Undoubtedly you are already familiar with the contemporary day Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore models from Audemars Piguet. After all they have become one of the most recognizable and popular mechanical sports watches for men, coveted by aficionados and amateurs alike.
According to AP James was heavily involved in the design process and I respect the fact that they have let this show through in the final product. It seems many people have taken issue with the aesthetic design of the watch, which they feel is too gaudy and not in keeping with the classic appeal of brand. Housed in a chunky 44mm Offshore Chronograph case (don’t forget, James is a hulking 6ft 8″) the watch is a study in simple contrasts, with gold and gray as the two key protagonists. After all, the idea was to innovate a swiss replica watches that he will desire to wear.
The brushed titanium bezel stands out nicely against the pink gold of the case, drawing attention without being overly showy although I can appreciate that this style doesn’t suit all tastes. I think this is probably a little unfair though as to launch a limited edition collaboration piece that looked like every other watch in the collection will in reality defeat the purpose. The Mega Tapisserie patterned dial is a bit more in your face although still not overwhelming thanks to the monochromatic color scheme, complete with contrasting gray sub-registers and pink gold applied arabic numerals and hands.
Again, nothing too showy, just well executed in classic AP style. Finishing the look is a gray crocodile strap with pink gold buckle and an additional gray rubber strap. The reverse side reveals a sapphire exhibition caseback complete with James’ signature in blue, matching the color of the seconds hand of the dial. Underneath is the handsomely finished Calibre 3126/3840 movement, complete with anthracite galvanic treated 22k gold winding rotor.
There is one final touch which seems to have got the backs up of more than a few fans of the brand, and that is the two small rows of diamonds set into the black ceramic pusher at 2 o’clock. For me, the design reflects understated consistency – much like LeBron’s stat sheet – nevertheless there is still plenty of flash when needed.
What’s important to note here though is that only the original A-series Royal Oaks were produced with this specific bracelet. As such cheap replica Audemars Piguet do not hold additional stock, meaning they cannot be replaced, making this particular A Series Royal Oak Offshore all the more desirable.