Audemars Piguet article Status Magazine 2014

AUDEMARS PIGUET
The 44mm Royal Oak Offshore
Chronograph in white ceramic
features a sapphire crystal
caseback, the first-ever for
an Offshore.
First In CLASS
BY TANYA DUKES
Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Royal Oak
Offshore timepieces uphold — and advance —
their original mission: encouraging a spirit
of watchmaking innovation.
A
udemars Piguet is a storied manufacture with
a catalog of innovations that includes
the world’s first minute repeater
and jumping hour timepieces. To
understand the firm’s modern
history, however, it’s essential
to know the place of the Royal
Oak collections in its story.
When first introduced in 1972,
the Royal Oak caused shockwaves
across the watch industry as the
first high-end timepiece made in
steel. It was a revolutionary
move, not only because gold
dominated as the traditional
material of the time, but also because of the unprecedented technical prowess required to finish a
steel watch to precise haute horlogerie standards. The Royal Oak —
and its later offshoot, the sporty Royal
Oak Offshore — was the start of a groundbreaking legacy that not only marked the birth of an iconic
design, but also a new era in watchmaking.
The engraved oscillating weight (above) that powers the
Offshore’s 55-hour power reserve is visible through its
new clear caseback.
MATERIAL ISSUES
With one of the newest additions to the Royal Oak portfolio,
Audemars Piguet’s reputation for daring design continues.
This time, the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph line leads the charge. One of the
latest models features a white
ceramic case on a white-rubber
strap. This version marks a
stylistic expansion of the
boundaries for men’s sports
watches and is a striking
counterpoint to a black ceramic model that launched
last year to mark the Royal
Oak Offshore’s 20th anniversary. Its pristine palette would,
at first glance, seem to disqualify
the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph from the rough and
tumble worlds of sport, but
its durability and a long list
of features belie its good
looks.
The watch’s 44mm case
and bezel are composed of an
ultra-hard white ceramic
that’s nine times stronger than
steel and impervious to most
scratches. As would be expected from a
material that is so resistant to damage, it’s
challenging and labor intensive to create ceramic
watch components. In fact, it takes about eight times longer
to make the bezel in white ceramic rather than stainless
steel. As a bonus, the material adds strength without heft
since ceramic parts weigh less than metal ones. This makes
the watch substantial without being heavy, a quality that’s
heightened by the use of lightweight titanium for the pushpiece guards and other elements.
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AUDEMARS PIGUET
That same level of painstaking workmanship also resides
within the case. The light silver dial bears the brand’s signature méga tapisserie motif and is ringed by a blue inner bezel
and applied, white-gold hour markers that are visible in darkness thanks to a luminescent coating. Red-handed chronograph counters are easily legible on the otherwise blue and
white palette, underscoring the precision of the movement,
which is on display through the sapphire crystal caseback —
the first time ever that a Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph has
had a visible movement.
Where the white ceramic version gives the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph a crisp, almost futuristic look, this new
42mm stainless steel version offers subtle updates to the
watch’s now-classic aesthetic. Both share the same textured
méga tapisserie dial and powerful engine — the in-house
caliber 3126/3840 — but the navy edition uses black ceramic
for its screw-down crown and chronograph pushers.
Their distinct personalities underscore the versatility
of the Royal Oak Offshore and its capacity to evolve, while
remaining true to the essence of its design legacy.
Orange chrono hands stand out against the silver-toned
counters to provide superior legibility in this 42mm stainless
steel Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph.
COMPLICATED CHOICES
Now thinner, this 37mm Royal Oak Offshore Quartz is available
in either rose gold or stainless steel.
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For more than a century, Audemars Piguet has created
timepieces for women. Today, they exhibit the same combination of sporty sophistication represented in the men’s
collection, albeit created in proportions that are sensitive
to female wearers with exceptional jeweled options that
unite the worlds of watches and fine-jewelry technique.
The Royal Oak Offshore Quartz model is faithful to
the signatures of the original design, from its méga
tapisserie dial to the nautically inspired, porthole shaped
bezel and hexagonal screws that secure it in place. Its
37mm case is generous without being overwhelming, and
exhibits a play of materials — rose gold and diamonds
pair comfortably with rubber — that gracefully mixes
elegant ornamentation and function.
Women with an appreciation for a deeper level of watchmaking complication will gravitate toward the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. The self-winding chronograph features a
small seconds and a date display, plus a robust, 40-hour
power reserve. Proving that there’s no need to sacrifice glamour for strong performance and durability, the radiant timepiece is water resistant to 50 meters and features a screwlocked crown. More than 30 diamonds are featured on the rose
gold bezel. Sophisticated both aesthetically and mechanically,
the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph is a clear expression of
Audemars Piguet’s commitment to producing exceptional
mechanical watches expressly for women.
Technical and feminine, the 37mm Ladies’ Royal Oak Offshore
Chronograph is offered in a range of case materials.
The Royal Oak’s signature hexagonal screws secure the
diamond-set bezel to the 37mm rose gold case that houses an
automatic movement.
With its lithe, self-possessed elegance, the ladies’
Self-Winding Royal Oak is a masterful expression of classical
watchmaking. At its heart lies caliber 3120, an in-house
movement that’s wound by a gold oscillating weight that
bears the Audemars and Piguet family crests. Composed
of warm rose gold with a silvered dial, the watch features
center seconds and a date display, and offers a 60-hour
power reserve. Every element within its 37mm case, and the
extraordinary finishing of every component that meets the
eye is the culmination of nearly 140 years of watchmaking
finesse.
Since its earliest days, Audemars Piguet has crafted timepieces that made the rest of the world stand at attention. That
was never truer than with the introduction of the Royal Oak
Offshore, just over 20 years ago. Its legacy is still a signal
influence today, as it advances the category of elite sport
timepieces, and every dimension of its own manufacture. ¨
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