Michael Schumacher's Legacy Continues Despite Condition; Audemars Piguet Honors F1 Champ And Brand Ambassador

Luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet is making sure Michael Schumacher's legend continues even as the 7-time F1 champion's condition has not changed after the severe head injuries he sustained from a skiing accident in December 2013.

In a report from Forbes, Audemars Piguet has updated the Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher edition which will be available on limited orders.

But the update is more than just a shallow dress-up as the Swiss watchmaker actually perfected the functionality in the mechanical wristwatch that Michael Schumacher himself requested.

The partnership between the F1 champ and Swiss watchmaker actually began in 2010 when he asked Audemars Piguet to fashion him a mechanical watch with a chronograph that has the ability to tell two events simultaneously. This complication is dubbed "rattrapante," which is roughly translated as "split seconds chronograph."

The problem is the difficulty of creating the second time which is anchored on the first time, and only for a "maximum of 60 seconds."

"The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Laptimer takes the traditional split second chronograph one step further by allowing the user to start and top either of the two chronograph hands independently. This is a watch industry first, and is a complication Audemars Piguet has been working on since 2010," the article said.

Bloomberg reported that Augemars Piguet's Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher's edition becomes complicated when the user hit the pusher at 9 o'clock.

"This locks one hand where it is and returns the other to zero while starting it again immediately. This lets you read the time of the first lap while also timing a second lap," it said.

"From there you can either fly back just the one hand in motion or use the pusher at 9 again to lock the moving hand and return the locked hand to zero for more timing."

Unfortunately, Michael Schumacher might not be able to appreciate what Audemars Piguet has done due to his condition.

The Michael Schumacher edition of the Royal Oak Offshore by Audemars Piguet will retail for $229,500.

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