Audemars Piguet - audacity is an adjective one hears frequently
applied to the master watchmakers from Le Brassus.
One of the most
highly anticipated models in modern luxury watch history, the T3 is certainly
not a shy or retiring watch. Rumours and false starts abounded, and it
seemed every other week someone was claiming this look or that design drawing
was going to be it, and just as quickly it faded into the dustbin of rumour
mongering history.
Well, here it is, in all its 57.2mm wide, crown and pusher
protected glory -
AP stock photo
Purpose built for use in the third installment of the popular Terminator movie
series, its design was developed in close co-operation with Mr. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, star of the series and longtime AP fan.
The extreme
size...the highly stylized crown and pusher guards...no question both are highly
controversial. Indeed, upon first glance, there is something cartoonish,
almost techno-gothic, about the design. In perfect keeping with the
mood of the movie...
It is easy to imagine this watch on the wrist of the lion hearted but
technologically usurped T-800 Terminator robot, as first the T-1000, and now
the T-X, are sent from the future to terminate John Connor. Maybe one of
the reasons the T3 is so large is so that the svelte T-X can't commandeer the
watch, even if she wins the titanic struggle of the ages?
Seriously,
there are a few misconceptions about this watch.
First, the
crown and pusher guards - they are not intended to provide additional water
resistance. This misconception may be due to the superficial resemblance they have to the crown lever water
resistance design of another
highly popular "macho" watch design. Whether that other design
actually provides any real water resistance improvement is the subject of
another discussion...
Do the protectors serve any real, functional purpose for anyone
who is not likely to get into a species saving tussle with a knock out
feminine android from the future, hell bent on destroying mankind? Naw,
probably not, but they sure look cool!
specially engraved back, noted "limited edition"
but not specifically numbered in the edition
The use of Ti was a practical consideration - light weight yet tough, if
the watch were made in any other metal, its owners would soon enough be
walking around with a noticeable lop-sided tilt to their posture...
Yes, the watch
is huge. Next to the T3, even the Offshore chrono is dwarfed by comparison
-
According to the press slicks, the T3 is designed to be worn either
directly on the wrist or over a shirt or jacket sleeve...hmmm...a nice black
or brown leather motorcycle jacket...I can just see it now...
Yet I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the T3 actually worked on
wrists that were less than gargantuan -
JohnB was previously sporting the XX Sixth Day watch, with aplomb.
His wrist is 7 1/4" in circumference. Photo courtesy of JohnB.
Some comments about oversized watches - AP released the Offshore
chronograph in 1993, amid exclamations of "It is so big!"
Indeed, it can be reasonably argued, for better or for worse, that AP is
significantly responsible for the subsequent trend towards bigger and bigger
watches. Every year I hear, "Oh, my, this has gotten totally out of
control, how much bigger can they get?" Every year I hear the
predictions, "This silly trend will die soon." And every year, the
demand for yet bigger watches continues to grow and grow, like the watches
themselves...Do I detect a certain self satirizing tongue in cheek
here?
As with any daring design, that can be at once obscene and irresistibly
appealing, only time will tell. Remember, this watch was not designed to
be tasteful nor a natural line extension of what has proven to be a
classic. It was purpose built for a movie about a possible apocalypse
averted, an epic struggle of the post industrial mechanized age and humanity.
publicity
still - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Greatness often starts amid controversy. Will the sands of time be kind
to the T3? Is the T3 a great watch for all time (or at least a couple of
decades?) Sorry, my crystal ball just went in to the Prognosticators Union
After Sales Service Department for an overhaul. I was quoted 12 weeks, but
I don't expect to see it for 24. By then, I have no doubt this watch will be a sell out, the nay-sayers
be damned. I wouldn't want to be the one betting against AP and Mr. S.
Afterall, I sure would love to get my hands on an End of Days now for even
original full retail price...
ThomasM
Audemars Piguet
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