I recently picked up something as a late birthday present to myself. I was in the midst of conversations with a reseller of acquiring a dark-blue Royal Oak Offshore 15710ST Diver in the new “Funky Colour” collection when something else became available.
A limited edition ROO Diver Chronograph 26703ST (also in the funky color family) came on the market at a price similar to the diver, it's something I couldn't pass up on. The two register chronograph was something I wanted, I have a PAM 308 and really like the look of having two sub-dials that balances the watch face. The ROO Chronographs are nice but IMO, the Diver Chrono is even nicer.
A bonus is the ROO Diver Chronograph not only includes the outer and inner boxes, books and papers but two brand new, unmounted straps in White and Black. So without hesitation, I canceled the 15710ST and focused on acquiring the 26703ST.
I know at one point, the rep was made but I wasn't even considering one - I have other APs with gen parts, a 15400 that @legend built for me and a 15706ST. However I'm here to share with you some observations and thoughts on this gen purchase.
A little background, the AP ROO Diver Chronograph was released at SIHH in 2016, 400 pieces in each color - blue, orange and yellow. There was also a 50-piece lime green that was only available in the boutiques.
Blue reference number 26703ST.OO.A027CA.01
Orange reference number 26703ST.OO.A070CA.01
Yellow reference number 26703ST.OO.A051CA.01
There was also a very limited edition, 50-piece boutique only Green reference number 26703ST.OO.A038CA.01
Case
Case has a brushed satin finish and a light beveling on the edge, strap held to case with screws and bars. Strap has a matching steel AP buckle. Crown guard structure has a micro polished beveling. Bolts have polished heads and if I'm not mistaken, these are made of white gold on the diver chronograph (@legend please correct). Case size is approximately 42mm wide x 15mm thick x 53mm lug to lug
The octogon bezel sides are polished whereas the top surface has the same brushed satin finish. There is also a familair ceramic hex crown at 10 to operate the internal bezel. This watch is an ISO 6425 compliant diver with water resistance to 300 meters.
Unlike the Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15703, this one comes with a sapphire case back, allowing you to see the decorated 22k gold rotor and the movement underneath it.
Strap
Attached to the 26703 is a dark navy blue rubber strap, matched to the color of the dial. Strap dimensions are 28mm at the lug tapering to approximately 23mm at the buckle end, length is 115 x 70mm.
The strap is very comfortable right with no stiffness or abrasive feel from the material. The strap is paired with a stainless steel buckle with a brushed satin finish with the AP logo.
Dial
The dial has the traditional AP “Méga Tapisserie” pattern and features the double indexes at 12 o’clock. The internal rotating bezel is color-blocked with the diving scale and zone (from 60 to 15 minutes). The dial and inner bezel is blue colored with yellow markers on the diving bezel, polished hands and white indices with double indices at 12. There is also a seconds and 30-minute register / sub dial.
Movement
The movement housed inside this Offshore Diver Chronograph is the Calibre 3124/3841 with 364 separate parts and 59 jewels. The movement runs at 21,600 mph or at 4 hertz. Functions include hours, minutes and two registers with running minutes at 3 o’clock and a 30-minute chrono counter at 9. This 3124/3841 movement is not something new from AP as they previously used it in the Jules Audemars Classic Chronograph a few years back. The chronograph module is based on a vertical clutch - the advantage is seamless start/ top without any jump or swagger of the chrono hands. Power reserve is about 50 hours.
The base caliber 3124 is made in-house by AP based on the 3120 movement (found in the 157XX diver). The caliber 3841 is a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module fitted on top which is only decorated by Audemars Piguet. Dubois-Depraz iis a specialists that supplies complication modules.
There are two ways of getting a complication into a watch. It can be an integrated construction or it can be a modular construction.
With an integrated construction, the different functions are incorporated within the movement architecture. With a modular construction, the additional functions/indications are provided by a separate mechanism (i.e. a module) that is grafted onto a base movement. The base movement is providing the basic timekeeping functionality whereas the module provides the “complication”, in this case, the chronograph.
The advantage of a module is that it is built separately and can be coupled with a variety of movements. It is generally more economical to produce and allows brands to use the module on top of an existing calibre. On the other hand, this extra layer means added thickness. However, at 15mm thick, it’s thinner than my other diving watches that tend to be thicker, e.g. PAM 187, Rolex DSSD or Omega PloProf.
OK enough words, here are some pictures for you to enjoy.
A limited edition ROO Diver Chronograph 26703ST (also in the funky color family) came on the market at a price similar to the diver, it's something I couldn't pass up on. The two register chronograph was something I wanted, I have a PAM 308 and really like the look of having two sub-dials that balances the watch face. The ROO Chronographs are nice but IMO, the Diver Chrono is even nicer.
A bonus is the ROO Diver Chronograph not only includes the outer and inner boxes, books and papers but two brand new, unmounted straps in White and Black. So without hesitation, I canceled the 15710ST and focused on acquiring the 26703ST.
I know at one point, the rep was made but I wasn't even considering one - I have other APs with gen parts, a 15400 that @legend built for me and a 15706ST. However I'm here to share with you some observations and thoughts on this gen purchase.
A little background, the AP ROO Diver Chronograph was released at SIHH in 2016, 400 pieces in each color - blue, orange and yellow. There was also a 50-piece lime green that was only available in the boutiques.
Blue reference number 26703ST.OO.A027CA.01
Orange reference number 26703ST.OO.A070CA.01
Yellow reference number 26703ST.OO.A051CA.01
There was also a very limited edition, 50-piece boutique only Green reference number 26703ST.OO.A038CA.01
Case
Case has a brushed satin finish and a light beveling on the edge, strap held to case with screws and bars. Strap has a matching steel AP buckle. Crown guard structure has a micro polished beveling. Bolts have polished heads and if I'm not mistaken, these are made of white gold on the diver chronograph (@legend please correct). Case size is approximately 42mm wide x 15mm thick x 53mm lug to lug
The octogon bezel sides are polished whereas the top surface has the same brushed satin finish. There is also a familair ceramic hex crown at 10 to operate the internal bezel. This watch is an ISO 6425 compliant diver with water resistance to 300 meters.
Unlike the Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15703, this one comes with a sapphire case back, allowing you to see the decorated 22k gold rotor and the movement underneath it.
Strap
Attached to the 26703 is a dark navy blue rubber strap, matched to the color of the dial. Strap dimensions are 28mm at the lug tapering to approximately 23mm at the buckle end, length is 115 x 70mm.
The strap is very comfortable right with no stiffness or abrasive feel from the material. The strap is paired with a stainless steel buckle with a brushed satin finish with the AP logo.
Dial
The dial has the traditional AP “Méga Tapisserie” pattern and features the double indexes at 12 o’clock. The internal rotating bezel is color-blocked with the diving scale and zone (from 60 to 15 minutes). The dial and inner bezel is blue colored with yellow markers on the diving bezel, polished hands and white indices with double indices at 12. There is also a seconds and 30-minute register / sub dial.
Movement
The movement housed inside this Offshore Diver Chronograph is the Calibre 3124/3841 with 364 separate parts and 59 jewels. The movement runs at 21,600 mph or at 4 hertz. Functions include hours, minutes and two registers with running minutes at 3 o’clock and a 30-minute chrono counter at 9. This 3124/3841 movement is not something new from AP as they previously used it in the Jules Audemars Classic Chronograph a few years back. The chronograph module is based on a vertical clutch - the advantage is seamless start/ top without any jump or swagger of the chrono hands. Power reserve is about 50 hours.
The base caliber 3124 is made in-house by AP based on the 3120 movement (found in the 157XX diver). The caliber 3841 is a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module fitted on top which is only decorated by Audemars Piguet. Dubois-Depraz iis a specialists that supplies complication modules.
There are two ways of getting a complication into a watch. It can be an integrated construction or it can be a modular construction.
With an integrated construction, the different functions are incorporated within the movement architecture. With a modular construction, the additional functions/indications are provided by a separate mechanism (i.e. a module) that is grafted onto a base movement. The base movement is providing the basic timekeeping functionality whereas the module provides the “complication”, in this case, the chronograph.
The advantage of a module is that it is built separately and can be coupled with a variety of movements. It is generally more economical to produce and allows brands to use the module on top of an existing calibre. On the other hand, this extra layer means added thickness. However, at 15mm thick, it’s thinner than my other diving watches that tend to be thicker, e.g. PAM 187, Rolex DSSD or Omega PloProf.
OK enough words, here are some pictures for you to enjoy.
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