Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Black Ceramic Diver

2013 is in my point of view a  transitional year for Audemars Piguet. The SIHH  was rather quiet for the Le Brassus Manufacture in terms of presentation of novelties. However, the new version of the Royal Oak Offshore Diver managed to catch my interest.

I have to confess that I'm  a fan of the original Diver because I consider it a great "sportive" interpretation of the Royal Oak. It  retains much of the charm and elegance of the watch that inspired it. It is without any doubt larger (42mm), thicker (13.8 mm) but even the second crown which is used to move the inner bezel or the rubber strap don't alter the sense of balance and refinement that emerges from it. I must say that the work done to adapt the dial to the context of a diving watch has been particularly successful. The hands, the indexes, the bezel  combine perfectly with the  black "Mega Tapestry" pattern and at the same time, the watch doesn't fall into a too excessive approach that characterized some past Royal Oak Offshore.


Then, Audemars Piguet  benefited from the development of new materials to release during the SIHH 2012 the  Forged Carbon and Black Ceramic bezel Diver which was much more radical than the original stainless steel Diver. And this year, in a logical way, the full (case + bezel) Black Ceramic Diver has been unveiled to complete the Diver line.

The Forged CarbonDiver:


It keeps almost  all the features of its predecessors: a 42mm case, a 300 meters waterproofness, the 3120 movement, the rubber strap without forgetting the characteristic pair of hands  that clearly bring their originality thanks to their shapes and colors. The main difference comes from the sapphire crystal that allows to observe the 3120. The fact that  the movement becomes visible is a bit surprising if we think about the first purpose of this watch. It is clear that this evolution has the objective  to answer to customers' wishes  who want to enjoy the sight of a gold rotor and of the fine finishings of the movement. The movement performances remain obviously the same with a frequency of  3 Hz, a power reserve of 60 hours and a stop-second. Even if it is a movement which has quite high production figures being a basic caliber for Audemars Piguet and powering a big share of watches in the collection, its contemporary architecture (like the balance bridge) and its winding rotor give it a very pleasant style that can justify the see-through sapphire.


I must confess that for several reasons, I much prefer this version compared to the Forged Carbon version. Firstly, the more homogeneous case suits me better. The contrast between the bezel and the forged carbon gives a lot of character and highlights the specific rendering of the case. But actually, I'm not very attracted by the appearance of forged carbon which does not meet my expectations in an aesthetical point of view especially from a watch that has the goal, beyond its performance and its comfort, to be worn also in more formal circumstances. The finishings of the Black Ceramic Diver case are flawless  with a beautiful alternating of  polished and brushed parts which prevents the case from falling into monotony.

The combo of black and yellow of the Forged Carbon Diver is quite aggressive (sorry but I don't like deep yellow). It is certainly appropriate to the context of the daring style of the watch but the orange of the Black Ceramic Diver  is more "soothing", at least to my eyes. Since the watch does not lose legibility, this change seems very positive.


Finally, the presence of the sapphire on the caseback gives the proof  that the purpose of the Black Ceramic Diver is not exactly the same as with the Forged Carbon version. I understand that we can find this sapphire a bit "out of context", even more when we consider that the own diameter of the 3120 caliber (26.6 mm) makes it a bit too small for the case. A solid caseback is probably the best option. But Audemars Piguet had to find a way to  clearly distinguish the two  "black" Diver. Without the sapphire, the differences would have been more subtle. Now, in addition to the original Diver, Audemars Piguet  proposes two Diver with contemporary materials which  do not pursue the same objective. The Forged Carbon Diver remains the most radical one and has the strongest character. The Black Ceramic Diver is more refined and is the one that best embodies the "Sport-Chic" spirit, at the same time elegant and casual.


The Black Ceramic Diver is worn with comfort thanks to the good efficiency provided by the rubber strap. Taking into account its dominant dark color and the moderate dial opening, it seems smaller than its 42mm diameter. I enjoy a lot, like with any version of the Diver, to see the small disk of the second hand moving and beautifully animating the dial. The index around the dial create shades of light that contribute to the charm of the watch. Please note that the case part in contact with the skin is made of titanium.

Audemars Piguet doesn't revolutionize the watchmaking world with this new Diver. However, it has sufficient assets to create its own interest and especially to distinguish itself from  the previous two versions. The presence of the sapphire on the caseback is questionable but at the end, the potential client has the choice now between three complementary models. So I think that this new opportunity to enjoy the view of the movement is positive.


Thanks to the Audemars Piguet team for its warm welcome during the  SIHH 2013.


Pros:
- a successful design and a very convincing sportive evolution of the Royal Oak
- the orange colour is less aggressive to my eyes than the yellow of the Forged Carbon version
- the case finishings
- the visible movement makes this version different from the others.
- the efficient rubber strap

Cons:
- the movement is a bit too small for the case
- the visible movement is out of context

Fr.Xavier