The Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet is given the spotlight with Royal Oak Offshore 43mm and Royal Oak Offshore 42mm
The success of the longevity of the Royal Offshore collection lies in what it stands for: a free-spirited timepiece that has taken the playbook of conventional watchmaking and re-wrote it. Audemars Piguet has over the years pushed the limits of feasibility by taking more creative licence with a wide array of unyielding materials, sizes and colours.
This year, that spirit of derring-do lives on the Royal Oak Offshore 43mm and Royal Oak Offshore 42mm with a new case size, interchangeable straps and integrated chronograph technology.
The new 43 mm Royal Oak Offshore in titanium, 18-carat pink gold or stainless steel combines the collection’s strong identity with a more ergonomically refined design
The case presents larger polished chamfers on the edges while the bezel as well as the screw-locked crown and chronograph push-pieces follow a slight curvature for more visual appeal
We are spoilt for choice as the new generation of the Royal Oak Offshore comes in a new dial size of 43 mm with five models in titanium, 18-carat pink gold or stainless steel. The design of the case and dial has evolved to feature larger polished chamfers on the edges, while the bezel, as well as the screw-locked crown and chronograph push-pieces, follow a slight curvature.
The timepieces run on the new manufacturer’s latest in-house integrated chronograph, Calibre 4401. This self-winding chronograph movement is equipped with a column wheel and the flyback function that enables it to restart the chronograph without stopping or resetting it first.
Apart from that function the Calibre 4401 is equipped with a vertical clutch system that prevents hands from jumping when the chronograph is started or stopped, as well as a patented zero resetting mechanism ensuring that each one of the counter hands is seamlessly reset to zero.
The Royal Oak Offshore 43 mm line is fitted with the manufacturer’s new interchangeable strap system that has been directly integrated into the buckle and case’s studs. With a quick click and release, the seamless design easily allows for a change of straps and buckles.
If you prefer, there are colour choices of interchangeable rubber straps in black, blue, grey and brown for the different models, as well as the AP pin buckle.
Although inspired by the original Royal Oak Offshore from 1993, the new models in 42 mm sport the manufacturer’s latest integrated flyback chronograph, interchangeable strap system and a slightly revised dial design
Royal Oak Offshore 42mm
There are three new references in the Royal Oak Offshore 42mm in stainless steel, titanium or 18-carat pink gold. The designs may look familiar as it is based on the 1993 version that features some new specifications such as the manufacturer’s latest self-winding flyback chronograph, the new interchangeable strap system and a slightly revised dial design. The sapphire caseback also makes its come back, granting an exceptional view on the hand-finished integrated chronograph.
The timepieces get their heartbeat from a new self-winding integrated chronograph, Calibre 4404, that is equipped with a column wheel and flyback function. The difference is that the flyback function allows the wearer to stop, reset and start the chronograph in one simple action. The column wheel works in collaboration with a vertical clutch system. When the chronograph is started or stopped, the hands respond accordingly without any hint of jumping.
Another outstanding aesthetic design is the “Petite Tapisserie” pattern. The stainless steel variant features the iconic blue dial of the Royal Oak Offshore from 1993, a colour referred to as “Night Blue, Cloud 50” in the manufacturer’s archives.
The pink gold reference highlights the “Night Blue, Cloud 50” dial with pink gold-toned counters, echoing the previous case’s colour. Lastly, the titanium version adorns a light grey dial accentuated with black counters and a black inner bezel.
Although the timepieces have kept the original Royal Oak Offshore’s vertical counter display, the hour and small seconds counters have been turned on their heads: the hour counter is now positioned at 12 o’clock, the small seconds counter appears at 6 o’clock. The minute counter remains at 9 o’clock. In addition, all the counters are now equidistant from the centre of the dial for more visual appeal.
In a nod to the original watch, the gold applied AP initials and the transferred “Audemars Piguet” signature are located at 3 o’clock. The date window has also been topped off with a loupe glass integrated into the dial to magnify the date numeral, like in the 1993 timepiece.
