A Great AP Day

[orangedial]

AP ownership has been a very rewarding experience to me so far and the joy was perfectly illustrated yesterday when I met a new WIS friend through the forum and yet another perfect experience at the Singapore AP Boutique

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Had a nice coffee before the meeting...

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Ben had posted here not long ago for some advice on adding an RO in his growing collection. I had the pleasure to offer my 2-cents and we soon met up for some AD/boutique crawling yesterday. After meeting at our favourite AD along the Orchard Road, we decided to check out the RO/ROO at the boutique which is just a stone throw away.

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With the help from the boutique, it is confirmed that my 25721ST is produced in late 2001. Hence it's now 11+ years old. Still young...

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We were greeted by Bindy, the wonderful boutique manager. It was kind of a pleasant surprise for both of us to have finally met because prior to this visit, we had several email correspondences over many months but without a chance to meet up. Of course, my visits to the boutique so far have always been excellent, and I know now the reason even better after spending a good 2 hours with Bindy. Well-groomed, knowledgeable and forthcoming in forging a good customer relationship, Bindy has displayed the kind of service attitude a premium brand should render to its customer. After all, isn't customer connection the key reason of setting up a boutique for? Bindy is definitely a role model in this respect and I can see the similar quality in her staff (at least 3 of them that I've met) While we have heard some negative feedback lately regarding the services at APSC, my encounter at the boutique had continued assuring me that AP is still all about customer satisfaction

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A rare GEM... So rarely available even in the boutique

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Back to watches! It was an amazing day to be able to handle some really great RO after having seen countless of photos online. More importantly, there are several news from AP that I think we are all interested... Some good, some bad, some horrible...

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This piece was sold... But look at this! It's marvellous, the blue hue is almost identical to my 25721ST, mesmerising... I really think I NEED one, sooner or later

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GOOD NEWS

Not really the latest news, but AP has slashed the MSRP of the precious metal watches by more than 20%. If you are into RGRC, RG44mm, or even the Plat44mm, etc it is a good time to realise your dream.



BAD NEWS

AP is reducing and tightening control on discounts, that means we will have to pay more for the popular models, especially the SS ROs and most ROOs

For those who still can't decide on their choice of SS RO, especially the 15400, AP is limiting the production of blue dial 15400 to a very low number and will be exclusive to boutique only!

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The now-exclusive blue dial 15400 has a different blue from the venerable 15202 Extra-Thin. It looks equally fantastic in my eyes... A stunner in its own right


Another stunning 15400... The new size is commanding

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How about some ROOs? This year marks the 20th anniversary of the ROO, and the SIHH novelties are mainly high complication models which showcase AP's haute horology strength. I'm very pleased with the announcement of the 2 new ceramic models, which are definitely more wearable and durable as ROO should be. And talking about ceramic model, I was rather fortunate to try out the humongous Legacy LE on a Kevlar strap!

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Despite its huge size, it feels pretty comfortable on my 6.75" wrist. Do you think I can pull it off?




Molten rose gold... Heart-melting

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Finally... finally I had the chance to really handle the 44mm ROO mmodels. I feel pretty good with the size, surprisingly! And man... I love stick markers


HORRIBLE NEWS

Again, not the latest news, but ALL FC models will be discontinued! Yes, ALL, sooner or later! It's a very sad news to me because such an avant-garde and unique technology will soon become a history

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Now I know why the 44mm FC ROO is so popular. It is really comfortable...


... And handsome...


... And suits me well

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Lastly, the most shocking news to me... The ever popular Rubber Clad will soon be going down the history lane too! While I respect the inevitable product design evolution, some ever-green and iconic designs are still worth being preserved in the product line IMHO.

Overall, it was another fun visit, sweetened by the superb coffee... Oops! I mean superb service (yes, we were served coffee ). Thanks Bindy for the warm hospitality