A new case, a new dial and a new movement have completely transformed the “beast”.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, known as the “Beast”, was launched in 1993, giving the Royal Oak a sturdy and practical appearance. Since its introduction, this watch has been regularly updated, for example, a 44mm version was added in the early 2000s. This year, Audemars Piguet has completely overhauled its rugged and durable chronograph with a new design, a more ergonomic 43 mm case, more refined functional details, interchangeable straps, and the brand’s integrated automatic Winding flyback chronograph, calibre 4401. The new Royal Oak Offshore Automatic Chronograph 43 mm has 5 models polished from stainless steel, 18 carat rose gold or titanium.
After the original Royal Oak was launched in 1972, this caused a revolution in watch design and introduced us to the concept of luxury steel sports watches. When it was first launched in 1993, the offshore series did almost the same thing. It is bolder, more destructive, and defines a new type of luxury watch. Although all the features that made the Royal Oak an iconic work are still there, many people are shocked by the new, sturdy siblings designed by the famous Gérald Genta. Since then, many iterations of the offshore series have followed and have found their place in the Royal Oak lineage.
Fast forward to 2021, Audemars Piguet has launched an important update of its Royal Oak Offshore Automatic Chronograph, with an in-depth redesign and major technical updates in the form of a new chronograph movement. It is not new in terms of development, because it was launched in the 2019 Code 11.59 series. It is a new product of the Royal Oak Offshore series and therefore a new product of this series of chronographs. It is made of stainless steel, titanium metal or 18k rose gold, equipped with an integrated flyback chronograph movement, breaking the modular structure before Audemars Piguet Calibre 3126/3840. And also added a more balanced 3-6-9 display.
The 43 mm wide case has been carefully modified to accommodate the new movement with a slightly larger diameter. The case is equipped with a set of newly designed chronograph buttons, which have been improved to provide more ergonomic comfort. It has a larger polished chamfer, and the slight curvature on the bezel, crown and buttons brings a softer visual appeal. In addition to the titanium version, the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 43mm uses a black ceramic bezel to create a sharp contrast in materials and colors. The crown and buttons are also made of ceramic.
Another part of this new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Automatic Chronograph 43 mm update is the dial. It is available in black, gray, taupe or blue, and has a new style “Méga Tapisserie” pattern. Compared to the previous offshore model, the logo block is now interconnected with the cross and completed in a different way-just more detailed and refined. With the introduction of the new movement, the subdial for the chronograph function has been redesigned and repositioned. The date window has been pushed further to the edge of the dial, the hands have been slightly modified, and now the applied logo is the same, with only AP written-not the full-length name of the brand.
As mentioned earlier, the movement is Calibre 4401, which was originally developed for Code 11.59 and is now used in the Royal Oak series. The structure is one-piece, so there is no more basic movement, there is a timing module on it. Integrating a chronograph movement is a very complicated thing, and it took Audemars Piguet several years to complete. The flyback function allows restarting without first stopping and resetting the movement. Through the sapphire back cover, you can see that the 4401 movement uses a black 22k gold rotor, and of course there are plenty of details and decorations. The watch can provide up to 70 hours of power and is water-resistant to 100 meters.
The new feature of the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 43mm is the interchangeable strap function, with a quick release system that can easily change the style. The leather strap appears on the rubber strap in black, blue, gray or brown. online shop for watch
Technical specifications-Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Automatic Chronograph 43 mm
Case: 43 mm diameter-stainless steel, titanium metal or 18k rose gold-black and gray ceramic bezel (titanium bezel and blue dial model)-latest ergonomic design-new ceramic chronograph button-ceramic Screw-lock crown-sapphire crystals on both sides-100m water resistance
Dial: Redesigned Méga Tapisserie pattern-Repositioning the chronograph-Newly applied “AP” logo-Grey, blue, black or brown dial-Modified hands-Repositioning the date window 04:30
Movement: AP Calibre 4401, self-produced-automatic winding integrated flyback chronograph movement-32 mm diameter x 6.8 mm thickness-367 components-40 jewels-70 hours power reserve-28,800 vibrations per hour-hours, minutes , Small seconds, date, chronograph with 12-hour and 30-minute counters
Strap: Interchangeable strap system integrated into the buckle and rivets of the case – blue, gray, black or brown rubber strap – leather alternatives available
Reference: 26420SO.OO.A002CA.01-stainless steel, black ceramic bezel, black dial and strap
26420SO.OO.A600CA.01 – stainless steel, black ceramic bezel, taupe dial and strap
26420TI.OO.A027CA.01-Titanium case and bezel, blue dial and strap
26420IO.OO.A009CA.01-Titanium, gray ceramic bezel, gray dial and strap
26420RO.OO.A002CA.01 – 18k rose gold, black ceramic bezel, black dial and strap