From the house of Audemars Piguet comes a time pieces in honor of an icon, the Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Chronograph that is 48 mm in diameter and is done in the white and red colors of the Miami Heat. On the dial the 3 and 2 numerals are inverted and done in red……did you know that Shaquille wears 32 number? Three are 960 of the stainless steel version and 96 of the gold watches. Finally, the red stitching on the strap sets the finishing touch to this stunning model. AND..the Steel version is now available at Horologist
Shaquille O’Neal is undoubtedly one of the icon figures in basketball. His 7 ft. 1 in. frame has towered over the American and world scene since his debut in 1992, when he was selected as the first choice from the line-up of rookies by the Orlando Magic team and distinguished himself as Rookie of the Year in 1993. His career has gone from success to success with each new season. This year, he topped the magic 25,000-point barrier. The Manufacture Audemars Piguet is proud to be associated with this virtuoso player and has created the Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Chronograph in his honour.
Rise of a champion
After leading the Orlando Magic to an NBA (National Basketball Association) final, Shaquille O’Neal left Florida in 1996 to join the Los Angeles Lakers. During his time with the Lakers, he earned three straight NBA championship titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. On a personal level, he was voted MVP (Most Valuable Player) three times in the Finals. In summer 2004, he returned to Florida to join the Miami Heat team, where he still plays today. The results soon began to show, with the Heat finishing first in the East Conference; while the second season in 2006 saw Shaquille O’Neal take the team all the way to the NBA championship title.
Shaquille’s innate talent definitely accounts for a great deal in this impressive track record, but his success is also due to tireless training, unfailing concentration and a strong team spirit. Exactly the kind of values that the Manufacture Audemars Piguet shares and perpetuates in its ongoing quest for excellence.
A great man and his watch
Audemars Piguet owed it to itself to create a timepiece to match this basketball legend. The Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Chronograph comes with an oversized stainless steel case measuring a massive 48 mm in diameter, and reinterprets the signature features of the Royal Oak Offshore collection, while proudly bearing the white and red Miami Heat colours.
The black dial with its exclusive “Méga Tapisserie” guilloché motif provides the perfect backdrop for the white Superluminova-coated hour and minute hands, as well as the 30-minute, 12-hour counters and small seconds chronograph hands. The central seconds hand sports the colour red, echoed on the tachometric scale and the inverted 3 and 2 numerals – a nod to those who will recognise Shaquille’s famous number 32. In its white gold version with gem-set bezel, this magical number is further enhanced by sparkling rubies. Finally, the red stitching on the strap sets the finishing touch to this stunning model.
A taste for the game…and for sharing
In his role as the pivot man, “Big Shaq” is the player closest to the basket. He plays a strategic role and needs to draw upon his considerable physical resources in order to spin around quickly and to reach the basket while foiling his opponents’ blocking moves.
One of the toughest manoeuvres of all, the dunk, consists of scoring a point while gripping the hoop, to the delight of spectators who just love sensational action. The wearer of the Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal will enjoy the pleasure of seeing this spectacular move depicted on the engraved caseback of his chronograph, inscribed with the words Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal – Limited Edition.
“Daddy Shaq” is well known to aficionados for his incredible accomplishments. While he is definitely generous on court, he also knows about sharing in real life. He lends his support to education, notably through various literacy programmes, and devotes particular attention to children through numerous tech-learning schemes. Through his “Real Model Foundation”, Shaq clearly puts himself across as a genuine role model who is accessible to everybody, instead of playing the superficial hero. It is precisely because the Manufacture Audemars Piguet can relate to these kinds of values that it is proud to be represented by this peerless ambassador.
- ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SHAQUILLE O’NEAL
Coming to the Arnie version, the Royal Oak Offshore Arnold’s All-Stars Chronograph has a 48mm pink gold case and is meant to honor Schwarzenegger’s Arnold’s All Stars afterschool program for middle-school children. It has a special engraved caseback with an Arnold inscription. It picks up all the signature features of the Royal Oak Offshore collection – a “strongbox” case designed to protect the mechanism from any external stresses and strains; an octagonal bezel secured with hexagonal screws; a visible water-resistance seal between the bezel and the case; exclusive guilloché “Méga Tapis serie” dial motif and perfectly integrated case and bracelet.
Performance and perfection
The Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Chronograph houses an exclusive Audemars Piguet selfwinding calibre. This movement combines the qualities of sturdiness, reliability and rating precision thanks to the following characteristics:
– up to 60-hour power reserve: by supplying constant force over a longer time-span, the mainspring ensures enhanced rating accuracy;
– a cross-through balance-cock, which reinforces the reliability of the movement;
– time-setting to the nearest second thanks to the balance-stop mechanism that serves to immobilise the seconds hand;
– precise and stable adjustment thanks to the variable-inertia balance equipped with eight inertia-blocks;
– fast date correction with an integrated security system avoiding any risk of date disc blockage when the adjustment occurs at midnight;
– bidirectional automatic winding of the mainspring by means of a 22-carat gold rotor mounted on a ballbearing mechanism.
The traditional 3840 chronograph is integrated with this base calibre.
The Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Chronograph thereby perpetuates the inventive spirit that has made the Manufacture in Le Brassus an undisputed benchmark among those with a taste for performance and perfection.
