144Σ
Audemars Piguet
Ref. 26298SK.OO.D101CR.01
Royal Oak Offshore “57th Street Limited Edition”
A rare and striking limited edition stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with rubber bezel, guarantee, and presentation box
Full-Cataloguing
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore was the firm’s answer to the ever-changing tastes of contemporary watch collectors. The original Royal Oak was introduced in 1972, in one of the most iconoclastic marketing moves to ever be seen in the industry. The Offshore, introduced in 1993, features a much larger and thicker case dimension and was first released as a chronograph wristwatch with date, navy blue dial and an integrated bracelet. It was designed to appeal to a younger, modern category of collectors.
The first Royal Oak Offshore to feature a rubber bezel premiered in 2002, and the present 57th Street Limited Edition pays homage to this earlier model, with a rubber rather than a ceramic or metal bezel. Including rubber in this model can be seen as a nod to the earliest Offshore, nicknamed “The Beast”, which featured therban-coated chronograph pushers and crown (therban, or hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber copolymer, is a type of rubber engineered to be more resistant to heat, abrasion, pressure, and extreme temperatures).
This timepiece reflects both the grit and the glamour of New York City, with the utilitarian rubber bezel contrasting with the rose gold elements of the dial. Instead of being outlined in gold and filled with Superluminova, as is typical with Offshores, the oversized Arabic numerals are entirely rendered from brushed rose gold. The subdials are further outlined in rose gold, all against a black matte mega-tapisserie dial. The present Royal Oak Offshore 57th Street Limited Edition comes from the collection of the original owner, in barely-worn condition, and is fully complete with all its original accessories.
PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER
Audemars Piguet
Swiss | 1881A specialist in the manufacture of complications since it was established in 1881, Audemars Piguet never ceases to impress with a rich history of creating bold, even audacious, timepieces underpinned by traditional watchmaking at its finest. This Le Brassus-based Swiss manufacturer is one of only two major manufacturers still owned by the founding family. Since its earliest days, AP is considered a leader in the field of minute repeaters and grande complication pocket and wristwatches. The brand is devoted to preserving the history of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux, showcased at their superb museum in Le Brassus.
Today, the brand is best known for its Royal Oak models, a revolutionary luxury sports watch launched in 1972. Other key models include early minute repeating wristwatches, vintage chronograph wristwatches, such as the oversized reference 5020, perpetual calendar watches and the Royal Oak Offshore, first introduced in 1993.