Audemars Piguet

foversta
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A truly beautiful watch: the Jarno Trulli Offshore

Generally speaking, I'm not a great fan of the different Royal Oak Offshore. But thanks to the wide range of LE available, I'm able to find some versions I really like and the Jarno Trulli belongs to this category. In fact, I like it for almost the same reasons I had very positive feelings with the Hublot Bullet Bang: the Jarno Trulli Offshore takes fully advantage of the use of hi-tech materials which at the same time bring technical and aesthetical added-values.




We all know the long story of partnerships between AP and the world of motor sports and with the Jarno Trulli Offshore, AP offers a new LE of 500 watches dedicated to a famous pilot.




So what are the details which make me like this watch ? First of all, the case combines two materials which work very well together: the forged carbon and the Cermet. The Trully is obviously not the first AP to use forged carbon and despite its properties, I have never found it a very suitable material in the world of high-end watches: I think that its appearance is far from what I expect from a luxurious material. But here, the Formula 1 context is perfect for its use, almost logical.

The key point is that the forged carbon is not the single material of the case: the bezel is made of Cermet. Cermet (contraction of "ceramics" and "metal") is a very resistant alloy which strengthen the weakest point of the Royal Oak: the bezel. A Royal Oak and a Royal Oak Offshore are watches which design can be easily spoiled by the presence of an unsightly scratch. When you have a scratch on the octogonal bezel, you don't forget it... it almost becomes an obsession! But with Cermet, you will be able to use the Royal Oak Offshore without this fear! I didn't make the test on this watch but I did it with the Bullet Bang: the resistance of this alloy is really impressive even if you hit the watch with a fork.




But the other interesting point is the color of this Cermet. I'm not able to tell you what are the differences of the AP alloy with Hublot one but they don't have the same color: while the Hublot one looks like Bronze, the AP Cermet has a deep grey color which creates a feeling of harmony with the forged carbon. I really like this visual effect. The back of the case is made of sand-blasted titanium and it also perfectly works with the two other parts of the case.

The colour of the Cermet alloy used by Hublot for its Bullet-Bang:



The three layers of the case: Cermet - forged Carbon - Titanium:



Obviously, AP had the will to preserve this harmony with the use of a slate grey color for the dial. But, if AP had used classic hands, the results would have been a bit to sad or at least to sober. Hopefully, the designers had the good idea to bring a touch of fun with a brighter colour: red. The indexes and the hand wear this colour to animate the dial. It is the reason why there are at the same time a dynamic style and a sort of peaceful atmosphere.This is something I feel when I look at this watch.




Let's have a look at the caliber now: first of all, good news: it is visible thanks to a sapphire crystal caseback. Bad news: the red signature of Jarno on the glass which hides a bit the view on the 3126 caliber. I would have prefered to keep the watch without it but at least, it is on the back and not on the dial. What a relief!

The back of the watch uses the same range of colours:




The 3126 is of course a variation of in-house movement 3120 to support the chronograph module. Because, yes it is the same story again, the caliber 3126/3840 is a modular one. However, we can't deny that the job made on the 3126 is very nicely made. The grey 22-carat gold rotor is really beautiful and I love to watch the balance bridge and the counterweights of the balance wheel. The caliber has a 3hz frequency and a 60 hours power reserve.




On the wrist, despite its thickness (15,7mm), the watch is one of the most comfortable Offshore I had the chance to wear: another benefit of the use of the high-tech materials! Its diameter is 42mm and its waterproofness 100 meters.




So if I have to sum up the Jarno Trulli Offshore in a few words, I would say: harmony of colours, comfort, sober and dynamic style and appropriate materials. On the other hand, don't expect a great improvement in terms of horological contents, you get the usual package here but at least, it is very nicely done.

I would like to thank a lot the staff of the AP Madrid boutique.

Fr.Xavier

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