Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42mm Black Ceramic

Audemars Piguet presents a new version of its Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42 mm, housed in its first-ever black ceramic case with a matching bracelet and a black Petite Tapisserie dial for a contemporary monochrome look. This reference is powered by Calibre 4404, Audemars Piguet’s integrated chronograph movement with a flyback function.

A unique aesthetic

Since its creation, the Royal Oak Offshore collection has been dressed in a wide range of materials, such as titanium and forged carbon. In addition to steel or gold, these avant-garde materials offer the perfect balance between technical innovation and design, elegance and robustness.

The new reference 26238CE continues in this vein as it is the first Royal Oak Offshore with a case and bracelet made entirely of ceramic. This material is also used for the push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock that operate the chronograph, as well as for the screw-locked crown at 3 o’clock. Only the eight white gold screws attaching the bezel to the case stand out, along with the eight luminescent applied hour-markers that punctuate the hours and the titanium caseback.

A focus on legibility

The dial is dressed in the same matte black colour as the case, bracelet, push-pieces, bezel and crown. It is decorated with the Petite Tapisserie pattern, a signature motif previously reserved for the 26238 references in gold or titanium. While past references had variations in tone, this new reference is the first to be totally monochrome in pitch black, which is particularly difficult to achieve due to the different materials and textures used. This aesthetic choice gives the timepiece an unprecedented depth.

To enhance legibility, a wide range of finishings have been developed for this timepiece. Each of the counters is accompanied by a white hand offering a distinct contrast that is further accentuated by a disc of white Arabic numerals.

Similarly, the circular date window (at 3 o’clock) and the three emblematic counters of the Royal Oak Offshore unfold around the two large luminescent hour and minute hands, small seconds at 6 o’clock, chronograph minutes at 9 o’clock and chronograph hours at 12 o’clock. This layout keeps the famous vertical arrangement of the collection. It also follows the subtle introduction made in 2021 where the hour and small seconds counters were switched to offer a top-to-bottom reading of the elapsed hours and minutes.

Alliance of know-how and technology

The ceramic used on this timepiece has been meticulously finished to reveal its subtleties. The craftsmen of the Manufacture met a triple challenge. The first was to achieve the highest standards of quality and finishing, demanded by Audemars Piguet. The second was to perfectly master ceramic which is particularly challenging to work with due to its extreme hardness. And finally, to marry the complex lines of the Royal Oak Offshore case with alternating polished and satin finishing.

Although the exact composition of the ceramic at Audemars Piguet remains a well-kept secret, it is partly made of zirconium oxide powder that is combined with a specific binder. Its homogeneous colour only appears once the material is sintered at temperatures in excess of 1,000 ºC.

Each component is then pre-polished and pre-satin finished. Lines, angles and bezels are meticulously finished by hand to obtain the alternating polished and satin surfaces that are the Manufacture’s signature style. This demanding work reveals the uniqueness of the material and its colour, exploiting all the subtleties of the material.

A flyback chronograph with optimal performance

This new black ceramic Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph is equipped with the latest integrated automatic chronograph, Calibre 4404, featuring a column wheel and flyback function that, unlike a traditional chronograph, allows it to be restarted without having to first stop and reset it.

The column wheel has a vertical clutch designed to allow smooth pressure on each push-piece. When the chronograph is started or stopped, the hands immediately start moving, without any delay or unexpected jumps. A patented reset mechanism also ensures that each chronograph hand instantly returns to its vertical starting position.

The sapphire and titanium caseback allows the wearer to admire the operation of the chronograph’s column wheel below. When the reset push-piece is pressed, the hammers, directed by a lever, strike the central cam to reset the chronograph wheels and set the hands to zero. The wearer can also admire the 22- carat pink gold oscillating weight that has been engraved with the initials AP, echoing the historic versions of the Royal Oak Offshore. The movement also features refined finishes such as Côtes de Genève, circular graining, circular satin finishing and polished bevels.

The continuation of a legacy

This new Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph is being released for the collection’s 30th anniversary, which saw its first model presented in 1993. Its various models have never ceased to evolve in terms of the movements, materials, finishings and dials used.

Extending the use of monochrome ceramic to the entirety of the case, and reinforcing the presence of the Petite Tapisserie pattern that decorates only three of the current Royal Oak Offshore models, this new reference offers a contemporary and sober tribute to the collection.

Technical specifications

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42 mm

Reference: 26238CE.OO.1300CE.01

Case

• Material: Black ceramic
• Diameter: 42mm
• Thickness: 15.3 mm
• Glass: Glareproofed sapphire crystal and titanium sapphire caseback
• Water-resistant to 100 meters

Dial and hands

• Black dial with Petite Tapisserie pattern
• Black counters, applied hour-markers, white gold Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating and black inner bezel.

Movement

• Selfwinding calibre 4044
• Diameter: 32 mm (14 lignes)
• Thickness: 7.95 mm
• Number of parts: 433
• Number of jewels: 40
• Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)
• Minimum power reserve guaranteed 70 h

Functions/Indications

• Flyback chronograph, hours, minutes, small seconds and date.

Strap and buckle

• Black ceramic bracelet with titanium AP folding clasp.

MSRP: CHF 75'400

For more information, please visit audemarspiguet.com