Discover a timepiece that honors the achievements of a legendary race car driver. Racing legend Michael Schumacher has been an Audemars Piguet Ambassador since 2010 and a long-time admirer of the Royal Oak family. The Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Michael Schumacher launched in 2012. Today, Audemars Piguet announces a second collaboration.

Michael Schumacher shares Audemars Piguet’s desire to continually evolve, to push the limit. His participation in the engineering and design process is reflected in each detail of the timepiece, as is his adventurous nature.

In 2010, Michael Schumacher, or “Schumi” to his fans, came to Audemars Piguet with a bold request. On the race track, he was accustomed to electronic laptimers. Yet he sought a mechanical timepiece with a chronograph, or stopwatch, designed specifically for use in motor racing – one that would marry functionality with beauty. Would it be possible, he asked, to time and compare multiple, consecutive laps?

Audemars Piguet faced a formidable challenge – one that may have proven insurmountable without a 140-year horological history. A Vallée de Joux invention, the chronograph dates back to 1820.

The task of comparing consecutive lap times had traditionally been carried out with two or more hand-held stopwatches. Audemars Piguet, however, needed to streamline the operation, creating a single wrist chronograph. The engineers approached the endeavor with scientific precision. Nothing could be left uncertain.

The Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher is the first luxury watch to feature a single chronograph driving two central hands that can be controlled independently. Smooth and powerful, it measures sequential lap times down to one-eighth of a second. It is the newest in the Royal Oak Concept line – an ultra-modern collection that exemplifies a drive to innovate and a spirit of independence. Only through determination and experimentation can one reach new ground.