An Audemars Piguet design classic goes over to the dark side

Royal Oak Offshore self-winding chronograph, price on request, by Audemars Piguet

(Image credit: Neil Godwin at Future Studios for Wallpaper*)

published 12 May 2023

Seventeen years after the release of Gérald Genta’s iconic Royal Oak watch for Audemars Piguet in 1970, designer Emmanuel Gueit rethought its elegant proportions in sketches that conjured up a more generously proportioned, bulkier model. On its eventual release in 1993, the Royal Oak Offshore – nicknamed ‘The Beast’ – spoke to a younger generation that delighted in its robust form. Since then, the Royal Oak Offshore has become a watch design classic in its own right, with multiple iterations in materials ranging from titanium and forged carbon to steel and gold.

Now, for the first time and to mark the Offshore’s 30th anniversary, Audemars Piguet unveils the first Offshore watch in black ceramic, complete with matching bracelet and patterned dial. The sleek pitch black is broken up by bold white Arabic numerals and alternating polished and satin finishing, which adds depth while staying faithful to signature Audemars Piguet design codes.

audemarspiguet.com

Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys travelling, visiting artists' studios and viewing exhibitions around the world, and has interviewed artists and designers including Maggi Hambling, William Kentridge, Jonathan Anderson, Chantal Joffe, Lubaina Himid, Tilda Swinton and Mickalene Thomas.