Last year I wrote about the new funky colours Audemars Piguet released for their Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. Large, brash and loud, I immediately dismissed it at first before slightly softening to the idea that, I just might be able to pull this off.
Anyway, this year, Audemars Piguet has given the same treatment to their time-only Royal Oak Offshores, and well the chronographs must’ve been popular for them to produce the same idea on the standard diver models.
Nothing has changed bar the colours, so what you get is a 42mm stainless steel case with a mega tapisserie dial and water-resistant to 300 meters. The usual inner rotating bezel and crown at 10 o’clock is there and a matching rubber strap accompanies the watch. On the movement front, same as well, the ever-reliable Cal. 3120 beating through the glare-proof sapphire case back.
The same bright orange, yellow, green is used, with the more muted blue variant as well, but this year there is a new colour – White with blue accents. Not bad, in my opinion. As usual, I would pass on the brighter colours and go for the more understated blue or white – much more Côte d’Azur, less Miami.
It does seem that the flavour of the day not only in the watch world, but in any imaginable consumer segment is choice. More colours for iPhones, more Mercedes-Benz models that at times are barely indistinguishable and of course, more Royal Oak Offshore colours. I’m not sure how much of a fad this may be as I am always in the school of thought that more choice can often be counter-intuitive, slowing down decision-making, but I am sure the marketing experts are on to something. While I do love the blue and white Offshore Divers, I do think that the sheer number of choice loses a bit of focus. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned, preferring a streamlined selection of models with less choice. Remember when there was just one Offshore Diver? Stainless steel, black dial and rugged – it is still my favourite.
The new Royal Oak Offshore, as mentioned, is available in stainless steel on an Orange, Blue, Lime Green, White or Yellow strap, with matching dial and is priced at £16,800. For more information, visit the Audemars Piguet website.
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