![]() ![]() 26237ST.OO.1000ST.01 – that was fairly faithful to the original in style and specifications. It’s not the first attempt of Audemars Piguet to bring back a modernized version of the classic 1993 Royal Oak Offshore, as in 2018, for the 25th anniversary of the model, the brand launched a limited edition watch – ref. The Comeback of “The Beast” with the new Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph And later, the ROO would be dressed in gold, ceramic or even forged carbon. It also introduced new materials – in this case, rubber – mixed with metals. It took the classic Royal Oak design and “deconstructed” it, by making the gasket between the case and the bezel highly visible, for instance. And the shock was so intense that the watch immediately became known as “The Beast”.Ī massive watch back in the days, with a 42mm diameter and 15mm height, the Royal Oak Offshore 25721ST was angular, it was heavy and, in fact, even if all the iconic design elements of the Royal Oak were featured – the octagonal bezel, the eight hexagonal screws, the raised bezel, the tapisserie dial, the integrated bracelet, the overall shape of the case – the Offshore felt completely new and disruptive. Others, however, were amazed by this new concept designed by a young man named Emmanuel Gueit (22 years old back then). Some will recall how many collectors and insiders were disappointed by this novelty when it was unveiled at Baselworld 1993. What was this watch about? It was a testosterone-fed version of the Royal Oak in a 42mm case with chronograph, built with the words “massive” and “deconstructed” in mind. Yet, in 1993, Audemars Piguet struck again by launching the Royal Oak Offshore. ![]() The comeback of the mechanical watch was just gathering momentum and the vast majority of high-end watches on the market – with the exception of a few sports watches – were still classically designed and relatively small in terms of diameter. In the early 1990s, the watchmaking industry was slowly recovering from the quartz crisis, and the watches produced were still quite shy and discreet. The 1993 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph ref. 25721STĪ second move followed two decades later, still in the Royal Oak collection. Thin yet robust, angular, textured, luxurious in a young and fresh way, overly designed, built as a single element… It was disruptive but also successful. Under the pen of Gerald Genta, the Royal Oak was born, and it created a whole new market segment, that of the luxury sports watch. In the early 1970s, the concept of a luxury watch, even for Audemars Piguet, was a small, thin, gold-encased watch, possibly with complications. This watch, a whole new concept mixing sports watch credentials with high-end watchmaking refinement, as well as introducing the idea of an integrated design, was pretty provocative. First of all, one has to keep in mind the year 1972 and the Royal Oak. The 1993 Royal Oak OffshoreĪs always with watches paying tribute to a past model, a historical brief is necessary. Also available in titanium and gold, we now take a closer look at the all-time classic steel-and-blue version of this 26238ST, which comes with noteworthy improvements, and isn’t limited anymore. We’ve seen a re-edition of this very watch in 2018 and, this year, Audemars Piguet brings a new version of its Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph that again pays tribute to the early years of the ROO. ![]() However, nothing can beat the iconic status of the original. But almost 30 years after its presentation, the Royal Oak Offshore has proven to be a finely tuned recipe and has since been derived in a multitude of versions. If the classic Royal Oak of 1972 was already disruptive, the ROO was a shock, a true rupture, something unprecedented and provocative. The Beast… This is the name watch enthusiasts gave to the Royal Oak Offshore when it was presented in 1993. ![]()
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