I’m not talking about the Book of Revelation, in fact , things were pretty normal when I finally got to lay my hands on Audemars Piguet’s newest Audemars Piguet Royal Pine Offshore 43 Ceramic Blue in full black ceramic. But the watch, a faithful callback to the first Offshore nicknamed “The Beast” due to its size and weight, is still quite imposing, specifically for someone like me who has never loved the Just offshore. So it might as well be the End of Days (Offshore/Schwarzenegger jua intended) however the new “Black Beast” I think AP has won me over. Even recently I held on to the undeniable fact that I and my good ol’ pal Gérald Genta (Gérry to his imaginary friends such as me) were the cool kids sitting in the corner chanelising Mean Girls and saying “stop trying to make Ocean going happen” as we proudly stuck to our refined taste for the elegant type of the original “Jumbo” Royal Walnut. I don’t think Genta was trying to be a bully when he accused originator Emmanuel Gueit of “ruining” the Souverain Oak design when he came up with Offshore. There are just something so timeless and elegant about the Royal Pecan and the Out sourced was undoubtedly a departure (and, Would argue, a pretty anachronistic one).
The watch market can be a fickle thing and it might be hard to imagine in the haze of its modern resurgence, but 30 years ago at the introduction of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Off-shore 43 Ceramic Blue, sales of the Big and other Regal Oaks had been in steady decline as well as Gueit’s style would eventually prove the shot associated with adrenaline that the brand needed. And along with Genta, very few people were convinced at first. It actually seems like AP’s burden over the years has been to break the actual mold with a whimper, not a bang. The Code 11: 59 launch was braodly dismissed within the same breath as accusations that AP was a one-trick pony. But hindsight offers historically been AP’s solution. Four years on and the particular Code provides seemingly gotten over its growing pains despite having the same movement and case design and style. Thirty years later and the Offshore has gone through a meteoric rise (and lately slight dip) in popularity. And while the brand had given nearly every treatment of case material and layout touch possible within the confines of typically the “Offshore” box and never quite clicked by himself, leave it in order to AP to pull out the stops for the 30th anniversary with the coup de grâce to be able to my carelessness to the Overseas. I mentioned when we introduced the watch that although no brand “owns” ceramic, AP comes darn close. They are masters with the materials, which is why I just assumed an all-ceramic Just offshore was one of many hundreds of models I’ve glossed over in often the brand’s history. I apparently gave AP too much credit in their mastery as brand name representatives reiterated how hard it is to work with the material and create a full ceramic bracelet for the Audemars Piguet Noble Oak Ocean going 43 Hard Blue. It’s not entirely clear to me why honestly, that is the case, although fully-ceramic Supérieur Oaks on offer, and leads me to believe this watch was held in reserve for a big anniversary launch. However even if this is the case, it was worth all the wait. Looking at that introduction piece and James Stacey’s early hands-on photos you can see which even in hard, the finishing AP is doing makes the new Offshore case trend creatively close to the original in a big way that will leans into brand history and consumer nostalgia. Historically I’ve always thought ceramic must have been a material in which looks better than it feels and also I’d venture to say here is still the case here, however that’s to some extent because the dark ceramic just looks so incredibly great. The polished faceted edges of the case, band, and bezel play with the light so well and really stand out against the otherwise vertical graining of the ceramic. And while the dark-colored ceramic exhibits fingerprints along with smudges like you wouldn’t believe (please excuse them in all the photos), it does so in a fashion that almost appears like a wood-grain pattern when combined with the fine ceramic texture. Yet aesthetics aside, after wearing the watch for any bit I started to get the impression that this lighter the fabric, the more important it is to have a perfectly fitted bracelet – something not possible for the 7. 25″ wrist in a brief hands-on environment : which isn’t a due to the material or the watch itself. As I looked around the room and other individuals clamored for their hands-on time, I saw that people of every dimension, shape, in addition to gender did actually wear the watch with ease plus swagger. That demand for practical time also foreshadows what will undoubtedly become a high demand for this watch in general. It’s no stretch to say this is an instant classic. While the Code eleven. 59 possesses often already been floated as the entrée in to Audemars Piguet for new buyers, I have heard plenty of stories of AP clients picking up Offshores as their first purchases. I would not expect anyone to be therefore lucky in this article. I texted photos for you to friends and even posted on Instagram as soon as the view was in hand and even well-heeled and well-connected AP collectors I know this previously retrenched the Out sourced showed the sparkle regarding intrigue. It’s going to be a hot commodity even for AP and that certainly is saying some thing. I noticed one other writer muttering the price to himself while walking out the door shaking his head, and I could see he was already psychologically making deals with the devil to afford the watch. Hype aside I have settled into the understanding that anyone buying the “Black Beast” is getting a great enjoy from top to bottom. Which includes a solid column-wheel chronograph motion Caliber 4401. The pushers have a satisfying actuation together with benefit from the removal of the odd rubber covering on the initial. The movements itself features nice completing that you can see on the display caseback. And the dial, however dated We still feel it leans, has a awesome almost carbon fibre texture under the Petite Tapisserie squares and a great blend softer elegant serif fonts with bold applied accents and bulbous date window. Yes, even with all that, AP has knocked it out from the park.
You may have noticed a lot of Audemars Piguet Royal Cherry Offshore 43 Ceramic Glowing blue recently, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s the thirtieth Anniversary of this oversized monster of a lineup. As a fitting salute to the original, Audemars Piguet’s includes announced the first ever Suprême Oak Off-shore in african american ceramic with matching porcelain bracelet, the new Selfwinding Chronograph ref. 26238C - now badder as well as bolder than ever.