Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 25721ST 'The Beast'

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We’re very thrilled to bring you the very first AP Royal Oak OFFSHORE we have ever had. Better known as ‘The Beast’.This heavyweight piece of mechanical art dates back to 1993 and belongs to the first ‘Offshore’ series ever produced. The watch is based on Gerald Genta’s Royal Oak design but modified by Emmanuel Gueit at the age of 22. Not everyone loved the Offshore from the beginning. Gérald Genta even invaded the booth at Basel world 1993 shouting that his Royal Oak had been completely destroyed by Gueit.It also took us a while to get used to the Offshore but now we’re secretly loving it. The watch has a case size of 42 millimeter and runs on Jeager-LeCoultre based chronograph calibre 2226/2840. Between the big octagonal bezel and underneath the sapphire crystal we’ll find the bluish grey ‘Clous de Paris petite tapisserie’ dial. The dial includes three sub dials and a date cyclops on the dial instead of the sapphire crystal. The white hands and hour markers are still very luminous and give a nice contrast on the dark dial. The crown and chronograph pushers are wrapped in a rubber-like elastomer material called ‘Therban’ which also brings back the blue dial colour to the outside of the case.Of course this is not the most elegant watch we’ve ever had but for a big, tough guy it’s definitely one of the best daily beaters around.

Introduction

Audemars Piguet Royal OakAudemars Piguet X Gérald Genta.Switzerland, 1969. The quartz crisis was in full swing. Audemars Piguet, facing financial troubles, asked Gérald Genta to design a new watch. The managing director did not have many requirements. The watch had to be:

  • From steel;
  • Waterproof;
  • Sportive;
  • And oh yeah, the design had to be finished the following morning!
That night, Mr. Genta was drawing designs as if his life depended on it. Little did he knew that during that particular night the watch that he had drawn, would become one of his most iconic creations. He got inspired by an old-fashioned divers helmet; the octagonal steel case, the screws in the bezel and the tapestry motive in the dial gave the watch this unique, industrial look. The well-known name came from a battleship from the British Royal Navy. A work of art was born!However, it was not a success from the start. The watch was back then, in ’72, considered as too big (39 mm) and too expensive (3,300 Swiss francs). It received fierce criticism and the watch was considered out of place. Nevertheless, the quality and charm could not be denied by collectors and trendsetters. One year later, after AP had sold 1000 pieces, sales truly took off and the AP Royal Oak became – as Genta himself said – a masterpiece.

Specifications

Shipping

Packages are generally dispatched within 2 days after receipt of payment and are shipped within the Netherlands by Registered Mail through the Dutch carrier PostNL and for other countries by Fedex. Consult us if you prefer another method of shipping. For most destinations tracking is available.