AP Royal Oak Offshore 2009

[rckh]

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE CHRONOGRAPH

Picture yourself at night, perhaps in a city. Imagine the gleam of wet asphalt; watch the darkness come to life, revealing all the black grains of the surfaces, the lines, the curves. But something is moving, so wake up and take a closer look at the bright yellow headlight cutting through the darkness. Other shades of yellow emerge, like the countless eyes and tones of the urban landscape. You can make out the criss-cross pattern of the intersecting roads. Change the focal distance, and suddenly you grasp that you at the wheel of car, driving at dizzying speed, with time calling out to you from your wrist as it rushes past on a matt-black instrument that blends into the night.

There is a touch of all that in the inimitable recently released Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph.

A few grams of carbon

The case features the intriguing mottled black shade of forged carbon, an ultra-light and highly resistant material developed exclusively by Audemars Piguet, from the production method through to the actual tools. After several years of research and development in aviation as well as in the automobile industry and the nautical world, it was first introduced in the 2007 Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Chronograph. This material featured the application of forging technology to the machining of carbon. The complex shapes of the Royal Oak Offshore are achieved by means of a steel die. A set of carbon wires is placed inside the die. Measuring a mere one or two millimetres in diameter, this wire is itself composed of several thousand 7-micron carbon fibres held together by a resin wire. The die is then compressed at a high temperature under pressures of over 300 kilos per cm2. Audemars Piguet thereby demonstrates the full range of its machining expertise, acquired through years of practice in the making of carbon movement bridges and plates. The inside of the case and the correction of the various drilled holes are thus duly completed and the final result features sharp angles, a silky touch and a sturdy yet light stature.

High-tech performance

The resulting shimmering dusky effect is complemented by the bezel and studs in shiny black ceramic, as well as vulcanised rubber-moulded crown and pushpieces, while the bright yellow colour of the numerals, tachometric scale, central chronograph seconds hand and stitching on the strap create a spectacularly bold contrast against the backdrop of this palette of black shades. A pioneer in the use of original materials, the Manufacture masterfully combines them here while placing them in the service of a sporty and ultra-masculine sports timepiece that is a fascinating blend of high technology, contemporary daring and horological mastery.

The Calibre 3126/3840 self-winding movement equipping this new Royal Oak Offshore also contributes to its impressive performances by guaranteeing impressive sturdiness, reliability and rating precision. The barrel-spring supplies constant force ensuring 60 hours of power reserve, while the stability of the movement is further reinforced by the cross-through balance bridge. The balance is also fitted with eight inertia blocks enabling extremely fine adjustment, while a 22-carat gold ball-bearing mounted rotor ensures bidirectional automatic winding. Finally, all the parts are finished and decorated by hand with bevelling, C

[ubiquitous]

Methinks AP has long run out of ideas on what to do for new watches.

[MADRED7]

AP released a bunch of new models lately....unfortunately we will never (not in a short run) see these watches as reps!

But there will be more nice AP

[wheaton26]

these companies are ruining their image with the big bang and the royal oak offshore. there are just too many variations of the same watch. i don't like this trend.

[ubiquitous]

Well, AP has, to their credit, been focusing on lines other than the ROO (i.e. Millenary, JA, EP, etc.). But since the ROO is their bread and butter, it's no wonder why they hype it so much. Still, there's only so many color variations one can pump out using the same basis.

P.S. I'm glad to see that they still offer the 15202ST as part of their current line up. That watch, to me, is classic AP.

[Neuuubeh]

A few grams of carbon

The case features the intriguing mottled black shade of forged carbon, an ultra-light and highly resistant material developed exclusively by Audemars Piguet, from the production method through to the actual tools. .... This material featured the application of forging technology to the machining of carbon. The complex shapes of the Royal Oak Offshore are achieved by means of a steel die. A set of carbon wires is placed inside the die. Measuring a mere one or two millimetres in diameter, this wire is itself composed of several thousand 7-micron carbon fibres held together by a resin wire. The die is then compressed at a high temperature under pressures of over 300 kilos per cm2. Audemars Piguet thereby demonstrates the full range of its machining expertise, acquired through years of practice in the making of carbon movement bridges and plates. The inside of the case and the correction of the various drilled holes are thus duly completed and the final result features sharp angles, a silky touch and a sturdy yet light stature.

Jeez, I hate marketing crap so much.. "Forged Carbon" please . It is neither forged, nor in any way unique. It would have also been better if they used the real names of the involved materials as well - "carbon wires" or "resin wires" dont really exist. Carbon fibre filament on the other side

Oh well