Product Description
Looking at today's market it's almost impossible to remember a time when chronographs weren't some of the hottest things running in the watch world, and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph has played an undeniable role in that. Along with the Rolex Daytona it's peerless in the luxury sport chrono category, and for a very specific reason: both of these watches have been continuously updated and adapted and refreshed with endless colorways, dial combinations, case metals and gem sets to amazing appeal among enthusiasts and collectors. Manufacturers like Lange & Sohne, F.P. Journe, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and a handful of independents produce gorgeous, haute horology chronographs but none of them can touch the Offshore - or Daytona - for sheer design audacity and wrist presence. What's marvelous is that the Offshore didn't evolve into the big, bold watch that is a piece like this ref. 26470ST.OO.A104CR.01 - from its debut in 1993 the Offshore has always been an aggressive, whale of a three-register chronograph that telegraphed huge personality. This particular ROO - collector parlance for Royal Oak Offshore - was one of four new 42mm steel pieces - along with two others in pink gold - to be unveiled at the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH). The conspicuous case, octagonal bezel and Mega Tapisserie dial are signatures of the Offshore so it's the color ways that hit home for collectors. If you look at this watch, then close your eyes and really picture the particulars of a pachyderm you can see why this one has been nicknamed the "Elephant." In a blend of "slate-grey" and black this one calls to mind hyde and tail, albeit in the slickest manner possible with the 2014 addition of slimmer numerals and fatter hands, all of which are filled with black lume. What other watch manufacturer is using black lume? This watch, like the other five is also the first Offshore to sport ceramic pushers and crown, and a sapphire case back through which to view the AP in-house automatic caliber 3126. Really getting down to movement business, the 3126 was available on a handful of earlier limited and special edition ROOs but in 2014 it was employed on a full time basis and these were the first watches to get it. For the technophiles, it replaced the caliber 2326, which itself was based on a Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 889. On a black "Hornback" alligator strap this watch was the most contemporary of those six 2014 Offshore releases and remains a sophisticated, understated, and completely unique affair in an ever-growing collection of Offshore pageantry. This watch is for the individual.
