The best replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watches was first introduced at BaselWorld back in 1993. A souped up version of its Royal Oak predecessor, the hefty 42mm stainless steel chronograph with exposed rubber gasket and rubber on the crown and pushers was nothing short of controversial. Gérald Genta’s vocal disapproval was echoed by classicists – and remains so today.
But the high quality fake watches also received support from those who saw the merits of a bold, extreme and borderline obnoxious (for its time) new design. There’s a reason why this watch was nicknamed the Beast. And there’s a reason why it remains beloved by wilfully contrarian collectors and enthusiasts who are here for the smoke.
The reaction to the original ref. 25721ST, in many ways parallels the initial reaction to the Royal Oak: a supremely mixed response to a strikingly new design language.
In 1993 Audemars Piguet knew they were testing the water with such a radical product; the first 100 examples were engraved with “Royal Oak” on the caseback; there was zero sign of the name Offshore. If the experiment failed then the UK perfect replica watches could simply disappear into the ether.
Unlike its 1972 predecessor, which has managed to cut through the timeline with what we now consider to be a more classic style, the original Offshore design remains a child of the ’90s. However, it’s worth remembering that trends are cyclical. Swiss made copy watches are expressions of culture and are usually pretty aligned with the wider zeitgeist and fashion of the time. Style trends are thought to run on a 30-year cycle: just enough time for the consumer to grow up and become the creator.
Having been privy to the inner sanctum of watch culture, I now understand that the cycle can sometimes just take a tad a bit longer than it does for, say, fashion or music. The 1:1 online replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches is a perfect case in point. Back in 2002, it looked a bit dated. Now, after 50 years, we can see it as the icon it’s become.
The Offshore is still waiting patiently on the sidelines for its wider re-entrance into the pop-culture sphere. Which makes right now an ideal time for collectors to jump in before prices inevitably skyrocket.
I love the ’90s-ness of this super clone watches wholesale. The way its rubber accents and almost comically oversized case echo the rise of extreme sports (the X-Games, after all, were born just two years later). The 1990s gave rise to skate culture and huge baggy jeans – it was boomtimes for youth culture, and for our emblems to be supersized. From grunge fans in huge flannel shirts to punk disciples augmenting their ears with giant plug earrings all the way through to backpackers and their larger than ever before barbwire tattoos.
But it wasn’t all about aesthetics. Or material innovation. This replica watches shop also had something relatively new in the watch world: cultural cachet.
The story really begins with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 1999 End of Days limited-edition Offshore put Audemars Piguet for the first time at the center of Hollywood. Here it was on the wrist of one of the most famous actors of the moment with a flash appearance on the silver screen.
Then came Muhammed Ali. The boxer co-hosted an auction with Schwarzenegger in 2000 called Time To Give, a collaboration with Christie’s which also included Sharon Stone, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, and Mariah Carey – just about the most ’90s guestlist imaginable – all of whom were given 2023 fake watches to wear with their signature engraved on the caseback, which were then auctioned off for the Muhammed Ali Inner City Games Foundation.
Five years later, Jay-Z entered the picture with his own limited-edition Offshore (made in 100 examples for the U.S. market only) – which remains perhaps the most important Offshore ever created. “There was a before and an after,” Bennahmias says, “not only for the world of AP, not only for the world of watchmaking, but for the world of luxury.”
The doors were now open to a younger and much wider audience.
The Audemas Piguet Royal Oak Offshore replica watches site became a hotbed for collaboration across Hollywood, hip-hop, and sports. “Many times in the history of Audemars Piguet, the creativity in the launch of watches didn’t always come from within. It came from outside,” explains Bennahmias. “This way you get people to participate in the success story.”