The History Of The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore
The face of Audemars Piguet, the Royal Oak, is known by many to be one of the best watches in the world and the best collection Audemars Piguet has to offer. However, in 1992, 20 years after the release of the iconic Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet came up with something new, something that would appeal to the younger generation, the twin of the Royal Oak, the Royal Oak Offshore. The Royal Oak got a new challenger. Although initially, it did not receive enough recognition, it is a coveted watch around the world today, desired by many enthusiasts.
Now let us dive deep into the story of this watch and how it became what it is today.
The Story Of The Royal Oak Offshore
The CEO of CA at that time, Stephen Urquhart, started to think about releasing a new version of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak as early as 1989. This version was to appeal to a younger generation in the world of watchmaking. The Royal Oak Offshore was first brought to life by Emmanuel Gueit, a watch designer who had been in collaboration with Jacqueline Dimier, in 1991.
This was a high-risk move for Audemars Piguet as, at that time, no one in the watchmaking industry had seen a watch of this size. The success of this watch was to be credited to the initial Royal Oak, which was released in 1972 as the Royal Oak Offshore resembled the Royal Oak and was a throwback to the initial watch. 
Originally scheduled to be launched in 1992, marking the 20th Anniversary of the Royal Oak, it was delayed to the 1993 Basel edition due to last-minute revisions.
The first version of the Royal Oak Offshore was given the model number 25721ST and was quickly nicknamed "The Beast" for its huge size, never seen before in watchmaking.
The Offshore was the result of various updates to the original design of Gerald Genta. Audemars Piguet was not sure of what to call the collection, which was almost called "Challenger," and the Offshore engraving only appeared on the back of the watch after the first one hundred watches were produced.
The Offshore collection allowed Audemars Piguet to introduce colorful dials and leather straps in 1996.
The Offshore allowed Audemars Piguet to really open up and express their ideas and imaginations. We saw new creative designs and the usage of materials never seen before in watchmaking like forged carbon cases, titanium, ceramic bezels, rubber bezels, and push buttons which were developed by Dupont and known as "Therban" following a strict set of specifications.
The Offshore also enabled Audemars Piguet to launch limited edition series as early as 1999. The first one was the "End Of Days" series which was limited to 500 pieces and made by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Offshore is also famous for its limited edition series linked to motor racing. The first one was the Montoya limited series, launched in 2003 and limited to 1000 pieces in titanium, 500 pieces in pink gold, and 100 pieces in platinum.
A Grand Prix limited edition series was launched in 2010, which was limited to 1750 pieces in forged carbon, 650 pieces in rose gold, and 75 in platinum.
The Ruben Barichello limited edition series was launched in 2006 and was limited to 1650 pieces available in platinum, 18k gold, and grade 5 titanium with white, black, or midnight blue dials.
The Schummacher limited edition was launched in 2012, which was limited to 1000 pieces in titanium, 500 pieces in pink gold, and 100 pieces in platinum.
Other limited editions include the "Survivor" series, launched in 2008 and limited to a thousand pieces.
In 2010, Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak Offshore Diver made for divers. In 2015, Audemars Piguet upgraded this watch with an addition of a sapphire crystal on the back.
In 2018, Audemars Piguet revisited the original Royal Oak Offshore, released in 1993, as a tribute and was updated according to today's technological advancements.
This year, Audemars Piguet released another limited edition watch to pay tribute to the world of music, with Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Music Edition limited to only 500 pieces.
Conclusion:
With the Offshore collection, Audemars Piguet can go all out on creativity by adding vibrant colors to the dials and straps. With its creative style, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore has started to receive the attention it deserves. It had always been in the shadow of the Royal Oak. So what better time to buy a Royal Oak Offshore? We guarantee you you will love it.
