Audemars Piguet - Royal Oak Offshore Black Ceramic Chrono 26238

Audemars Piguet celebrates 30 years of the Offshore with the Royal Oak Offshore Black Ceramic Chrono 26238. €/$ price and full details.

When Audemars Piguet launched the Offshore at the Basel trade show 1993, a lot of watch purists were disappointed, including the designer of the Royal Oak, Gérald Genta, which "invaded the booth shouting that his creation had been completely destroyed”. Nonetheless, just like the original, also the Offshore turned out to be a great success (read more on the history of the Royal Oak here).

The first Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph - 1993

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of this model, Audemars Piguet is presenting the Royal Oak Offshore Black Ceramic Chrono ref. 26238, the first Royal Oak Offshore with a case and bracelet made entirely of ceramic. 

This high-tech material is also used for the pushers at 2 and 4 o'clock and the screw-locked crown. The iconic octagonal shaped bezel is attached to the case by eight visible hexagonal white gold screws which stand out prominently against the black.

Protected by a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, the dial is dressed in the same matte black color as the case and decorated with the Petite Tapisserie pattern. The hour markers and the Royal Oak hours and minutes hands are filled with Super-LumiNova for better readability in darker environments.

To further enhance legibility, the three counters - small seconds at 6 o'clock, chronograph minutes at 9 o'clock and chronograph hours at 12 o'clock - feature white hands and Arabic numerals. At 3 o'clock we find a circular aperture for the date, also in white.

The edgy lines of the 42 mm x 15.3 mm case and the integrated bracelet are well highlighted by alternating polished and satin finishing. Water resistace is guaranteed up to a pressure of 10 bar (approximately 100 metres / 330 feet).

The caseback is made in titanium with a sapphire porthole to reveal the in-house self-winding Caliber 4404 and its 22kt rose gold rotor engraved with the initials AP. This flyback chronograph with column wheel beats at the frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz) with a power reserve of 70 hours.

Finishes include Cotes de Genève, circular graining, circular satin finishing and polished bevels. 

The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Black Ceramic Chrono ref. 26238CE.OO.1300CE.01 has a price of Euro 82,600 / US$ 84,400. audemarspiguet.com