At SIHH 2017, Swiss Audemars Piguet celebrated color – which is clearly the focus for these versions of the popular rteplica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15710ST. The independent brand’s offerings are light on novelty but rich in hue, and known as the “Funky Colour Editions.” As such, the company is likely doing what is smart this year as they continue to navigate uncertain economic waters where pouring R&D money into totally new products can be seen as a bit unwise. Despite understanding this fact of necessary prudence, it makes being a watch blogger tough since we are always hungry for annual “newness.” With that said, Audemars Piguet continues to remind myself and colleagues that our desire for “all things Royal Oak” is by no means a new feeling.
Not that any of these watches are inexpensive, but if you are going to opt for a sporty timepiece in mostly electric green, my suspicion is that spending circa $20,000 feels a bit more appropriate for something that isn’t going to be a daily wear as compared to circa $300,000 for a pure collector’s piece. Most people will likely err on the more conservative side and opt for the same watches in more “classic” colors offered by Audemars Piguet. Then again, if you live a lifestyle where you can pull-off one of these colorful Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Divers as your daily wear, then more power to you.
I was further inspired by Audemars Piguet and the Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph when thinking about my recent article on things I’d like to see more of and less of from the watch industry in 2017 and discussing my hope for more bold colors in watches by major brands. It looks like Audemars Piguet shares my enthusiasm. There are five “vibrant” Funky Colour Edition styles of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver to choose from this year including the reference 15710ST.OO.A027CA.01 in dark blue, 15710ST.OO.A070CA.01 in bright orange, 15710ST.OO.A051CA.01 in acid yellow, 15710ST.OO.A038CA.01 in lime green, and the 15710ST.OO.A010CA.01 in white.
The dials are what you’d expect, save for the new colors. The Mega Tapisserie face is fitted with 18k white gold bold hour markers and very legible matching hands. The white and blue dials are likely to be the most calming to look at over long periods of time, while the green, orange, and yellow ones might be prone to causing “funky headaches” if you aren’t in the right mood to glance at such bold colors all the time.
Inside the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver is the Audemars Piguet caliber 3120 automatic movement. It operates at 3Hz (21,600bph) with a power reserve of 60 hours. These always have a lovely degree of finishing and decoration, and Audemars Piguet has maintained the 300m water-resistance while offering a sapphire crystal display caseback with a view of the movement and engraved 22k gold rotor.
If you are an Audemars Piguet cheap replica watches fan and already have a few conservatively-colored Audemars Piguet models in your collection then adding one of these Funky Colour Editions is likely what Audemars Piguet feels you might want to do. The brand’s current strategy is clearly focused on the popularity of the Royal Oak, and part of that means selling more models to existing customers.
The movement is AP’s Calibre 3120 self-winding automatic, with a frequency of 3hz and a power reserve of 60 hours. This calibre is built entirely in-house and is very much a workhorse for their Royal Oak collection, powering three-hand models with center seconds and an instantaneously jumping date function, displayed here, as on other 15400 models, at the three o’clock position.
