Audemars Piguet Offshore Notched Case 25770

It is no secret here that I have always enjoyed the notched case AP Offshores.  I have owned several different models over the years, and my favorites are the arabic numeral 25770 models.  Within this series, there were 3 dials offered, the silver, the blue with grey subdials, and the black End of Days.  But even the variants with the blob markers are superb, and of course the common detail is the case.

On this naked EOD (BTW, this was far and away the scariest strap change I ever performed on any AP!),  you see the robust dimension of the case as it bends down to receive the strap.  For those who are not familiar with the strap attachment to a notched case Offshore, there is a round steel bar that gets inserted through the strap when mounted.  It bears ever so slightly on each side where the hole is for the screw.  The bar needs to be centered correctly and not sit too far to one side.  The two screws then lock in from each lug, assuring the bar cannot slide and the strap will remain in place.  In case you are wondering, AP makes a small tool for centering the bar.  I have performed a good handful of 25770 strap changes over the years, and the tool is not necessary as long as you pay attention to other details as you affix the strap.

The bezel gasket seems accentuated on some of the older models.

And of course, the classic round rubber pushers and rubber coated AP crown.  The square recess for the crown matches the squared recess for the strap attachment.  Another novel aspect of the notched case Offshore is that you can actually set it down flat on a surface... certainly convenient for table shots

What really differentiates these cases is the look.  More visual emphasis is placed upon the case and dial.  Kind of a more traditional strap attachment to what is still a very engaging watch head.  Maybe this design is more successful with the older references?  I don't know.  Certainly it looks very good on the ceramic cased Offshore Legacy, and that is a very cutting edge and modern model.

And of course, wrist comfort.  I have always maintained that a smaller wristed individual will find more comfort with a notched case Offshore than a plotted case Offshore.  The way the strap emerges from the case, it is allowed to extend down much faster than it can on a plotted case Offshore.  I find I can wear both styles very comfortably, but on a notched case model I don't have the somewhat triangular void spaces below the lugs that I see when I wear a plotted case.