Some of you know I bought the 44mm ROO, and a week ago, I picked up the carbon one.

Below is a crosspost from an AP forum I'm on, in case any of you guys is thinking about either of the pieces.

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Regarding steel vs carbon, well again, you know how I feel on that, get both!

I think it is highly subjective, but for me, the steel version was more conservative than the carbon.

There are many many steel cased pieces that are much shinier. The diver in steel is far more eye popping than the steel model. The 44mm steel bezel looks almost like a rubber clad until you are outside and when sunlight or a light source hits it, that's when it really pops.

The steel is heavy, which you already know, but because of the rubber strap, it's weight balance is all in the case, so when you wear it, unless it is tightly strapped to the wrist, all the weight will fall close to that wrist bone, with the seconds chronograph pusher being the hammer so to speak.

The reason I say the carbon is a louder piece, is because there are three layers of black on the piece. You are a porsche guy, so you'll get this analogy. Most all black watches are like arctic silver, just one tone of color hue. But this piece has so many different takes on "black" it is like the GT silver.

Each layer pops in a different light. In bright sunlight, the carbon case and the bezel are the stars of the show.

In daylight conditions with obstructed light, the detail on the dial shines.

In darker areas, the screws and the white gold markers steal the show.

Simply put, the FC is not an all black watch.

The FC shines more from a distance than the steel does. Surprising yes.

The FC takes and refracts light with all it's different materials and textures, whereas the steel absorbs that light to reveal its detail. (the different finishings on the steel case, the white dial detail etc..)

I wear the FC daily, with suits, casual etc.. The steel I wear more sparingly.

For me, I find the steel model to almost conflict with my daytona in terms of daily wear and overall feel when you wear it. Sure the detail and beauty of the AP trumps the daytona by a mile, but you get a similar visceral experience when you look down at the time.

I think the other consideration is how the pieces complement or detract from other pieces in your collection. For me, there are certain pieces that I know will stay in the collection, and it's all about creating a good rotation of pieces to keep you happy.

Hope these thoughts helped, I'm probably going to do a pictorial and writeup comparing the two watches soon lol.

My plans, as of now, are to keep the FC, and as soon as my order for a VC Overseas Dualtime in white arrives, move the 44mm steel.

Wow, that was a lot of rambling above. To put it concisely...

The steel model tries to be multiple different watch looks at once. At times, it looks sharp and clean, other times it looks sporty. It does every look very well. A better all around piece.

The FC does "black" in a way I've never seen before and does it brilliantly.

 

Had both .. .liked them both although after alot of thought not a fan of the strap/tang feels "too big" after a while not sure how to word it. The 42mm offshore suits me better. Oh forget to mention also had the Rose 44 so I had the trifecta LOL all gone.

 

i think you just want to piss off Mark h20 like i do with all these ap posts great write up, makes a LOT of sense to me and now i want to go check out the 44 fc again!
and not sure if the mega tapp on the FC 44 is the same shade/grade as on the BB but you are absolutely spot on with saying:
The FC takes and refracts light with all it's different materials and textures

i swear i am not just being a huge ap fanboy here but the dial actually acts like a prism and in bright sunlight you can see the dispersed light with rainbow colours glittering...
back me up on this Eddie


edit: Marc duuude you need to post more pics! love how you owned and moved so many aps

 

Completely agree. Nice pieces but I didn't even bother with any of the three after trying them on at the Boutique. The strap and tang buckle is extremely wide and thick. They wear much larger than your typically 44 LE ROO. The rubber strap on the 42mm is much more tapered and feels significantly less bulky. I really think AP missed the mark on these pieces.