What We Know
Big, bold, and unapologetically brash, the Royal Oak Offshore has never been the watch for everyone. But with three fresh colorways for 42mm chronographs in steel and titanium, and a triumvirate of brand-new 37mm models in titanium and pink gold, the vaunted watchmaker from Le Brassus is giving us a few more reasons to consider its dedicated diver.
There are three new 42mm models in three new color combinations, all featuring luminescent white ‘bathtub’ style hands, Arabic numeral hour markers in 18 carat gold, a flyback chronograph with hour, minute, and second counters, and a tachymeter scale rehaut inner bezel and date window at 3 o’clock.
First up, the only new titanium model at this size, it features a dark grey méga tapisserie dial with dark grey and silver-toned counters with yellow and turquoise accents. The Arabic numeral hour markers are turquoise while the yellow chronograph hand matches the counter hands at 9 and 12 o’clock with a white seconds hand at 6 o’clock.
Sections of the tachymeter scale are printed in yellow and white, while the AP logo in white sits just left of the date window. The silver hour and minute chronograph counters are accented in turquoise and grey. The case is 15.3mm thick and features a sapphire open caseback, a black-rubber and titanium screw-down crown with contrasting yellow and black rubber push pieces, and boasts water resistance of 100 meters.
The new titanium Offshore chronograph comes on an interchangeable dark grey textured calfskin leather strap with turquoise stitching and a titanium pin buckle. It’s priced at $42,500.
Two new steel models are also debuting, highlighting orange or pink accents on the latest iteration of the Offshore, originally designed by Emmanuel Gueit in 1993. The orange-accented model has a light grey méga tapisserie dial with dark grey and orange-accented chronograph counters and tachymeter scale markings on the rehaut.
The 18-karat lume-filled hour markers appear white and glow green at night. The chronograph hand and counter hands are in orange, with the silver-toned seconds counter featuring a black hand. The top push piece is made of orange rubber, and the black calfskin-textured strap features orange stitching and a steel buckle.
The other new steel model features a black méga tapisserie dial with pink accents, including a pink chronograph seconds hand and pink markings on the chronograph counters, the tachymeter scale, and the strap stitching. Both the steel Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph models feature sapphire casebacks, are water-resistant to 100 meters, and are priced at $42,500, the same as the titanium model, according to AP’s U.S. website.
All three feature the in-house Audemars Piguet caliber 4404 integrated flyback chronograph movement. With a column-wheel and a 22-karat pink gold oscillating weight, it’s the same movement featured on existing Royal Oak Offshore chronographs in this size.
While the 42mm chronograph models represent fresh color schemes on existing model designs, the 37mm Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph models debuting use the new(ish) in-house caliber 6401 that debuted in the 38mm Royal Oak models earlier this year, which TanTan wrote about here. Two of the new models are housed in titanium, also a first for the Offshore at this size.
Let’s start with the one that many of the diminutive-wristed among us will be excited to see in person: the titanium-cased model with a matching crown and pushers, a smooth bezel, a turquoise dial, and a matching rubber strap.
With gold Arabic numeral hour markers, matching lume-filled white ‘bathtub’ hands, the date moved to 6 0’clock, and sans tachymeter scan on the turquoise inner bezel, and with the three counters in the same color, this is a toned-down Offshore – that is, if one considers the turquoise color subtle. The case is 11.5mm thick, has an open sapphire caseback, and offers 50mm of water resistance. The watch is priced at $41,100 on the Audemars Piguet U.S. website.
There’s another new titanium version at 37mm with a steel bezel set with 32 brilliant-cut diamonds (1 carat) and a pink tapisserie dial that follows the same layout as the turquoise version. The price rises to $45,900 for the diamond-set bezel titanium version that has the same specs as the turquoise model.
Finally, there is an 18-karat pink gold case version featuring a gold bezel also set with 32 brilliant-cut diamonds (1 carat). The dial is light blue tapisserie, with matching counters, ringed by pink gold. The Arabic numerals, hour markers, and hands are all pink gold, and the hands feature light blue colored luminescent material. With a matching light-blue rubber strap and the same 6401 chronograph movement and water resistance as the other 37mm models, the pink-gold version is priced at $68,500.
What We Think
The new colorways on the 42mm Offshore models look and feel quite modern and au courant and round out the offerings at that size quite nicely. I’ve always been a sucker for orange accents on a watch and expect that’s the one I’d go for if I were in the market for a luxury diver. Still, I must admit that the combination of turquoise, grey, and yellow on the titanium model, while quite busy, is possibly the most fetching of the three.
As for the 37mm sizes, I’m super excited to see the turquoise model in person and see how it wears and feels. Audemars Piguet’s CEO, Ilaria Resta, has said that adding more women to Audemars Piguet’s client base, from current levels of around 20% to 25% to as much as 45% by 2030, is a significant priority. With these chronograph models, particularly at the 37mm size, there’s plenty of potential to get closer to that goal. At the same time, the introduction of the six new models in total to the Offshore line reminds us all of the potential of the model group that was designed in an era – the late 1980s and early 1990s – that is certainly back in focus and informing design decisions among the style-conscious.
The Basics
Brand: Audemars Piguet
Model: Royal Oak Offshore Self-Winding Chronograph, 42mm and 37mm
Reference Number: 26238ST.OO.A001VE.02, 26238TI.OO.A001VE.01, 26238ST.OO.A001VE.01, 26430TI.OO.A358CA.01, 26430IS.ZZ.A514CA.01, 26430OR.ZZ.A352CA.01
Diameter: 42mm, 37mm
Thickness: 15.3mm, 11.5mm
Case Material: steel, titanium, pink gold
Dial Color: Dark grey, black, silver-toned, turquoise, pink, light blue
Indexes: Applied, 18K gold
Lume: Yes, hands and indexes
Water Resistance: 100m, 50m
Strap/Bracelet: Interchangeable calfskin, rubber
The Movement
Caliber: 4404, 6401
Functions: Flyback chronograph (42mm) chronograph hours, minutes, small seconds, date
Diameter: 32mm, 27mm
Thickness: 8mm, 5.7mm
Power Reserve: 70 hours, 55 hours
Winding: Self-winding
Frequency: 28,800 VpH (4Hz)
Jewels: 40, 44
Chronometer Certified: No
Pricing & Availability
Price: $42,500 (all 42mm), $41,100 (37mm turquoise dial), $45,900 (37mm diamond-set bezel titanium), $68,500 (37mm pink gold)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
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