It’s Friday, which means it’s almost the weekend, which means it’s time to kick your watch game up a level or three. To help, we have a suggestion; the Platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. If you want to make a statement, this is the watch to do it with. Recently refreshed, equipped with an in-house movement and did we mention it’s made of platinum?
The Platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph
These days it seems almost redundant to refer to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph as an icon of high-end watchmaking. You know it’s one, I know it’s one, even people who know next to nothing about watches seem to get it. This is one seriously cool looking, well-proportioned watch that suits just about any occasion and attire.
The thing is, you want to stand out from the crowd, don’t you? Sure, you want people to ‘get’ your watch but you also want them to be seriously blown away by it. This is where the Platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph truly excels.
Presented in a 42mm case made from 950 platinum, it is paired nicely with a smoked, slate grey dial with “Méga Tapisserie” pattern and contrasting black sub-dials and a black inner bezel. The Arabic hour numerals are also black and have been coated in luminescent material to ensure high visibility in the dark. Even the date window at 3 o’clock has a black background, which is a subtle but welcome touch. The Royal Oak hands meanwhile are made from white gold and finished with a light grey luminescent coating. As a final added touch of contrast, the chronograph push pieces and the screw-locked crown are in black ceramic.
Providing the power is the automatic caliber 3126, a modular chronograph offering a 60-hour power reserve, a stop-seconds mechanism for the main timekeeping train, and a solid 22k gold rotor for automatic winding. Nothing revolutionary here to be sure but a very solid and reliable movement that gets the job done with class.
Speaking of solid, the Platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph comes fitted on a solid platinum bracelet, meaning it makes its presence very much felt on the wrist. Don’t worry if you’re not man enough (or even strong enough) to pull it off, the watch also comes complete with a grey alligator strap, fitted with 950 platinum links and pin buckle.
Only 50 examples of the Platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph will be made and each will retail for a healthy US$134,800. Of course, you could save yourself a heck of a lot of money and opt to go for one of the two steel versions instead but that wouldn’t make quite the same statement, now would it?
The two new 42mm steel versions for the sake of comparison.
