Like the Royal Oak Offshore collection to which it belongs, the Royal Oak Offshore Diver as we know it today exists as a specialised version of what is already a high-performance sports watch. Initially released in 1993, the Royal Oak Offshore’s destiny was to operate as a more robust and sportier version of the Royal Oak. A bit general in its execution, the Royal Oak Offshore was, and still is, a great sports watch, but not a diver’s watch. As such, AP created the Offshore Diver, or Scuba as it was known originally, to fill a longstanding void in the Offshore’s offering. First released in 2005, the Royal Oak Offshore Diver as we know it today began its life as the Royal Oak Offshore ‘Scuba’. A 35-piece limited-edition release at the request of the legendary German retailer Wempe for their 100th anniversary, the model proved to be so popular that it has hung around and become a celebrated version of a model that is already an icon in its own right. As a result of the Scuba, the Royal Oak Offshore Diver rose in popularity and AP launched the collection fully in 2010 with the ref. 15703ST. From there it has grown into one of AP’s most cherished collections, and in 2021 it was revamped entirely with the ref. 15720ST, a variant of which we have here. Made of stainless steel and featuring a ‘Pristine Grey’ “Mega Tapisserie” dial, the Offshore Diver is very much a ‘form follows function’ type of watch, with its inner bezel, operated via the crown at 10 o’clock, rubberized grips for the two crowns and heavy lume. A specialized version of what was already a specialized watch, the Offshore Diver takes the Offshore’s robust construction and design and takes it to extremes that push the boundary far beyond where the Royal Oak would ever have been able to go. Powered by AP’s new automatic cal. 4308 movement and boasting a quick-release strap system, the new Royal Oak Offshore Diver was designed to meet the needs of its wearers in just about every way possible.

Watch is in new and unworn condition and comes with an extra strap as seen in the images.

As robust a watch as one would ever need, the Offshore Diver took the original Royal Oak blueprint to depths that Gerald Genta never even imagined, and this latest iteration has put it even further ahead of the competition.