Gold Souk, Deira
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, reference 26238CD.OO.1300CD.01

Audemars Piguet

Royal Oak Offshore

Ref. 26238CD.OO.1300CD.01

On request

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Case42mm ceramic
DialBlue
Movement4404
Water100m
ComplicationChronograph

The Royal Oak Offshore of 1993 took Genta’s octagon and armoured it, creating the oversized luxury sports watch a decade before the industry followed. It remains the loudest thing Le Brassus makes, deliberately.

Full blue ceramic case and bracelet with matching dial, one of the boldest modern Offshore expressions.

Fun fact: The Offshore was drawn in 1993 by a 22 year old Emmanuel Gueit, who doubled the case thickness and was told by the factory that nobody would ever wear it. The retiring CEO called it The Beast at the launch.

The reference in depth

Bleu Nuit Nuage 50 ceramic Offshore chronograph

Why this one matters

The Offshore began in 1993 with the 25721, a 42mm chronograph that reportedly divided opinion inside the company and went on to carry the brand for more than three decades. For most of that run the chronograph was modular, a base automatic with a chronograph module fitted above it. It worked, but the pushers always felt indirect.

The integrated chronograph reached the Offshore in 2021, first in the 43mm 26420 and then in the 42mm 26238, which uses calibre 4404. The difference shows up in the feel of the pushers before anything else. This 2025 reference renders the case, bezel, crown, pushers and bracelet in Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 ceramic, with a titanium caseback and titanium AP folding clasp.

The movement

Calibre 4404 is an integrated chronograph with a column wheel, vertical clutch and flyback function, running at 28,800 vibrations per hour with 70 hours of reserve, built from 433 parts and 40 jewels. The counters read 12 hours at 12, 30 minutes at 9 and running seconds at 6, with the date at 3. Flyback means a single push resets and restarts the timing. The start and stop action is short and firm, quite different from the modular generation.

On the wrist

Ceramic is lighter than steel and much lighter than gold, so a 42mm Offshore on a ceramic bracelet wears easier than the size suggests. It resists the daily marks that dull a steel bracelet. The trade is brittleness: a hard knock on a corner can chip a link or the bezel, and ceramic cannot be refinished, so parts are replaced rather than polished.

Questions we are asked about this reference

Does ceramic scratch?

It resists scratches far better than steel and stays looking new through normal wear, but it is not scratch proof. Harder materials can mark it, and a hard knock on an edge can chip it. Neither can be polished out.

How is this different from the older 26470 Offshore chronograph?

The movement, mainly. The earlier 42mm Offshore chronographs used a base calibre with a chronograph module. The 26238 uses the integrated 4404 with a column wheel, flyback and 70 hours of reserve, and the pusher action reflects that.

Can the bracelet be sized?

Yes, but not by a general jeweller. Audemars Piguet directs sizing of its ceramic bracelets to a boutique or authorised service centre, so that is where it should go. The tolerances are tight and a slipped tool marks ceramic permanently.

The collection

Royal Oak Offshore

The Royal Oak turned up loud, built for wrists wanting presence

The Offshore arrived in 1993, designed by Emmanuel Gueit on a brief to make the Royal Oak bigger and sportier for a younger buyer. The case is thicker, a rubber gasket sits exposed between bezel and case, the dial carries the bigger Méga Tapisserie pattern, and the crown and pushers are usually rubber or ceramic clad. Chronographs dominate the collection, and case materials run from steel, titanium and ceramic to forged carbon, gold and platinum.

Sizes in the family

37 to 44 mm, most chronographs 43 mm

Who it suits

For a buyer who wants the watch noticed rather than blending in.

See every Royal Oak Offshore we have

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