VIDEO: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 43mm in titanium – less large, still very much in charge

Zach Blass

Audemars Piguet have definitely thought outside of the box with many of their recent designs, such as the Code 11:59, Royal Oak Concepts, and the Black Panther, leveraging their traditional know-how to create modern timepieces the other Holy Trinity brands would never dream up. But they also understand when it is time to refine rather than reinvent a design, introducing next generation movements and new technologies into a familiar framework. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 43 Flyback Chronograph is yet another example, with many of the refinements visually subtle but making a world of difference on the wrist.

The watch’s redesigned case is more ergonomic than ever, making it one of the most wearable 43mm cases in the marketplace – so if larger diameters typically deter you, try to check one out in the metal before concluding it is too intimidating in advance. The 100 metre water-resistant watch clocks in at 43mm in diameter and 14.4mm thick. But while larger than the standard Royal Oak, the Offshore also offers a heightened level of robustness that offers a greater “daily wearer” sensibility to the luxury sports watch. With its tough yet lightweight titanium case, the size will not wear heavy on the wrists – elevating the wear experience as it accompanies your active day. Sure, it is the sporty spice within the Royal Oak Pantheon, but it still receives the same level of luxurious attention to detail with its incredibly executed mixed finishes – a predominant vertical brush accompanied by polished accents to the outer bezel facets and tapered bevels to the shoulders of the case and lugs.

With the larger case, fittingly Audemars Piguet has utilised their Mega Tapasserie pattern on the dial – rendered in an ultra versatile blue with light grey registers and accents. Working from the outboard in, the stepped inner bezel reveals a tachymeter scale that accompanies its flyback chronograph functionality. Next, the flat outer rim displaying the minutes track consists of black hashes broken up by applied hour indices filled with SuperLuminova. Providing contrast to its blue centre, are three light grey registers: the 30-minute elapsed minutes register at 9’, running seconds register at 6’, and 12 hour elapsed hours register at 3’. Comfortably blending into the dial at the 4:30 position is a calendar complication, with a dial matching white on blue date disc that causes little interruption to its aesthetic. Legibility is considered with each of the hands tied to the chronograph functionality either executed in red or red-tipped. The running second sub-hand is distinguished in a black colour, and the central hours and minutes hands, like the applied hour indices, are filled with SuperLuminova – making the dial a breeze to read day or night.

The Royal Oak Offshore 43 Flyback Chronograph is offered on a dial-matching blue rubber strap, the water-resistant material tough yet supple on the wrist. It is very comfortable on the wrist, and should you tire of the blue strap the good news is a second black rubber strap is bundled into the offering as well. With the easy to use interchangeable strap system, you simply depress the twin underside triggers on the strap to remove it and push the alternate strap into the case – a satisfying click revealing you are good to go.

Inside the watch, visible via an exhibition caseback, is the in-house caliber 4401 originally introduced in the Code 11:59 chronograph watches. The vertical-clutch column wheel chronograph movement has a very respectable power reserve of 70 hours. Its column wheel results in crisp start/stop/reset actuation and no stutter or jump when the chronograph hand is activated. As a flyback chronograph you are able to reset the chronograph without having to stop the complication first. Being a more sporty line, the winding mass is made of blackened 22K pink gold. It is exquisitely finished to a very high degree, with Côtes de Genève, “traits tirés” and circular graining – all of which are able to be admired through the sapphire caseback. The caseback also reveals components usually hidden from view such as the column wheel and chronograph hammers.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 43 Flyback Chronograph ref. 26420TI.OO.A027CA.01 pricing and availability:

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 43 Flyback Chronograph in full titanium, Price: CHF 33,300.

For more information on pricing and availability, head to the Audemars Piguet website for more information

Made in partnership with Audemars Piguet. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.