With the release of the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15500 with a 41 mm case, the 41 mm Royal Oak reference 15400 is now officially discontinued. While many felt that the reference 15400 was not perfect, to us it was a very well balanced Royal Oak in terms of overall proportions and design. When the Royal Oak reference 15400 first came out in 2012, collectors of the brand were critical about the fact that the AP calibre 3120 seemed relatively too small for a 41 mm case size —as it was originally launched for the 39 mm reference 15300—, and that due to that, the date aperture was positioned too far to the left needing a small hash marker to its right.
Posts tagged #Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15400ST.OO.1220ST.02
Eye Candy: Thirty Photos to Make You Love Audemars Piguet Even More. Some of Our Favorite Images.
Today, we have decided to just bring you some Audemars Piguet eye candy. Since there's no need to read a long —text heavy— post every day, here's a nice compilation with some of our favorite images captured over the past few years.
Experience: Davidoff Nicaragua. An Afternoon of Amazing Cigars, Watches and Craft Beers.
Davidoff Cigars unveiled its first Nicaraguan cigar line, Davidoff Nicaragua, at a New York City pre-launch event back on June 20, 2013 —so far the biggest cigar news this year. After a long wait, the Davidoff Nicaragua finally hit the stores. The Davidoff Nicaragua is a premium cigar made solely from Nicaraguan tobacco —wrapper, binder and filler— but still rolled in their factory down in the Dominican Republic.
Last week we finally had the opportunity to try this amazing cigar during a small get together at the most legendary cigar shop in Chicago, Up Down Cigar. A cigar and tobacco sanctuary founded by the iconic Diana Silvius almost 50 years ago.
Diana Silvius is perhaps the most renowned female cigar aficionada in the world, an icon in the cigar industry and the first woman to be featured on the cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine. Not only she was elected the first female president of the Retail Tobacco Dealer of America in 1991, but she's also known to be very close to Hendrick 'Henke' Kelner —who is to Dominican cigars what chefs Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon are to French cuisine— and the Fuente Family, whom she approached to asked them to help her develop her own line of cigars, now sold throughout the world as the Diana Silvius Diamond Vintage.
Really there could've not been better hosts than Diana —along with her close friends, staff members— and our dear friend Phil to throw such a fantastic evening with amazing cigars, craft beers, watches, fine rums and everything that the good life is about. To kick-off our editorial, here's a picture of Ms. Diana Silvius having a great time with us.
After our short preface, let us now walk you through our evening in the usual fashion, please come experience it with us.
As we walked to the back of Up Down Cigar where an intimate smoking garden is located, we were greeted with a nice Davidoff bag with a great assortment of cigars. Davidoff Gold Band Awards 2012, the Davidoff Robusto Collection box —included the amazing Robusto 100 made honoring Zino Davidoff's 100th anniversary of his birth—, Davidoff Belicoso Supremo and of course the newly launched Nicaraguan blend cigars.
After getting our cigars, we decided to start enjoying the evening with other watchlifestylers in the company of some amazing craft beers from Goose Island —Chicago's most famous brewery. Our friends from Goose Island shared a nice selection of limited edition Bourbon County stout beers —with an alcohol content of 14.3-14.5%—, their 25th anniversary ale and even the rare Halia a sour peach saison aged in wine barrels.
Our personal favorites were the Bourbon County beers and especially the coffee stout brewed with Intelligentsia coffee. Who would've thought that beers and cigars go that well together. Well, let's rephrase that, stout beers and cigars go well together.
Finally, after a few beers we decided to honor the new Davidoff Nicaraguan cigars and we started burning one. The first cigar we decided to try was a Nicaragua Robusto, that was spectacular from beginning to end. It started with some peppery notes that evolved into a smooth, creamy cigar very similar to the taste of Habanos like Romeo y Julieta or H. Upmann.
After trying the new Nicaraguan selection, we're not sure we can go back to the Dominican Davidoffs as much as we used to. This cigar was exceptional, with a few occasional burnouts but with a nice draw and a long and thick ash.
As the evening progressed, we gather around other 'watchlifestylers' to talk about watches, cigars and the good life. Some of the nice watches that were around us that evening including Tutima, Rolex, Panerai, Cartier, Audemars Piguet and Tag Heuer. We even ran into what we'll refer to as a 'questionable' Steve McQueen Explorer that of course we won't be posting here, regardless, it was a great crowd with some awesome timepieces.
As we were enjoying our first cigar, we decided to pair it with some Clément 'Rhum Vieux Agricole' —dry rum from Martinique. In 1887, Homère Clément pioneered a natural style of rum from fresh pressed sugarcane juice known today as 'Rhum Agricole'. Clément is available in seven varieties that include: Sirop de Canne, Première Canne, V.S.O.P, Cuvée Homère, X.O. Rhum, Créole Shrubb and Clément 10 Years. A fantastic rum than can almost compete with some of the best Cuban and Venezuelan rums but that will never be close enough to a Zacapa Centenario from Guatemala. Sorry Clément!
After finishing our second cigar outside, we finally headed inside the shop to smoke a third cigar and shop around. We always discover nice little goodies to take home as this shop is the only store in the city that carries Elie Bleu and Eloi products.
As we were smoking our third cigar, we ran into a beautiful Eloi cigar cutter from France that was a perfect match to he bezel on our Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15400ST. We couldn't control ourselves and we had to buy it that night —soon we will be publishing a short review of this cutter for our Audemars Piguet fans.
As the evening drifted away and one thing lead to another, we left this sanctuary of the good life thoroughly satisfied with the new Davidoff Nicaraguan blend cigars. Available in three different sizes —toro, robusto and short corona—, this is a cigar that you need to try no matter what.
Sticker Price on the Eloi cigar cutter $395 USD, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and box of Davidoff cigars not included.
For more info on Davidoff click here, Goose Island Brewery here, Clément Rum here and Up Down Cigar here.
Experience: NoMI Lounge at the Park Hyatt Chicago. An Ideal Place for Food, Wine and Watch Talk.
For a long time, we've been looking to find the perfect place in Chicago where watchlifestylers can enjoy some inspiring food and wines under the right atmosphere and lighting conditions to have a good talk about watches. Look no further, NoMI Lounge is the perfect spot for a casual get together or just a place to enjoy a chill afternoon in the company of friends, family or your significant other.
Located inside the luxurious Park Hyatt hotel off of Michigan Avenue —right by the iconic Water Tower landmark— this is a place that won't disappoint you. As you walk into the hotel, you already know that you are in for a nice treat.
Perfect decor, exquisite lounge music very similar to the one at the 'Hôtel Costes', different seating areas depending on the mood you are looking for and a well stocked cheese ripening fridge welcome you. As you make your way in, you'll also find the nicely designed and perfectly stocked bar.
NoMI Lounge offers a great selection of signature and classic cocktails, food to share that includes a nice assortment of fresh seafood, sushi, cheeses, charcuterie, paninis, flat breads and other heavier dishes that are also meant to be shared. Surprisingly enough, they carry the coveted 'Jamón Ibérico de Bellota' from Spain that we love. After sitting down we ordered a few dishes, started sipping our 'rosé' —nothing fancy just a Domaine de Figueirasse— and enjoyed our conversation about watches and the good life.
Our food selection included some burrata with thyme and honey, a grilled flat bread with peaches, goat cheese and arugula, a sharp cheddar pimento spread with garlic aioli and the 'panisse' with goat cheese, rosemary and balsamic. We have not had 'panisse' since our last time in Paris. A 'panisse' is a chickpea flour cake that is fried in the shape of small rectangular logs with a texture very similar to that of fried 'polenta' that is very common in the south of France.
After enjoying the delicious savory food, we decided to order their assortment of cookies and candies, paired with a couple of glasses of Canadian Inniskillin Icewine. Perfect pairing for the little box of sweet treats. Glad the treat box included our favorite French macarons, almost as good as those from Pierre Hermé in Paris.
After a wonderful evening with great conversation, watches, fantastic foods and wine, another great day in the life of a watchlifestyler ends. The watches featured here are an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15400ST.OO.1220ST.02 and Chanel J12 Automatic in 38mm ref. H0970.
Dear watchlifestylers: The next time that you contact us for a quick get together, you know where we will be meeting for a nice watch talk. Hasta pronto amigos!
For more info on NoMI Lounge click here. For more info on AP here and Chanel here.
Experience: Vilebrequins and Audemars Piguet Timepieces. Royal Oak Offshore Diver and Royal Oak 15400 in Cancun.
Honestly, there's no better beach combo than wearing your Vilebrequins along with your Audemars Piguet watches by the sea. This time, we are reporting from the beautiful beaches of Cancun, Mexico. The only thing we could've wished for is that the weather had been better.
Vilebrequin was launched in Saint-Tropez in 1971 right before the iconic Royal Oak was launched in 1972. Inspired by surfer’s trunks, the design takes shape, very different from the traditional 'swim briefs' of the time. Colorful, original and made out of spinnaker canvas, these swimwear dries quicker than others in the sun and wind.
Every time we visit the Mexican beaches, the staple look among Mexican watchlifestylers are Vilebrequins and Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks –just like the ones pictured here.
For those that still think twice about getting their Royal Oaks wet in the pool or the beach, just relax and keep in mind that the Royal Oak 15400 is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters —good enough for a day at the pool or the beach.
Now, if you feel that the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400 might be too delicate for a day at the beach, you could always bring with you that gorgeous Royal Oak Offshore Diver that you also own –perfectly suited for the beach, the pool, snorkeling and serious offshore diving.
The classic 'Moorea' Vilebrequins —pictured here— are very comfortable and they feature side pockets and a handy back cargo pocket, just in case you want to bring your room key with you.
Next time you decide to take your APs to the beach, make sure you pair them with a few pairs of Vilebrequins for the ultimate beach look. No other swimming trunks will make you look better and classier than the iconic classic 'Moorea' Vilebrequins.
One last thing to mention, is that Vilebrequin is the only brand that offers a Father & Son collection for those watchlifestylers that have kids and want them to look like their 'Mini-Me'.
For more info click here.
