THE BEAST IS BACK
As ‘the Beast’ knocks on the door of three decades as one of the most distinguished sports chronographs, Audemars Piguet have unveiled a new riff on their perennial favourite: the Offshore 43mm. With versions in titanium, 18-carat pink-gold, and stainless steel, these are relevant, modern watches with a classic and distinctive aesthetic. They are as street smart as they are sophisticated. Thought you had the Royal Oak Offshore worked out? Maybe it’s time to think again.
The genesis of the Offshore begins with the Royal Oak in 1972. A lot has been written about Gérald Genta, but the story of his creating the Royal Oak is something that sticks in my mind more than any other detail about the renowned watch designer. In the early 1970s, AP, like many watch brands, were facing huge challenges due to the quartz crisis. Three men — Carlo de Marchi, Charles Bauty and Charles Dorot, AP’s new distributor’s agents — believed there was an opportunity for a high-end premium steel watch. Italian collectors are credited with inventing the art of watch collecting, and it seems that in fact there was demand.
Gianni Agnelli, the tastemaker and ultimate playboy, adopted the watch, and the Royal Oak fire was lit.
The then General Manager of AP, Georges Golay, decided to commission Genta to dream up the finest stainless steel timepiece. The story goes that he commissioned Genta on the eve of Baselworld 1970. I like to imagine Genta working through the night, pen in one hand and espresso in the other, finishing the sketches as the sun rose, in time for
