Audemars Piguet broadened the range with the Cheap Royal Oak Offshore Diver Replica. It maintains the bulky look but removes the chronograph module for a slimmer profile. AP even experiments with rubber strap combos and a signature crown at 10 o’clock to rotate the internal diving bezel.
Like the original Nautilus, the Aquanaut is a bold step for Patek. Yet, it retains the more rounded lines of a classic Calatrava case than the brutalist edges of the Royal Oak.
With a case that seemingly cherry-picked its design from Genta’s Nautilus and a purpose that was hard to pinpoint, the Audemars Piguet Replica wasn’t exactly an instant hit.
Core to the bulky visage of the Offshore Diver is the Méga Tapisserie texture on the watch face. The tapisserie pattern is standard on the Royal Oak. AP achieve this engraving with a nineteenth-century burin and pantograph gizmo at its dial facility.
The replica watches avoids that nonsense with simple twin-register sub-dials that align with the central pinion. Despite the increased depth rating, the sapphire case-back exhibits the mechanism with the solid 22k gold rotor featuring the coat of arms of both the Audemars and Piguet families.
While a rotatable octagonal dive bezel would’ve been a fun inclusion, the Offshore elects for an internal rotating scale. The crown at the 10 o’clock position that cuts into the integrated lug is not a manual helium release valve seen on an Omega Planet Ocean.
Affixing to the case is one of the standout rubber straps in the luxury replica watch game. The natural vulcanized rubber is exceptionally supple and well-made — it even adopts a grainy texture that is satisfyingly tactile.
