Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 44 Ceramic Blue Smoked Dial

We will not hide that for us, this brand is one of our most beloved, and we always approach every offering that reaches us with awe and hidden excitement. It is not without reason that today, for the first time, we have the pleasure of writing about this model in this case – simply, until now, all the ones we managed to find changed owners very quickly, and we did not have the opportunity to describe them. For us (and probably for many other people), the Royal Oak is precisely the most iconic model of Audemars Piguet, and the reasons for this are countless. Beginning its journey in the 1970s, thanks to the deft hand of Gérald Genta, this series has undergone numerous iterations, but a few things have never changed – the octagonal case, the “waffle” dial, the design of the lugs, etc., etc. In 2005, the brand decided to respond to the modern trend for oversized cases and launched the new series of 42-millimeter chronographs, which also received their now-cult nicknames – Panda, Safari, Navy, Silver Themes, and Black Themes. In 2011, following the trend for even larger cases and sizes, at SIHH the brand presented the AP ROO 26400. This model automatically became highly sought-after by all admirers of the brand and allowed the manufacturer to permanently establish this case in its assortment to this day. Unlike the 42-millimeter version, this timepiece is not offered in a wide variety of models and dial types, and the one presented today is the most recognizable - with a white dial and black subdials. 5 years later, thanks to the success of specially created limited editions like the Jarno Trulli, the brand decided to introduce ceramic into the mass production of its 44-millimeter version. And a few years later, in 2020, the model presented today appeared – the interesting thing about it is that it is part of the so-called Boutique edition... Thanks to the materials used, it is significantly lighter and more comfortable, and the colors used also make it look more modernistic! Its distinguishing features, besides the ceramic case, are the bright blue ceramic bezel and pushers of the same material, the “smoked” dial which has been fashionable in recent years, and of course, Arabic numerals for the hour markers. As most of you probably know, in the first versions of its Offshore chronographs, AP used caliber 2226/2840, and this was the case up to and including 2007, when this cult movement was replaced by the new in-house 3126/3840 – based on the 3120 modular chronograph with a Dubois Depraz chronograph module – operating at the usual AP frequency of 21,600 vibrations, with 365 parts, 59 jewels, over 50 hours of power reserve, and to emphasize the noble origin of the movement, the balance is crafted from 22-carat gold.