Audemars Piguet

1. Purpose - The very point of existence of a watch is to serve a purpose... it may be seen as an ornament, but it's primarily a utility. The Diver has a very, very clear purpose in the Offshore line... to dive, to enjoy oneself in the waters without ANY worry whatsoever.

2. Understated Mettle - Again, the dive watch is a utility. The moment one looks like trying too hard to impress, the Richard Mille diver, the Rolex Deep Sea, the Hublot Oceanographic, etc., come to mind, then it has lost its devil-may-care coolness on the wearer. This is the very factor that made Rolex Submariners cool in the first place... "Oh no, it's just my dive watch,  it's been with me to a few rough spots, nothing special..."

3. Uniqueness - Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, bothers me more than everyone and his brother I bump into on the street, on the plane, the staff at the hotel check-in counter, the head waiter at a Chinese Dim Sum restaurant, wearing the same bloody watch as you. I know, it's a personal thing, but that's just me. Yes, there are tons of people who own an AP Diver, but not as many as say, a Rolex Sub.

4. History - Now, this one is not in favour of the AP Diver. This is the realm of the Rolex Sub, the Panerais, the Omega Seamaster, the Doxas, etc. But then, with the AP Diver, you create its history. The Offshore was born out of modern mischief, to supposedly "break the rules". I like that kind of history.

5. Aesthetics - Well, well, well. Here's one department that AP does without parallels. The ability to be well crafted without looking blingy. Yes, that's a fairly hard act to follow. Richard Mille, bling. Hublot, so much bling. Rolexes, way too reflective.

Would I wear it in the sea? Hell yes. Mine's been to the Greek islands, the equatorial waters, and even the "onsens" of Japan.... survived to tell the tale without any problems.

So go for it I say! Just don't buy the version with the chronograph... it immediately disqualifies itself from #1, #2, and #5, and becomes just another AP Offshore.

  login to reply