack of an in-house movement was a real turn-off, and I was also scared that if the bezel dents, it would easily be over $1,000 to replace. I opted to search for a stainless steel bezel watch.
I later learned the Safari, Navy and Volcano contained the in-house movement I was looking for. After the recent price increase, my heart sank as I realized the list price would be over $20K, which for a SS watch, in my opinion was way too much.
It wasn't until I had the chance to try on the Safari at an AD, before I realized how beautiful the dial was. The black arabic numerals jump off the dial in 3D, unlike the luminous numbers on the Black/White Themes. The beauty of the strap also amazed me. Everything about this watch was just so perfect, the dial was something unique and the movement was finally what I wanted. The heft of this watch was very reassuring that I would know if my watch was still on the wrist. Unfortunately, the dealer refused to discount the Safari, and I resorted to the Sales Corner again. The reality did sink in that it would cost an arm and leg no matter what, a fact which I was willing to accept as the watch was this good.
With the help of another collector, he was able to find a Safari for me at the price I wanted. A week later, I had the watch on my wrist.
Here's some miscellaneous pictures I took in the last few weeks of owning it:
Last week, I had the chance to buy a Volcano from an dealer, and I jumped on it immediately without really considering if it was the right watch for me. I wore it for a few hours, and slapped myself on the face, realizing that I had purchased what was possibly (no offense to any Volcano owners intended), the ugliest production Offshore there is. The orange chapter ring- yuck. The orange numbers on the dial was something I liked, but the orange chapter ring simply killed it for me. I sold it immediately the next day to a local collector, glad that someone was willing to take it off my hands and get it out of my sight.
With my "beater" watch:
Along the beach last weekend:
The mark it left on my wrist one time:
Coffee time:
And that's my story with AP. Wearing the Safari as I type this, and have absolutely no regrets. Still can't take my eyes off it, as I still stare at it every few minutes. It's become my daily watch, as evidenced by the strap, which has almost turned black on the inside, from the humid and hot weather in Hong Kong. It was certainly worth every cent I paid for it. I try to be careful when I wear it, but I can sleep well knowing AP can make it look like new again if it gets really beat up.
My only gripe is the lack of a display back, and the deployant which sometime leaves a mark on my wrist as shown below. It's a watch that I can wear with anything, and fits well with my normal t-shirt/shorts combination. I hope to get a RG Rubberclad in the future or a Team Alinghi in carbon, but the consequence is probably I would have to live on instant noodles for the rest of my life.
Despite owning an AP, I am still a kid at heart. Who just happens to appreciate fine timepieces.
Thank you for reading this extremely long-winded post.
