23 September 2018 | Audemars Piguet , 5 minutes on the wrist SIHH 2016

That Day the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver became a Chronograph

The last time we spoke about a non-stainless steel Royal Oak Offshore Diver was when the brand launched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver 42mm White and its Chronograph version. We're talking about watches released in 2014, whose case was made of white ceramics and that are today not even listed anymore in the brand's catalog. The only Royal Oak Offshore to sport a ceramic case is today the Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication.

The brand from Le Brassus is always the first to officially unveil their new models at the beginning of each year, half of which usually belong to the Royal Oak collection with the addition, this year, of the glorious Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD # 2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Tourbillon 25 Anniversary.

The Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph's Mega Tapisserie pattern

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver was launched two years ago as a chronograph crafted in four different coloured versions, three of which are so unique that they probably represent an even bigger leap than that taken by the brand a few years ago when they launched some limited series based on the Chrono Offshore model (like, for instance, the Montoya and its version dedicated to Shaquille O'Neal or the Royal Oak Offshore Volcano). The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph is a two-register-chrono that the manufacturer retails exclusively through their boutiques across the world.

The Mega Tapisserie pattern present on the dial, possibly the least visible example of this type of decoration on a Royal Oak watch, has been created in blue, green, orange or yellow colour. The four different hues match the colour of the watch's rubber band with its big buckle and with the diving scale raging from 60 to 15 minutes that has been crafted in the very same colour and then filled with luminescent material. The two counters, on the right hand side is the continuous seconds counter while on the left hand side is the 30-chrono-minute conuter, stand out against the dial in every version of this timepiece, except for the blue-dial-version that is the most understated at first sight.

The crown guards have been redesigned to offer even more protection to the ceramic-made chrono buttons and they feature a double profile that, from an aesthetic point of view, makes the Diver Chrono very similar to the last generation Offshore Chrono timepieces. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph is waterproof-guaranteed up to a depth of  300 metres and is equipped with the in-house built 3124/3841 caliber that runs at a frequency of 3Hz and that guarantees up to 50 hours of power reserve.

You can view the caliber through the octagonal-shaped back cover - like the bezel - that is attached to the back case through eight screws that are perfectly symmetrical to those mounted on the bezel. This design solution gives us the impression that the screws were actually through screws and the choice to craft a see-through-back case makes the concept of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph much more similar to a classic Royal Oak Offshore rather than a typical diver's timepiece, where, by definition, the back-case is usually completely closed. The retail price totals approximate 28.800 euro.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®'s proprietary photo-shooting)

Gaetano C. @Horbiter®

@Gaetano Cimmino

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