Three of the six Royal Oak Offshore 42mm Chronographs unveiled at SIHH2014.
Louis Oosthuizen, South African professional golfer and Audemars Piguet brand ambassador has had a busy 2014 golf schedule. Currently in the Pacific Palisades, CA, for the Northern Trust Open, he won the Volvo Golf Champions Title in January in Durban for the second year in a row and is slated for two more important tournaments this month after the Northern Trust Open.
However, a wearer and lover of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, Oosthuizen may want to ditch the PGA tournament to go get a closer look at the newest ultra-cool Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs just unveiled at SIHH 2014. Then again, he may just wait until he can actually put one on his wrist, as these babies aren’t slated to hit the market until later this spring.
The Royal Oak Offshore 42mm Chronographs are sleeker yet dynamic with ceramic accents instead of rubber.
So, instead of teasing anyone, we will just bring an up close and personal look at the six new versions being released this year in a great revamping of a 21-year-old icon. Essentially six bold new 42mm Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph models are springing into action – each with a crisp, refined look to them that offer a fresh, sporty feel to the legendary look. One of the highlights of the new collection is the fact that each watch now boasts sapphire casebacks – a long awaited for feature by Audemars Piguet aficionados who want a look at the highly detailed movement.
From the initial overall look, one striking characteristic of the new pieces is Audemars Piguet’s attention to detail and high-tech performance. The brand moves away from rubber and into ceramic for the pushpieces and the crown – a great touch.
The slate gray dial version of the Royal Oak Offshore Chrnograph has a sleeek designer appeal that works with suits and weekend sports.
Four of the new pieces are crafted in brushed steel and two are in rose gold with rose gold Tapisserie dials – one on black gator strap and one on a bold solid rose gold bracelet. While we love the rose gold models, because let’s face it, rose gold is just rich and warm, the steel versions are ultra powerful. Of particular appeal is the Navy blue piece with a rich royal blue dial with silvered subdials and orange accents, and complemented with a blue rubber strap. Naturally a sober black dialed version, with horn back alligator black strap with red stitching is also available. This bold watch features red accents and chronograph hands on the dial for a tonal yet dynamic appeal. Other versions include a slate-gray dial with white and black accents for hands, markers, numerals and subdials, and an adventurous vintage Safari dial in cream with brown outer chapter ring, brown subdials and markers and a brown alligator strap. This one is a really eye-catcher!
The new pieces now flaunt a sapphire caseback.
The watches are powered by the Calibre 3126 modular chronograph movement with date aperture at 3:00, tachymeter scale and a superbly decorated 22-karat gold rotor visible from the caseback. The new Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs are engagingly priced at $25,600 to $26,000 for the steel models. The rose gold on strap is $40,700 and the rose gold on bracelet is $69,200.
For the adventurous at heart, the new ivory-dialed, brown accented Safari version is a stunner.
So, rest assured, Louis, when you are done with your long day on the golf course, you can just tune in here and plan out your selection – be sure to let us know your choice! Those of you who are also avid golf fans, or Audemars Piguet fans – let us know your thoughts, too. We love the new lineup! Bravo on redefining an icon in today’s terms.
