Audemars Piguet's Platinum Royal Oak Chronograph Leo Messi N°10 Auctioned By Sotheby's Geneva

Audemars Piguet's Platinum Royal Oak Chronograph Leo Messi N°10 Auctioned By Sotheby's Geneva

Audemars Piguet offers philanthropist collectors and dedicated football fans a chance to bid for the platinum Royal Oak Chronograph Leo Messi bearing number 10. In Sotheby’s upcoming spring sale to be held on May 11th 2013 in Geneva, this exceptional model will be put up for auction on behalf of the Leo Messi foundation.

This is the piece collectors have been eagerly awaiting since the launch of the Royal Oak Leo Messi limited series with its tantalum bezel and steel, pink gold or platinum case. Its 41 mm diameter gives it a generous and modern appearance without any trace of ostentation. Its pure and elegant dial does not bear the Royal Oak collection’s characteristic “tapisserie” motif, instead featuring a deep blue shade graced with white gold hour-markers for the 100-piece platinum limited edition.

An Audemars Piguet ambassador since 2010, Leo Messi proudly bears the number 10 on his jersey both in the Argentinean national team and in his adoptive club where he has been playing since the age of 13. Acknowledged as the world’s best football player for the past four years and the holder of several records, in 2012 Leo Messi notably achieved the remarkable performance of scoring 91 goals in 69 matches.

Admirers of the soccer legend of our time will be able to bid on lot no. 110 in the auction. The funds thus raised will be entirely donated to the Leo Messi Foundation that strives to help underprivileged children and offer them a chance to fulfil their dreams.

For him, “any initiative that supports the projects developed by the Foundation has my full backing and my sincere gratitude, because thanks to the donations that are raised, we daily seek to restore hope and a reason to smile to children battling adversity. The funds raised during this charity auction will allow us to rehabilitate the Children Public Hospital in my home city of Rosario”.

On show in Hong Kong (from April 3rd to 8th) and in London (from April 12th to 15th), and then in Sotheby’s Zurich (from May 2nd to 3rd) and Geneva (from May 9th to 10th) offices, the Royal Oak Leo Messi number 10 in platinum will be presented for the first time on a rubber strap. It will be accompanied by an autographed T-shirt as well as the original sketch of the watch signed by the player and by Audemars Piguet’s Chief Artistic Officer, Octavio Garcia. Moreover, the fortunate top bidder for this lot will enjoy the exceptional opportunity to watch a football match of Barcelona as well as to meet the legendary footballer in person.

The sale’s e-catalogue will be available on www.sothebys.com from 12 April 2013

To buy a catalogue or download the iPad application, please visit: http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/buybrowse.html

Follow the behind the scenes of the launch of the Royal Oak Chronograph Leo Messi in Barcelona here: http://youtu.be/IMDIHQOpCZk