Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Safari ref. 26170ST with Original Box and Certificate of Origine

Stephen Urquhart, then serving as co-CEO of Audemars Piguet, is often credited as the visionary behind the “Offshore”. The widely accepted account claims that Urquhart’s sharp commercial sense led him to entrust a young designer, Emmanuel Gueit, with the mission of refreshing and toughening the Royal Oak as it approached its twentieth anniversary. Yet, new findings from the brand’s Heritage team reveal a different story.

 

It appears that Dierk Wettengel, who had overseen the German market for twenty years and had commissioned Olaf Leu to create the original Royal Oak logo back in 1972, played a crucial part in what later evolved into the Offshore project.

 

Wettengel had pushed for a bold “statement piece for the 1990s”, drawing inspiration from what he called “the whole offshore idea”—a nod to the high-performance powerboats that defined the luxury sports world of the 1980s.

 

At the time, motorboat racing was flourishing, and Audemars Piguet was heavily involved in the sport.

 

In 1986, the Audemars Piguet Offshore racing team clinched the World Offshore Racing Championship in Italy. That same year, the brand hosted the Audemars Piguet Trophy, a powerboat race from Monaco to Saint-Tropez featuring 35 boats, where Prince Albert II of Monaco took first place.

 

No one initially imagined that the “Offshore” name would one day be linked to the Royal Oak. The designation was registered separately, likely with the idea of launching a brand-new collection that embodied strength, sportiness, and luxury.

 

By the Royal Oak’s twentieth year, however, the model had matured into a classic—and, more concerning, its sales were steadily declining. The once trailblazing steel sports watch was losing momentum. This prompted the thought of revitalising it by tapping into the “Offshore” concept and targeting a younger audience. Emmanuel Gueit, still early in his career, was tasked with creating “something young men would be drawn to”.

 

Gueit soon produced the first sketches. His drawings already highlighted several traits that would later define the Royal Oak Offshore: oversized cases, thick and visually prominent gaskets, rubber-clad crowns, rounded bracelet links, exposed screws, and the addition of a chronograph complication.

 

Throughout development, the Royal Oak Offshore faced pushback from both internal staff and important stakeholders. Its daring aesthetic clashed with the brand’s traditional sensibilities, and many within the company openly expressed their disapproval. When the watch finally made its debut at the Basel Fair in April 1993, the reaction was far from subdued. Gérald Genta, the iconic creator of the original Royal Oak, was furious. He famously told Gueit, “You have ruined my watch, you’re a murderer!” and jokingly compared the Offshore to a “sea elephant”. The nickname “The Beast” was quick to spread.

 

Here, we present the so-called “Safari” version of the Offshore, a 42 mm steel chronograph featuring an oversized octagonal bezel, signature rubber-sheathed pushers and crown, and a cream tapisserie dial fitted with a tachymeter scale, bold glossy black Arabic numerals, three recessed sub-dials, and a date window at three o’clock for symmetry. The hands are filled with shiny black enamel.

 

Its thick hornback alligator strap—responsible for the “Safari” moniker—is paired with a steel AP folding clasp.

 

Driving this piece is the automatic AP calibre 3126/3840, freshly serviced by our watchmaker.

 

The watch is accompanied by its original certificate of origin, documenting a 2005 sale in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, along with two booklets and its inner and outer boxes.

 

Bold, rare, and ready for the wrist—make the” Safari” Oak yours now !

 

Specifications:

 

• Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore ”Safari” ref 26170ST Chronograph

• 42mm Steel case

• Cream dial with black Arabic numerals , date function 3 chronograph subdials

• Hornback alligator strap with steel AP folding clasp

• Serial 52xx/f17710 dating to the first half of the 2000’s

• AP calibre 3126/3840

• Inner and outer box , booklets

• Original certificate of origin, documenting a 2005 sale in Amsterdam

• Automatic caliber 3126/3840

• Fully serviced by our watchmaker

• 1 year mechanical warrant