The Royal Oak Goes Stealth Mode with Two Tactical-Style Updates in Ceramic

Audemars Piguet gave its iconic dive watch two subdued, military-style makeovers.

Published February 26, 2025

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Updated February 26, 2025

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Audemars Piguet is celebrating its 150th birthday with a slew of fantastic watches. The biggest news was the release of a new perpetual calendar movement by way of three new references.

But just as impressive are the two new Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs built from ceramic and titanium.

a green ceramic watch with a fabric strap — The new Royal Oak Offshore comes in a military-inspired green and black color scheme.

With over half a dozen eye-catching designs dropping at once, it could be easy for two ceramic dive watches to get lost in the shuffle.

But with the military vibes provided by the tonal green reference 26420CE and the blacked-out reference 26238CE, these might be the best-looking Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs out there.

The Royal Oak’s angular and industrial design already resembles modern tactical watches. AP embraced this fact by outfitting the two new references with military-inspired color schemes and more legible sub-dials.

a black ceramic chronograph watch — The new “Black Beast” Royal Oak Offshore is even more stealthy than the original.

Where AP watches tend to look as luxurious as their six-figure price tags, these two stealthy divers look more like the highest quality tactical watches money can buy.

They essentially offer a subdued aesthetic for those who can afford a Royal Oak Offshore, but don’t want to flaunt it.

The green machine

First up is the green-on-black-on-green reference 26420CE. It has a black brushed ceramic case with a dark green ceramic bezel and crown. The case back, crown guard and crown tip are all titanium.

the green dial of a chronograph watch — AP’s signature *Méga Tapisserie* texture decorates the dial.

The dial is adorned with AP’s signature Méga Tapisserie texture. All three sub-dials have simpler and more legible tracks than previous Offshore chronographs. A small date window is tucked away between fou o’clock and five o’clock.

In a fitting touch of luxury, the hands and applied indices are made from 18-karat white gold. Each one is fitted with a center groove filled in with beige lume.

a Audemars Piguet 4401 automatic watch movement — AP’s in-house 4401 automatic flyback chronograph movement.

The sapphire crystal display case back is secured with a screw-down titanium frame. Underneath, an in-house caliber 4401 automatic flyback chronograph movement is visible, with the “AP” logo boldly stamped on the rotor.

a green ceramic AP Royal Oak Offshore chronograph watch — The Royal Oak Offshore green ceramic comes with a green pebbled leather strap and a black rubber strap.

The Royal Oak Offshore is the Swiss watchmaker’s sportiest collection, but this is the closest it has come to a military color scheme.

It has an interchangeable pebble-textured green leather strap, secured with a titanium quick release, and it comes with an alternate black rubber strap to complete the aesthetic.

A new “Black Beast”

AP has used ceramic in the Royal Oak line since 2006 to utilize the advanced material and experiment with different textures.

In 2011, the brand released its first black ceramic case with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature Royal Oak Offshore.

Fans of the 43mm Royal Oak Offshore chronograph affectionately nicknamed it “The Beast,” and when a full black ceramic version launched in 2023, it became known as the “Black Beast.”

The reference 26238CE is an updated version of the “Black Beast,” made even darker by replacing the white dial markers with metallic gray.

The formerly brilliant white gold hands have been darkened to resemble onyx. Even the lume insets on the hands and indices are muted in the light.

the dial and bezel of a black ceramic chronograph watch — The dial counters have been simplified for legibility, but all of the formerly white dial markings are now metallic gray.

The case, bezel and crown are all made from brushed black ceramic and accented with a brushed titanium crown cap and case back. The integrated bracelet is made of matching brushed black ceramic with a titanium three-fold clasp.

As with a tactical field watch, every element of the dial and case that had reflective properties has been dimmed, save for the exposed screws on the bezel. Even the brand logo on the dial has been subdued to the simple “AP” icon.

Availability and pricing

Both of these tactical takes on the legendary Royal Oak Offshore chronograph are standard production models, but landing one is more than a matter of the lofty price tag.

The tonal green reference 26420CE is available now from authorized AP dealers for $58,400 but will likely require some waiting.

The new “Black Beast,” reference 26238CE, is not yet up on AP’s website and we are still waiting for an official release date.