Besides watches, what we reference most here is the great town, New York City. We love it, and so does Audemars Piguet. After all, they chose New York for their very first state-side boutique back in 2003. To commemorate the opening of this boutique they produced a limited edition watch (as is their MO), but this one we rather like.
Called the "La Boutique" Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, it is essentially a completely blacked out version of their traditional Royal Oak, a watch we have a lot of love for. The case and pushers are covered in black PVD, the face is black with white dials, and it very much looks the part of a Royal Oak. The biggest difference, and what makes this watch so unique, is its case back. Engraved on the back of this Royal Oak is the entire facade of the Audemars Piguet boutique here in NY. Surrounding this image are the words "Audemars Piguet La Boutique New York 40 E 57th". Yes, the address of the AP boutique is actually engraved on the back on the watch, useful if you ever forget where you're going when you need service.
La Boutique Royal Oak comes on a black alligator strap with deployment clasp, and with a wooden presentation box that features the very same engravings as the caseback. There were only 150 of these Audemars Piguet watches made, so finding one for sale is quite rare. The original selling price for this piece was $13,900 back in 2003. Something tells us you'll have to fork over around the same to pick one up these days, if not a little more.
As lovers of Audemars Piguet and of New York, this is a watch we'd love to own someday. You don't see too many black Royal Oaks, and the fact that there are only 150 of these watches in the world make it even cooler. We just wish Hodinkee was around back in 2003 so we could've seen the boutique open.
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