Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix Limited Edition: VIDEO BLOG

The 2010 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix was, hands-down, the most exciting motorsports-themed Royal Oak Offshore to debut since the epic 2006 Barrichello 2. This Offshore Grand Prix limited edition is one of only 1,750 units produced.

Behold 44mm of carbon fiber, titanium, and ceramic fused in a loving tribute to modern Formula One racing technology. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix reprises several of the finest features of the 2004 Juan Pablo Montoya and the 2006 RBII, but the GP LE continues to innovate in the spirit of those predecessors.

Consider the bezel; it packs carbon and ceramic layers into a beguiling likeness of automotive rolling stock. The bezel’s white gold bolts are shaped to reference the lug nuts of a high-end wheel, and the layered carbon/ceramic evokes vented disc brakes.

The case flank at 9 o’clock is moulded in the image of an F1 front wing, and the opposite shoulder’s titanium chronograph pusher guards echo the diffuser panels of an F1 car’s after section; the pushers recall exhaust stacks, and the crown symbolizes a racing-type transaxle gearbox mounted behind the engine.

Audemars Piguet went to great lengths to endow the Grand Prix with a memorable and compelling face. The dial strikes observers with its depth, layers, and dynamic use of color. Multiple levels of tachymeter, outer dial, inner tapisserie, and sundials draw the eye toward the center, and exuberant colors reference the kaleidoscope of a modern Formula One starting grid.

On the case back, AP continues the theme of the bezel with a spoked cover that frame a sapphire exhibition window. The frame is formed in the shape of wheel spokes, and white gold “lug nut” bolts mirror the treatment of the bezel. This Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix offers no letup from the thematic continuity of its motorsports inspiration; no half-measures were taken by the design team.

A unique blackened 22-karat gold winding rotor energizes the Audemars Piguet in-house caliber 3126 movement. Free-sprung with a 55-hour power reserve, top-shelf finish, and maintenance-free ceramic winding rotor bearings, this is a “motor” worthy of an F1 tribute watch.

See this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix limited edition with full AP factory boxes, manuals, documents of provenance, and accessories in high-resolution images on www.watchuwant.com.