Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Review

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore model is produced by the leading Super Clone manufacturer workshops with a 5th class titanium case, 42 mm diameter and a high-precision automatic Super Clone mechanism architecture. It is among the most successful 1:1 super clone watch reviews on the market, with its sapphire crystal AR coating glass, original case tolerances and detailed workmanship.

AP is considered one of the most important brands in the industry and has always managed to set the agenda; but there is always room for more, especially when new watches are added to an already iconic collection. Of course, we will talk about the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph watches here, and especially the 42 mm models.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Review and Comparison

Today we will review and compare a few current models from this collection. Reference numbers are as follows:

26470st.oo.a099cr.01 26470so.oo.a002ca.01 26470st.oo.a030ca.01 26470io.oo.a006ca.01

Let's start with what they all have in common. We'll start from the inside and work our way out.

MECHANISM: This watch is powered by the AP caliber 3126/3840 automatic movement. This self-winding caliber consists of 365 parts and contains 59 jewels. It operates at a frequency of 21,600vph, or 3 Hz, and offers approximately 50 hours of power reserve.

The Audemars Piguet 3126/3840 movement is based on the AP Caliber 3120 and features a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module; According to a current industry magazine published by FHH, this is perhaps one of Switzerland's best kept secrets.

Although often glossed over, this 118-year-old Swiss company based in the Vallée de Joux supplies (or works with) brands such as Breitling, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Richard Mille, AP, Rolex and even Patek Philippe. Their area of ​​expertise is producing chronograph and calendar modules.

This chronograph uses a cam-driven mechanism instead of a column wheel; This means that it takes a little more pressure to operate the chronograph pushers compared to the column wheel mechanism, which has a smoother and less bouncy movement. The plus side is that this type of chronograph is easier to service and the design allows more tolerance between services.

Some watch enthusiasts disdain anything other than a column wheel chronograph mechanism because it requires more labor to produce; but the truth is that neither is necessarily better than the other. Besides, if NASA has approved a cam-driven chronograph for use in spaceflight, it can't be that bad.

The AP 31226/3840 caliber is impeccably crafted with Geneva stripes and 'perlage' (circular brushed pattern technique) on its various components, and has an ornately engraved solid gold rotor.

Features of this caliber

Cam-driven chronograph mechanism Ceramic ball bearings for lubrication-free operation Diamond-engraved beveled edges and reverse snail pattern on the bridges Hacking seconds feature that stops the hour and minute hands for precise adjustment

CASE SIZE: The case measures 42 mm wide x 54 mm high and is 14.21 mm thick and feels much lighter on the wrist than solid gold models.

AP Reference # 26470st.oo.a099cr.01

Of the four AP Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 42mm men's watches we review and compare here, this is the only model with an alligator strap, distinguished by its 'Havana' brown leather with blue stitching. This strap and stitching color combination perfectly matches the colors used on the dial. The reference to 'Cuban' is a reference to the unique brown tone that resembles the color of the tobacco leaves used to roll Cuban cigars. Additionally, the black ceramic crown and pushers add a nice third color to the design.

While this is a nice sized watch for any man, one thing that stands out about this model compared to the other three in the review is that the dial design has the illusion of being smaller than the others. Additionally, it has a fuller appearance because two different colors are used on the dial and dial flange.

This is typical for the RO Offshore collection and most people love these rates. The stainless steel case itself has a stylish brushed finish and is secured with 8 hexagonal screws; which is one of the design elements that made the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore collection so popular in the first place.

White gold is used on the edges of the lume-filled hour and minute hands and the lume-filled numerals. Although this series does not offer the same level of waterproofing as the Royal Oak Offshore Diver watches, it is waterproof enough for light swimming with peace of mind.

The Mega-Tapestry 'Havana' brown waffle dial features the iconic grid-like Méga-tapisserie texture you'd expect from an AP ROO; The chronograph subdials, running seconds subdial and dial flange are in a solid Caribbean blue tone with white numerals and markers. A tachymeter scale can be seen on the dial flange, and there is a magnifying date window at the 3 o'clock position of the dial.

AP Reference # 26470so.oo.a002ca.01

This model is a monochrome version, except for occasional red accents. These racing red accents are seen on the tachymeter scale surrounding the black dial flange, the chronograph hour and minute hands, and the rubber strap. In this model, the black ceramic crown and pushers form a beautiful integrity with the brushed black ceramic bezel. The bezel also has a nice polished beveled edge.

This watch comes with a black rubber strap. There is another almost identical watch in this collection, with a black 'Hornback' alligator strap; Some may say that this is just a version of that watch, but this model has a black ceramic bezel, while the one with the 'Hornback' strap has a stainless steel bezel.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the bidirectional rotor used for self-installation is made of solid 22 carat gold. This weighted rotor is visible through the transparent sapphire case back. Its workmanship is impeccable and it is engraved with the AP logo and the Audemars Piguet family crest.

The dial is black with a Mega Tapestry texture, also known as a waffle dial by some. The secondary dials are also black, radiating into thin, concentric rings. The lume-filled Arabic numerals are white with white gold edges, matching the lume-filled white gold hour and minute hands.

AP Reference # 26470st.oo.a030ca.01

Unlike the almost monochromatic model we just mentioned, this model is in a vibrant shade of indigo blue with red chronograph hands. Like the other models we just discussed, this one uses white gold for the hour and minute hands and the lines of the numerals.

The crown on this model is also ceramic and has a brushed stainless steel center with the AP emblem engraved on it. Unlike the other models we've reviewed here, this crown is blue, matching the rest of the watch.

The indigo dial flange matches the blue waffle dial and rubber strap. The stainless steel case bears fine brushed workmanship with a polished beveled edge. There are 8 hexagonal screws with nice polished work to enliven the bezel design and balance the polished edge of the case.

AP Reference # 26470io.oo.a006ca.01

While all the other models mentioned in this comparison and review use a stainless steel case, this model uses a super-light titanium case and a matching gray rubber strap. This choice of material combination makes the watch extremely comfortable and light on the wrist. An excellent option for those who do not like that extra feeling of weight that often accompanies wearing high-end luxury watches.

In this model, you will find a gray ceramic bezel instead of black, and the ceramic pushers and crown are also grey.

The slate gray Mega-tapisserie dial is comfortably accented by light gray subdials that feature thin interlocking rings in a radial pattern and use black printed indicators. Like the Havana model mentioned at the beginning of this article, this watch also looks slightly smaller due to the stronger contrast between the dial color and the dial flange; but not as much as on the brown model, where the difference in visual weight between the center and outer dial is more noticeable.

The rubber strap on this model is two-tone gray; Light gray is used as the main color of the strap, and a darker gray is used as an accent on the edges. The strap is secured with a titanium pin buckle.

This collection includes quite a lot of different models.

Browse the Collection