I have been wearing the Audemars Piguet Black Ceramic, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver for almost a week. I am lucky enough to be one of the first people in the United States to wear the latest incarnation of the iconic Royal Oak design. This is the latest addition to the Royal Oak Offshore Diver (hands-on here), which was first available in steel, then forged carbon, and now in all-ceramic. The watch itself is really impressive, but for me, it's part of a bigger journey with the brand.
My relationship with Audemars Piguet and the Royal Oaks family goes back nearly thirty-six years. In 1977 my mother was shopping for a watch. She was focused on a gold Piaget with a malachite dial or a gold Rolex Lady Datejust. I was always a watch enthusiast and had recently heard of the Royal Oak at the time. Designed by Gerald Genta in 1972, the Royal Oak was the first sports watch to transcend genre and cross the line in the luxury category. It was shocking at the time that an Audemars Piguet stainless steel sports watch sold for the same price as a gold watch from other brands.
Coming back to my mom, after initially seeing the Audemars Piguet replica watch, she had no doubts about her decision and bought a Royal Oak Automatic made of stainless steel and yellow gold from the iconic Leon at Cellini. Her watch, like the Men's Jumbo, was larger in size and somewhat unusually shaped at the time. When her sister first saw the watch, she was surprised and noted that she expected to come home with a nicer watch. When my mother asked what was wrong with the Royal Oak, she replied, "I don't understand why the screws are visible." We couldn't stop laughing! To this day, everyone to whom I repeat that story laughs. It proves without a doubt that the Royal Oak has literally turned luxury inside out!
Fast forward to 2013. Black cheap copy watches are more in fashion than ever, and ceramic is the most popular material out there. The market is full of black watches made of plastic, metal, or manipulated steel. Audemars Piguet has spent years experimenting with different materials and, like many others, prefers ceramics for many uses, although all-ceramic Royal Oak replica watches are still uncommon. Based on the classic design and made from black ceramic, the latest Royal Oak is once again both stylish and unique, and in my opinion, it still flies "under the radar" by being harmonious in color and design.
For much of its lifespan, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was 39mm wide. The Royal Oak Offshore models in the 1990s increased that to 44mm wide with the larger Chronograph versions. Recently, Audemars Piguet released an updated version of the iconic Royal Oak in a 41mm wide case. When Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak Offshore Diver in 2010, it offered not only an interesting middle ground between the original Royal Oak and the Offshore but also a medium size with a width of 42mm. 1:1 Rolex replica watches provide fake Rolex watches explain.