Audemars Piguet: Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Camouflage

“Reinterpreting the classics” is the consolidated trend that Audemars Piguet has also followed for the new releases presented at SIHH earlier this year. The Le Brassus-based brand has focused on colour and contrasts, combinations of materials and design features. The trademark “Tapisserie” pattern evolved – or rather, “radiated” – and there was a riot of colours, fizzing with creative energy.

Also featured, the celebration of the 25th anniversary of one of the brand’s emblematic models, the Royal Oak Offshore, with several new additions to the collection and a strong showing for ceramics.

Among the new releases in this line, the new Royal Oak Offshore selfwinding chronograph certainly did not go unnoticed, with its beige dial, green ceramic details and camouflage pattern on the strap.

Working with ceramics is challenging, calling for infinite skill and patience. But it repays the effort with a virtually scratch-proof finish that withstands high temperatures, thermal shocks – and the passing years. For this model, Audemars Piguet’s artisans used ceramics for highlighting its new and original khaki green details in pushpieces, screw-locked crown and bezel, all hand-crafted to a flawless finish.

The first-time used khaki green has been matched with a beige dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, brown counters, brown external zone, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands, beige inner bezel. The fashionable rubber strap features a “Camouflage” pattern and a stainless steel pin buckle. An additional khaki green rubber strap is proposed with this timepiece.

Inside the watch beats the selfwinding manufacture Calibre 3126/3840 with minimal guaranteed power reserve of 50 h, a frequency of 3 Hz (=21,600 vibrations/hour) and chronograph, hours, minutes, small seconds and date functions. Finally, the 44mm-diameter stainless steel case, with glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback, is water-resistant to 100 m.

By Valeria Garavaglia