3 Bold New Colorways for Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Offshore
Black ceramic casing offsets the colorful dials.
In spite of nearly three decades after its debut, Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet's unapologetically masculine Royal Oak Offshore remains one of the most popular models in the world today. A younger brother of the original Royal Oak, the Royal Oak Offshore debuted in 1993.
In the summer of 2014, three new versions of the self-winding chronograph were created, each sporting a 44 mm black ceramic case paired with a colorful dial in smoked blue, green or gray. Both of these watches come with ceramic bezels and titanium push-piece guards, whereas the smoked gray dial watch comes with 18-karat pink gold bezels and push-piece guards.
On the dials of all models, Audemars Piguet’s signature “Mega Tapisserie” pattern is featured, as well as Arabic numerals replacing the traditional applied hour markers of the Royal Oak Offshore’s traditional casebacks.
Despite being 42 mm wide and 15 mm thick, the ROO was a boundary-defying watch from the get-go. The watch was nicknamed “The Beast”, and it weighed nearly two-thirds of a pound. Its pushers and crown were made of rubber, making it a truely unique timepiece. Remember that this watch was released before the industry's “size craze” took off in earnest, and it is widely regarded as a pioneer when it came to the colossical timepieces of the early aughts.
Although seasoned collectors tend to prefer the more conservatively sized models, the 44 mm model has been continually requested by fans who are looking for a more in-your-face timepiece despite its hefty size, and the introduction of three new versions suggest that it is still a desirable option despite its hefty size.
In addition to housing Caliber 3126/3840, the newest versions of the Royal Oak Offshore come on color-coordinated straps made of textured rubber that provide more than 50 hours of power reserve and are powered by 365 components.
These watches are exclusively available in Audemars Piguet boutiques all around the world and retail at $34,900 for the blue and green models and $42,900 for the 18-karat gold edition.
