A great new color makeup on the special edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Tour Auto 2012. 150 pieces of the well known chrono are being produced in this look. The 42mm case comes in stainless steel and rubber. Water resistant to 100 meters, but you already knew this about the Royal Oak Offshore. One of the better and subtle color hits we’ve seen in a while. See more from Audemars Piguet.

More detailed looks at the new Royal Oak Offshore on the following page.

The Armory on Park Ave. in New York City hosted the first stop on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak exhibition celebrating 40 years of their iconic designs in watch making. The first 1972 Royal Oak as well as other significant models from the line are presented. Photography shot in Switzerland, showing time passing by as well as the geometric origins of the Royal Oak.

The exhibition was a significant one. We hope our photography gives you a small taste from the event. If you have not watched the exhibition preview video, we highly recommend it.

Photography: Jacob Breinholt/Selectism.com

Many more looks from the exhibition in our gallery

Hodinkee (of course) shares this behind the scenes video from the Audemar Piguet “Royal Oak” 40th Anniversary exhibition running through March 24 at the at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City.

Marking the 40th anniversary of their iconic Royal Oak models, watchmaker, Audemars Piguet, brings forth a worldwide exhibition celebrating the history of the watch and the maker. “Audemars Piguet’s iconic timepiece Royal Oak, the world’s first ever luxury sports timepiece which sparked a complete paradigm shift in the watch industry, the Swiss Manufacture from Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux has put together a unique, ephemeral exhibition.”

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary exhibition debuts March 21 at the Park Avenue Armory (643 Park Ave.) with more than 100 timepieces on display. As well, a 300-page book showcasing the history of the Royal Oak will also be available through all exhibitions stops. Royal Oak features more than 233 illustrations and photographs inside.

More on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary exhibition online.

If you can afford a $65,000 watch your time must be pretty valuable, so we will try and keep this one brief. Last week at the Salon International de la Haute Horology (a fine watch trade show held annually in Geneva, naturally), Audemars Piguet debuted some new Royal Oak models as part of a celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the famous timepiece.

What you’re seeing here is the Royal Oak Self-Winding 41 mm, available in stainless steel with steel bracelet, rose gold with rose gold bracelet, and rose gold with strap. The watches feature 280 parts, including glare-proofed sapphire crystals and a locking crown, have a power-reserve of 60 hours and are water-resistant to 50 meters. The rose gold model retails for $64,800 and the stainless steel for a paltry $16,900. (pw)

More looks in our gallery…

Ben Clymer of Hodinkee gives us a roundup of the ultra-high end, high priced timepieces shown at this month’s SIHH show; many of which are of complications that are stunningly expensive.

I spent last week in Geneva at the Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie (SIHH). The SIHH is unlike BaselWorld because it’s held exclusively for brands owned by or associated with the Richemont group, a luxury conglomerate that owns the likes of Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Panerai, and a few other high-end manufacturers. The trade show is unlike any other in the world – in fact, in any industry. It is very exclusive – only press and select retailers are allowed within its halls and the level of watchmaking displayed is unrivaled.

Expectations are always high for SIHH, but this year presented some truly exceptional timepieces at the high-end. Here are some of my favorite pieces, all of which really push the boundaries of traditional watchmaking…for a price, of course.

See more from SIHH after the jump.

We won’t go on too much about Audemars Piguet, suffice to say this 130 year old Swiss watchmaker know their way around a timepiece.  This ‘Jumbo’ Royal Oak celebrates 40 years of the classic model, often said to be the first stainless steel luxury sports watch. Also available in rose gold, this heavy duty watch is an incredible piece of design.

Audemars describe; A disruptive and downright revolutionary timepiece, the Royal Oak is immediately recognizable thanks to its state-of-the-art engineered strongbox case, octagonal bezel secured by eight hexagonal screws, visible water resistance gaskets, dials adorned with exclusive engine-turned “Grande Tapisserie” motif.” Read on at Perpetuelle.

Click for images.

Michael Williams shares his personal favorites for the holidays. A nice run through the high and low here: from AP Royal Oaks, and ultra priced bottles of wine, Williams’ taste come through with his selections. Worth a look.

See more of Michael William’s eight holiday picks for 2011 after the click.

Swiss driver, Sébastien Buemi, has been adorned by watchmaker, Audemars Piguet, with his own limited edition Royal Oak Offshore chrono. Buemi, a three year ambassador of the Audemars Piguet brand, joins a fine line of other atheletes with a Royal Oak on their wrist. The 42mm case is made from sandblast finished titanium, and features Buemi’s logo on the display back. (tz)

More looks after the click.

A long title on the freshly announced 40th anniversary Audemars Piguet Openworked Royal Oak time piece. Hodinkee gives us the details on the commemorative Royal Oak which sports the original issue 39mm casing size against a new platinum finish and openworked dial. The oscillating weight inside the Audemar Pigeut watch is made from 22-carat gold. 40 total units of the Royal Oak watch will arrive in 2012.

Another look after the click.