Introducing A Trio Of Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronographs In Black Ceramic

Audemars Piguet is no stranger to the ceramics game. The brand has been consistently introducing outstanding new timepieces using the hard-wearing material every year for god knows how long now. Remember the all-black Royal Oak perpetual calendar in 2017? Or the entirely white QP in 2019? How about the Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin In Black Ceramic from that same year?

What makes AP’s ceramic Royal Oaks so coveted is the degree of finish these timepieces have. Ceramic is a difficult material to work with in horology, so the mix of brushed and polished surfaces offers extra depth to these watches. These surfaces also give the Royal Oak a more modern feel, making these models absolute catnip for collectors. Some of you are still probably on waiting lists for these watches.
 

Happily, for those who missed out on previous ceramic Royal Oaks, Audemars Piguet is expanding its ceramic offerings with three new Offshore Selfwinding Chronographs, all just as alluring as their predecessors but slightly more obtainable.

For 2020, the haute horlogerie manufacture is unveiling three updated versions of the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph with stunning 44mm black ceramic cases. Each model also includes a new dial design and color scheme.

Historically, Offshores are bigger and bolder than the original Royal Oaks. In this case, the new watches feature a textured rubber strap as opposed to the slightly more refined integrated ceramic bracelets of the aforementioned perpetual calendars and tourbillon.
 

These new Offshores also come with a choice of blue, green, or grey dials, each incorporating the AP “Mega Tapisserie” pattern. This chronograph display, including small seconds and date, pops against this grid pattern. And the AP designers have replaced the standard applied hour-markers with Arabic numbers, making the face feel fresher and, most importantly, more readable.

But these changes don’t make the new Offshores feel any less premium. For example, both the blue and green dial options are presented with thoughtfully matched ceramic bezels, push-pieces, and crowns. And the push-piece guards are made of titanium.
 

The third iteration features a smoky grey dial framed with an 18-carat pink gold bezel and push-piece guards. And the case, push-pieces, and screw-locked crown are made of black ceramic.
 

(Images provided by Audemars Piguet)