08.07.2021 - Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet Release Special Tribute Watch To Le Byblos Hotel In Saint-Tropez

Amongst the glitz and glamour of the Cannes Film Festival, and the cut and thrust of the Monaco Grand Prix, Audemars Piguet unveiled a new, limited edition Royal Oak Offshore to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Saint-Tropez Hotel Le Byblos. Together with its nightclub, Les Caves du Roy, Le Byblos has contributed to the reputation of Saint-Tropez as the international renown Mediterranean jet set playground for the rich and famous. The unveiling of the Royal Oak Offshore Byblos edition also marks the unofficial start of summer on the French Rivera.

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The new Royal Oak Offshore models launched for the 50th anniversary of Le Byblos Hotel are available in two versions – a men’s version in rose gold and a women’s diamond set version in stainless steel. Here at Luxe Watches we are extremely fortunate to have the men’s version in stock.

The timepiece is 44mm in rose gold and features a white fitting, with a white dial, white strap and rose gold hands. The trademark dial features the brand’s tapisserie design, decorated sub-dials, the Audemars Piguet emblem at 3 o’clock, and framed by a white tachymeter scale. Within the dial, the rose gold hour markers and the rose gold Royal Oak hands are coated with luminescent material. The watch is finsihed off with a brilliant-white rubber strap with a pin buckle closing.

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The 44mm Royal Oak Offshore Le Byblos is powered by the automatic winding Calibre 3126 movement, and features minutes, hours, seconds sub-dial, date display and a chronograph function with automatic flyback reset. The chronograph function is operated through two all rose gold pushers located above and below the all rose gold crown. The Calibre 3126 movement can be admired from the exhibition case back, which also features the hotel’s anniversary dates, the hotel’s coat of arms and the hotel’s name and ‘Saint-Tropez’.

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The ladies edition is 37mm in stainless steel with a diamond set bezel that is limited to just 20 pieces. The ladies piece includes contrasting gold hour markers with blue highlights, features minutes, hours, seconds sub-dial, date display and an automatic chronograph. The watch is again finished with a brilliant-white rubber strap with a pin buckle closing.

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Overall, Audemars Piguet have certainly released a very special tribute to Le Byblos Hotel in Saint-Tropez. The limited edition is well thought out, and the new men’s and women’s models capture the true essence of the brand’s elegant sportiness, whilst also creating a watch that is truly at home in the sun in the height of the summer on the French Riviera. This particular unveiling is one of a series of collaborations between the hotel and other luxury brands – including Goyard, Missoni, Rolls Royce and Dom Perrignon – to celebrate the anniversary of this famous hotel.

We created a hands-on video of the watch:

By Josh Martin, Luxe Watches