Lot 165

Audemars Piguet

Nick Faldo Championship

A sport historically rare, very attractive tantalum/steel wristwatch with date

This particular Royal Oak is no run-of-the-mill example, however: A limited edition made to celebrate Sir Nick Faldo’s 1990 Masters and British Open back-to-back championships, it’s machined from a combination of stainless steel and tantalum — the first for a Royal Oak. A limited edition of 2,000 pieces, it was already pre-sold to 1,100 international collectors upon release!
Wikipedia explains about tantalum:
"Tantalum is a rare ductile graphite-coloured shiny transition metal with a high corrosion resistance. Tantalum is used for the making of medical instruments and implants, because it does not react with bodily tissues and fluids".
It seems likely that these were just the properties that convinced the designers at Audemars Piguet to use tantalum for making cases. Using unorthodox materials is a long-standing tradition with Audemars Piguet – the first Royal Oak in 1972 was one of the first luxury watches to come in a steel case. Even today the Royal Oak still comes in various different materials and their assemblies.
The colour of the tantalum case and bracelet of this Royl Oak is a dark, elegant graphite grey that, depending on the light, changes between blue and anthracite – in combination with the bezel and the links of the bracelet in cool steel this is quite breathtaking! The beveled parts of the surface catch the light particularly well. On the wrist, the watch has much the same charismatic appeal as other Royal Oaks but the wearer soon realises the subtle differences in weight, finish and feel.