Deep dive: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak offshore watch and its reissue When Royal Oak was launched in 1972, the watch industry didn’t really understand it. It is a boldly designed and expensive luxury watch, but it is also a sports watch made of stainless steel. Today, this may not be surprising, but at the time, it was actually unheard of. The only thing that is appropriate is that the Royal Oak offshore aircraft, which was originally designed to commemorate the Royal Oak, was also misunderstood when it was launched. Like its ancestors, Offshore finally found a foothold and became one of Audemars Piguet’s most popular watches. Here, we have two references, from the original Royal Oak Offshore Reference 25721ST.O.1000ST.01 in 1993 and its modern counterpart, 26237ST.OO.1000ST.01, which was launched in 2018. Together, they helped tell the story of Offshore and why it is such an important part of Audemars Piguet’s lineup.
I will not retell the history of the Royal Oak completely because the story has already been told and retelled. If you want to speed things up, my colleague has written very well here. However, as you know, the offshore type of Royal Oak is closely related to the original Royal Oak. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about Offshore without discussing the original content. The entire impetus for the establishment of the Royal Oak Offshore Company is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Royal Oak. Designer Emmanuel Gueit is responsible for conceiving a new version designed by Gerald Genta and proposing a larger and more sporty fake men watch.
I will not retell the history of the Royal Oak completely because the story has already been told and retelled. If you want to speed things up, my colleague has written very well here. However, as you know, the offshore type of Royal Oak is closely related to the original Royal Oak. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about Offshore without discussing the original content. The entire impetus for the establishment of the Royal Oak Offshore Company is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Royal Oak. Designer Emmanuel Gueit is responsible for conceiving a new version designed by Gerald Genta and proposing a larger and more sporty fake men watch.
He retained the core design features of the original work, such as the exquisite octagonal bezel and snack bar dial, but improved the robustness of the watch so that it was nicknamed the “beast”. Now there is a rounder and stronger bracelet, a large rubber gasket under the bezel, and a rubber crown and chronograph buttons, which all contribute to the aquatic and active atmosphere of the watch. The first-generation Offshore watch has a diameter of 42 mm and a thickness of 14 mm, which is undoubtedly larger than the original size (39 mm by 7 mm), but it is not too big for modern watches, although the increase in size must be in line with the time. The trend, volume is not just about appearance.
The original Royal Oak was originally supposed to be a luxury sports watch, but compared with sports, it paid more attention to luxury. In the offshore area, this problem was corrected by doubling the water resistance to 100 meters, adding some magnetic resistance and timing complications. The increased size makes the case more durable, and the internal AP movement 2126/2840 requires more space because it uses JLC-based 888 and adds a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. Then consider that the movement is also wrapped in a soft iron inner cage to increase the magnetic resistance, and the dial must be unfolded to include the tachymeter scale on the outer flange. All these factors will significantly increase the size of the watch, so all these factors can easily justify the increase in the proportion. As far as I am concerned, the increase in quality is worth the increase in durability and functionality. I won’t feel comfortable using the standard Royal Oak for body surfing, but I do like its design. There is no need to hire babies at Royal Oak Offshore, I think this is one of the main added value.
However, just like the original Royal Oak, this early Offshore received a lot of criticism. Even Gerald Quinta himself shook the clock publicly, feeling that it had ruined his original design. Cruel. However, although traditional watch fans criticized this new design, it became popular and attracted new audiences for the Audemars Piguet brand. Athletes, movie stars and other trendsetters all love Royal Oak’s modern sports style. Therefore, things that should have been anniversaries eventually became more and more.
The reference number 25721ST.O.1000ST.01 is a very early coveted example of the D series. The first few batches of Offshore perfected the complex watch and made several updates-difficulties in production caused the watch to be released in 1993 instead of on the real 20th anniversary in 1992. As you know, this D series example has quite a lot of bronze in 90s watches, this is because the D series batch used a slightly different and more unstable blue tone, which now provides us with this unique Purple tint. A bit of brass came out. Another unique feature of the D series is that the iconic mesh decoration is closer, which means that the squares on the dial are getting smaller and smaller. I think this is a more elegant aesthetic.
This early Offshore has become a unique work in the history of Audemars Piguet. This move will once again change the trajectory of the brand and lead to Audemars Piguet becoming one of the most popular luxury brands in the past 30 years. Now, Audemars Piguet has more than 40 different ocean models with various complexities and materials. This model has become a hotbed of innovation and allows the brand to expand in ways that many other traditional watchmakers have avoided-without Offshore, the Royal Oak Concept series might not have existed. Like the original Royal Oak, Offshore not only maintained the relevance of the brand, but also introduced it to the future. However, despite continuous innovation, Audemars Piguet has not forgotten their origin.
In 2018, Audemars Piguet fake relaunched the original Royal Oak Offshore. Despite its outstanding performance, it has undergone modern improvements. So many original products look completely different from the appearance when they leave the factory, so this new reference number 26237ST.OO.1000ST.01 allows enthusiasts to experience the original design and enjoy this without worrying about damage The fun of timepieces. Early reference materials with great collection value. The re-released Offshore has no original production problems and has new startup technology.
The new 3126/3840 movement is a fully internal self-winding movement. Compared with the original Offshore movement, it has a power reserve of five hours (50 hours in total) and 21 more jewels. Aesthetically speaking, this is the first Offshore perfect entertainment, with its gorgeous blue dial and beautiful light reflecting the finished work. With the evolution of Royal Oak Offshore (Royal Oak Offshore) overtime, this once loud and sturdy design now seems to be more reserved. I am not a big fan of some of the more extreme offshore designs that I saw today, but this re-release is something I can lag behind. I think it can achieve Audemars Piguet’s original goal of improving Royal Oak while maintaining its best quality and providing enhanced functionality and durability. This is the watch of “eat cake too”.
Seeing this original Offshore side by side with the re-released version is a watch fan’s dream. The story behind the complex design and production process of the watch is written in the interesting bronze color that should be exhibited, and modern examples show that despite the feeling of the 1990s, the watchmaking industry has indeed gone a long way since then. Some way. This pair will bring two outstanding good luxury watch to Offshore enthusiasts. This year will create a bold but tasteful formal watch, while modern watches can meet the needs of any daily wearer. Together, these two watches tell one of the most important stories in the history of Audemars Piguet. Since the original Royal Oak watch has no meaning for the Audemars Piguet brand. If there is a history,