A greatly coveted brand among luxury fake watch fans for its cult-favorite Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet replica has just appointed Patrick Ottoman as the new CEO for North America, which suggests the brand’s goal is to become more fashionable in the USA and broaden its appeal to a wider audience than just hard-core collectors. 
AP North America’s new Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Ottoman does not come from the watch world interestingly enough but was formerly CEO of Berluti, the ultra-luxe Parisian shoe brand established in 1895, whose famous clients over the years have included everyone from Marcel Proust and the Duke of Windsor, to Andy Warhol and Jeremy Irons. Audemars Piguet fans such as Jay-Z, LeBron James, Patrick Dempsey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mark Wahlberg, and Tom Cruise.
Now located in Audemars’ New York City office, Ottoman replaces Antonio Seward and reports directly to Yves Meylan, AP’s Chief Commercial Officer, in Le Brassus, Switzerland. Before Berluti, Ottoman served tenures in the luxury hospitality industry according to AP. He joined Berluti as Chief Executive Officer in 1993, when LVMH acquired the brand, and later served as U.S. Managing Director of Berluti USA, where he established the brand in the United States in 2005 and remained with the company until last year.
Since LVMH owns a handful of luxury replica watch brands including Zenith, Hublot, and TAG Heuer, we can surmise that Ottoman may have come into connection with that side of the business and perhaps participated in some joint marketing strategies which might serve him well in his new capacity.
“I am very glad to take part in a family-owned company with an equally respected reputation after many years spent at a brand considered a leader in its category,” Ottoman said in a statement. “Audemars Piguet is one of the few manufacturers in the replica watches industry today dedicated to the fundamental values of craftsmanship. Joining the team is not only an honor but also stands for a great chance to be a part of a family.”
Month: July 2019
Rolex Pushing for Larger Men’s Watches
Rolex is certainly not a trendy brand. So while many other top luxury brands have focused on producing unisex replica watches and smaller men’s watches, Rolex has gone in the opposite direction, making bigger watches for men. Let’s take a closer look at how the Rolex men’s watches are getting bigger, and how the brand is positioning itself for a more classic size timepiece
Explorer I/II, Air-King, And Sea-Dweller All Got Larger Case Sizes
Since its debut in the 1950s, the Rolex Explorer watch has featured a 36mm case. That’s why it’s always a good idea for men with smaller wrists to buy a more athletic Rolex. That all changed in 2010, however, when Rolex released a larger version of the Explorer in 39mm and halted production of the Explorer 36. More importantly, just a year later, Rolex Replica increased the size of the Explorer II case from 40mm to 42mm, and in 2011, Basel world launched the Explorer II ref. 216570.
In 2016 Rolex unveiled a bulgy Air-King watch, a watch that has used conservative 34mm oyster case throughout its long history. The air-king has grown significantly, by 6mm, and now comes with a 40mm case (not to mention a completely redesigned dial and anti-magnetic properties).
Then, at Basel world in 2017, things got really crazy, when the Sea-Dweller got bigger and went from a 40mm case to a new 43mm one. With Rolex releasing a two-tone version at Basel world in 2019, the 43mm sea dweller looks set to stay. 
Rolex Offers Larger Options of the Datejust, Day-Date, and Yacht-Master
In addition to stopping the smaller version altogether and replacing it with a larger model, Rolex now offers a larger option to sit next to the traditional size. For example, there are Datejust 41 and day-date 40 collections, with larger versions of the classic proportionally Datejust 36 and day-date 36 replica watches. Let’s not forget the short-lived day-date II and Datejust II series, both 41mm men’s watches.
Notably, Rolex’s new Day-Date 36 watches, which were on display at Basel World this year, have a more feminine design, with plenty of diamond and gemstone dials. Is this a way for Rolex to introduce bigger (and more expensive) 40 Day-Date men’s watches?
Larger men’s watches have more options than ever before
Before the launch of the 44mm Yacht-Master II series in 2007, the largest Rolex watch on the market was 40mm, which belonged to a different series of Rolex’s “professional” series. Today, there are more options for men’s watches over 40mm, including dres’ watches and sports watches. It will be interesting to see how Rolex scales up over the next few years. Will the brand continue to expand in the foreseeable future? We’ll just have to wait and see.