Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph automatic 44 mm

The backstory

When Audemars Piguet unveiled the Royal Oak in 1972, the watchmaking world was turned upside down. Designed by Gérald Genta, this steel watch priced like a gold piece shocked with its screwed octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet. Yet it quickly became an icon: the very first luxury sports watch.

Twenty years later, in 1993, the Manufacture from Le Brassus struck again with the Royal Oak Offshore. Imagined by young designer Emmanuel Gueit, it was introduced on the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak. Its oversized proportions (42 mm, a gigantic size for the time), massive crown guards and exaggerated design unsettled purists. Some even spoke of an “affront to good taste.” Yet it opened a new era: that of oversized, technical, and spectacular watches, which have since become the universal language of sporty luxury.

The reference 26400SO.OO.A002CA.01 embodies this contemporary evolution. Introduced in the early 2010s, it pushed the Offshore concept even further with a 44 mm case, delivering a spectacular presence on the wrist. Stainless steel, alternating subtle brushed and polished finishes, is paired with a scratch-resistant black ceramic bezel, perfected through some of the most complex finishing techniques in watchmaking. A striking demonstration of Audemars Piguet’s savoir-faire, applying to modern materials the same standards of finishing traditionally reserved for steel or gold.

With its white “Méga Tapisserie” dial, black subdials and luminous facetted hands, the 26400SO delivers both powerful contrast and flawless legibility, while preserving the Royal Oak’s instantly recognizable design language. It encapsulates the very essence of the Offshore collection: a balance of power and refinement, of sports instrument and fine watchmaking object.

Today, more than thirty years after its birth, the Royal Oak Offshore has cemented itself as a pillar of contemporary watchmaking, a true manifesto of style and performance. The 26400SO stands as one of its most accomplished ambassadors.

The model

Imposing, sculptural, and instantly recognizable, the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 26400SO.OO.A002CA.01 is among the most emblematic Offshores of its generation. With its 44 mm stainless steel case measuring 14.43 mm thick, it takes the revolutionary DNA of the Royal Oak and projects it into a resolutely modern, sporty dimension.

Its surfaces alternate between vertical brushing and mirror-polished bevels, hallmarks of Audemars Piguet finishing that remain impeccable even at this scale. The octagonal bezel, punctuated by its eight polished hexagonal screws, is crafted from scratch-resistant black ceramic, an extremely hard and challenging material to machine. At AP, finishing is taken so far that ceramic reflects light like a precious metal, the result of painstaking diamond polishing requiring numerous delicate operations.

The right side of the case reflects this obsessive attention to detail. The crown guards are not integrated into the case but are separate elements, secured with four visible screws—an intentionally sophisticated construction. Microbead-blasted and brushed, they flank the black ceramic pushers, themselves composed of two parts (base + polished and brushed cap), designed for both ergonomics and strength. The screw-down ceramic crown, engraved with the AP logo, completes this technical, assertive ensemble.

The dial displays the signature white “Méga Tapisserie” pattern, a defining element of the Offshore. Contrasted by three black subdials, it adopts the much-loved “Panda” layout: 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, 12-hour totalizer at 6 o’clock, and small seconds at 12 o’clock. A central chronograph seconds hand tipped in red injects a sporty accent and heightens legibility. Applied indices and facetted white gold hands, all coated with luminescent material, ensure optimal readability in any conditions. The silver-toned inner bezel ring carries a tachymeter scale, reinforcing the technical identity of the piece.

Despite its assertive proportions, the 26400SO is designed with comfort in mind. It is fitted on a black rubber strap with deep grooves, robust yet supple, perfectly integrated into the case. Its stainless steel pin buckle echoes the rugged Offshore codes while ensuring secure, practical fastening.

With this unique blend of steel, ceramic, and rubber, Audemars Piguet has succeeded in merging brute strength with refined watchmaking. Every design detail expresses the technical mastery and artistry of the Manufacture, true to its tradition of luxury sports watches that leave no one indifferent.

The movement

At the heart of this Royal Oak Offshore beats the calibre 3126/3840, an automatic movement based on Audemars Piguet’s in-house calibre 3120, paired with a Dubois-Dépraz chronograph module. With 365 components and 59 jewels, it perfectly illustrates the balance sought by the Manufacture: the ruggedness of a sports instrument and the refinement of haute horlogerie tradition.

Driven by a variable-inertia balance fitted with eight weights and held in place by a traversing bridge, the calibre ensures excellent shock resistance and long-term stability. It beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz) and offers a comfortable 60-hour power reserve. Ease of use is enhanced by an instantaneous-jump date with quickset, as well as a hacking seconds mechanism for precise time-setting.

Through the sapphire caseback, one can admire the calibre’s high-level finishing. The bridges are decorated with Côtes de Genève and their edges are hand-polished with sharp anglage, while the mainplate is finely perlage-finished on both sides. Jewel sinks and wheel arms are diamond-polished, while screws show polished heads and beveled slots—each detail a testament to Audemars Piguet’s artisanal standards.

The 22-carat gold oscillating weight, partially skeletonized, is finished with an anthracite galvanic treatment that emphasizes the sporty, contemporary character of the watch. It bears the AP monogram in relief, framed by two beveled cutouts, a visual signature of modern Offshore models.

A true concentration of technique and tradition, the 3126/3840 calibre embodies both the mechanical power and horological refinement that underpin the legend of the Royal Oak Offshore.

The package

This Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 44 mm ref. 26400SO.OO.A002CA.01 comes with its original presentation box and an Audemars Piguet archive extract confirming its production in 2014.

Before being offered for sale, it underwent a full service at Audemars Piguet in 2025, including a complete overhaul of the movement along with polishing and brushing of the case and bezel, restoring all of its original brilliance.

Finally, it is covered by a one-year Lepage Vintage warranty, providing confidence and peace of mind for its future owner.