Introducing: Four New Diamond And Gemstone-Set Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Models In 37mm With New Dial Designs
In the 30th anniversary year of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, we’re treated to a wide variety of new models. With the latest drop, the brand focuses on the 37mm Royal Oak Offshore, predominantly targeting ladies. But we know some gentlemen with smaller wrists also prefer wearing a 37mm Royal Oak. Whether that will also be the case with these blingy new models with diamond and gemstone-set bezels remains to be seen. There is also a new 37mm addition to the Royal Oak Offshore Music Editions. The year 2023 turns out to be quite a colorful one for the Royal Oak Offshore.
In the last year of Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias, the brand puts out a wild variety of colorful Royal Oak Offshore releases. They are quite a step away from the ultra-technical Royal Oak Offshore aesthetic of “The Beast” that introduced the line. Audemars Piguet adds five new 37mm Royal Oak Offshore chronographs to its collection in the latest drop. The five colorful models feature diamond and gemstone set bezels and combine them with the sporty aesthetic of the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. It’s summer, and Audemars Piguet celebrates it in typical AP style.
Turning the bling factor up to eleven for the Royal Oak Offshore
We have seen quite a few spectacular releases from Audemars Piguet this year. Those that immediately come to mind are the 37mm yellow gold Royal Oak with a turquoise dial. The boutique-only Royal Oak “Jumbo” with the blue-grained dial was a great stand-out. But this year is the year of the 30th anniversary of the Royal Oak Offshore. It’s why we also saw the return of “The Beast” in black ceramic. All three are proper celebrations of the brand’s two Royal Oak models.
But there is another side to the brand that we see quite a bit of. The lighter and more colorful side. A great example is the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man unveiled in May this year. On top of that, we have seen the introduction of the Royal Oak Offshore Music Editions. With these five new chronographs, Audemars Piguet targets ladies that look for something more colorful and blingy. The watches come with a yellow gold, pink gold, or stainless steel case with special diamond and gemstone-set bezels. Additionally, all of the models introduce a new Lady Tapisserie dial motif. Lastly, they feature the brand’s easy interchangeable straps so you can switch up the look.
The four 37mm Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs
Let’s talk about some of the details. Two of the 37mm chronograph models feature diamond-set bezels and come with either an 18K pink gold case or a stainless steel case. The pink gold model features a light blue dial with pink gold applied markers and a beige rubber strap with a pink gold buckle. The stainless steel model has a salmon dial with white gold applied hour markers and a grey rubber strap with a stainless steel buckle. With their 32 brilliant-cut diamonds, the bezels give the watches a certain sense of bling, but overall, I greatly like these two models. They present a combination of soft colors that work well with the bezel. Unlike the other two models, they don’t feel over the top.
The other two models feature colorful gemstone-set bezels with serious bling appeal. The first comes with an 18K yellow gold case, a bezel set, 32 baguette-cut tsavorites, and blue and yellow sapphires. The watch features a blue dial with yellow gold applied hour markers. The fourth and last model is the Rainbow model and probably the immediate stand-out of the four. It has a 37mm pink gold case with a bezel set with 32 baguette-cut rubies, tsavorites, topaz, tanzanites, amethysts, and orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and pink sapphires. The black dial is graced by pink gold applied hour markers.
Zooming in on the details
All four watches come with the familiar looks of the Royal Oak Offshore. But the Audemars Piguet designers did some clever tweaks to the overall design. First, all four models feature a new Lady Tapisserie dial motif slightly wider than previously. On top of that, the snailed zone found on previous generation 37 mm dials have gone. Another detail is that the hour markers are slightly larger for a more significant presence. The applied AP monogram has been redesigned to match the case and dial proportions. It replaces the transferred “Audemars Piguet” signature on the dial.
All four watches feature a 37mm case that is 12.4mm thick and houses the in-house caliber 2385. This automatic chronograph movement operates at 21,600vph, has 37 jewels, and has 40 hours of power reserve. The movement displays the hours and minutes centrally and comes with the central chronograph hand. Additionally, it features a small seconds display and two chronograph counters. The movement is hidden behind a solid case back in line with the case material.
First thoughts on the new 37mm Royal Oak Chronographs
Seeing these new 37mm chronograph additions to the Royal Oak Offshore line is fun. As I said, I love seeing the diamond-set versions as they come in a nice soft color combination that is not as blingy as the two other pieces. It’s also why I don’t consider them as flashy as many of the other Royal Oak models for ladies, but the contrast with the two other gemstone-set versions is big.
Those two models turn up the bling factor all the way to 11. As such, they will appeal to the people who want to be seen with their Royal Oak Offshore. And since the Rainbow models are very popular with both men and women, I will not be surprised to see them on the wrist of both. Prices for all four models are on request.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Music Edition 37mm
The Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Music Edition in 37mm is a fifth new introduction. This model follows the first four models that were introduced last year. This new model is the smaller 37mm version of the black ceramic version that was introduced in 2022. It features a 37mm black ceramic case that is 12.1mm thick. The watch comes with a black dial with a printed VU meter or recording studio equalizer as we also know it. To make the equalizer stand out, the dial features blackened white gold applied hour-markers and black hands with luminescent coating. The stealthy looks are completed with the black strap with a mosaic effect and a titanium pin buckle.
Inside the black ceramic case, you will find the in-house Calibre 3120. The movement operates at 21,600vph and has 40 jewels and 60 hours of power reserve. The movement is visible through the sapphire display case back made of titanium. It also holds the limited edition number out of 250 pieces produced in this special Music Edition. As with the 37mm chronograph edition, the price is on request. Overall the Music Edition collection is a playful theme integrated into the traditional looks of the Royal Oak Offshore. I am sure it will find its way to the right audience. That audience is not me, even if I could afford it. I like my Royal Oak in the more serious technical executions rather than the playful, colorful-themed versions. Having said that, plenty of people will love François-Henry Bennahmias’ colorful parting gifts.
For more information, visit the official Audemars Piguet website.
