Audemars Piguet Launches A New Royal Oak Offshore Self-winding Chronograph Made Of Black Ceramic.

Swiss luxury watchmaking brand Audemars Piguet has launched a new Royal Oak Offshore automatic winding chronograph with a diameter of 42 mm. The watch case and chain strap are made of black ceramic for the first time, and the black dial is engraved with a “Petite Tapisserie” small grid decoration. It is equipped with an integrated chronograph movement Caliber 4404 with a flyback function, demonstrating a modern monochrome aesthetic design style.

Distinctive aesthetic design

The new Royal Oak Offshore Self-winding Chronograph (Ref. 26238CE) continues the brand’s passion for exploring the use of materials. This is the first Royal Oak Offshore watch whose case and bracelet are entirely made of ceramic. The chronograph pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock and the screw-in crown at 3 o’clock are also made of ceramic. Only the eight screws that secure the bezel to the case are white gold, echoing the eight luminescent white gold three-dimensional hour markers on the dial and the titanium case back.

The clear and precise reading experience

Like the case, bracelet, buttons, bezel, and crown, the dial is matte black and engraved with the “Petite Tapisserie” pattern, a signature pattern previously only available on the Ref in solid gold or titanium. .26238 model. Compared with the color changes of the previous models, the new watch adopts a pure black monochrome design for the first time. Many technical challenges had to be overcome to achieve a harmonious visual effect between different materials and textures. This aesthetic design gives the watch a subtle layered beauty.

To enhance the reading experience, the watch adopts a series of exquisite retouching techniques. Each chronograph sub-dial is equipped with a white pointer, set off by a circle of white Arabic numerals, forming a sharper contrast with the overall black tone.

The circular date display window at 3 o’clock and the three iconic chronograph sub-dials of the Royal Oak Offshore series surround the large-sized fluorescent hour and minute hands in the center of the dial. Among them, the small seconds dial at 6 o’clock and the minute and hour counters at 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock, respectively; this arrangement continues the vertical dial layout of the series. The new watch also adopts the detailed design of the 2021 model, swapping the positions of the small seconds dial and the hour counter, presenting a top-down reading sequence of hours and minutes.

The blend of exquisite craftsmanship and advanced technology

The ceramic material has been carefully processed to reveal its delicate texture. To create this exquisite new work, the master watchmaker must overcome three challenges: meeting Audemars Piguet’s stringent requirements for quality and finishing, dealing with challenging and difficult-to-process ceramic materials; The Royal Oak Offshore case is alternately polished and satin-brushed.

The ceramic material is made from zirconia powder and a special binder, although its exact composition remains a closely guarded trade secret. After sintering at a temperature of more than 1000 ° C, the ceramic will show a uniform solid color.

Subsequently, each ceramic part is pre-polished and satin-brushed. All lines, corners, and chamfered bevels are created with superb craftsmanship to create Audemars Piguet’s iconically satin-brushed and polished alternately. Fine craftsmanship highlights the uniqueness of ceramic materials and colors and fully demonstrates its delicate texture.

Powerful flyback timing function

The new Royal Oak Offshore self-winding chronograph made of black ceramic is equipped with Caliber 4404 integrated automatic chronograph movement, with a column wheel and flyback function. Unlike conventional chronograph movements, the flyback function restarts the chronograph without pressing the stop and zero buttons.

The column wheel has a vertical clutch mechanism to ensure that each button is evenly stressed. When the chronograph function is started or stopped, the hands complete the command instantly, without pause or vibration. The patented zero-return mechanism ensures that the hands of each chronograph sub-dial are reset to zero instantaneously and simultaneously.

Through the titanium sapphire crystal case back, the exquisite operation of the column wheel can be seen at a glance. After pressing the zero reset button, the zero reset hammer hits the core cam of the chronograph mechanism driven by the lever, causing the chronograph gear and hands back to the starting point. The wearer can also appreciate the 22K rose gold automatic oscillating weight engraved with AP, a design that echoes the original model of the series. The movement is decorated with exquisite finishing details, including Côtes de Genève, pearl dots, circular satin-brushing, and polished chamfers.

Superior inheritance

The new Royal Oak Offshore Automatic Chronograph was launched to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the series. Since the launch of the first Royal Oak Offshore swiss watches replica in 1993, the series has continued to innovate and evolve in terms of movement, material, finishing, and dial design.

The new replica watch extends the application of monochrome ceramics to the entire case, highlighting the ‘Petite Tapisserie’ decoration that was previously only used in the three models of the Royal Oak Offshore series. This new masterpiece pays tribute to the series with an understated and modern design.

Technical Parameters

• Function
• Flyback chronograph, hours, minutes, small seconds, date display
• case
• The case, buttons, button bridge, and screw-in crown are all made of black ceramic; the case thickness is 15.3 mm, with anti-glare treatment sapphire crystal glass, sapphire crystal glass titanium metal case back, and water resistance up to 100 meters.
• dial
• Black dial with “Petite Tapisserie” pattern, black chronograph counters, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating, black inner bezel
• chain belt
• Black ceramic bracelet with titanium AP folding clasp
• movement
• Caliber 4404 self-winding movement
• Overall diameter 32mm (14″)
• Overall thickness 7.95mm
• Number of parts 433
• Number of Gems 40
• The power reserve is guaranteed for at least 70 hours.
• Balance wheel frequency 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)