As the preeminent creator of custom rubber straps, Rubber B has spent the last few years creating straps for some of the most respected watchmakers in Europe and North America, including Rolex, Tudor and Apple. Rubber B offers a wide selection of colors, styles and materials for these watches, all made exclusively from 100% vulcanized rubber.
One of our favorite long-running segments on the Rubber B blog is our “Vs.” series, in which we compare two copy watches from competing watch brands to see if one is significantly better.
This blog post will compare and contrast the two watches – the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph and the Royal Oak Offshore Steel Diver. Last year, the Offshore Chronograph was discontinued to accommodate the production of Offshore Diver Steel. Are the new watches better than their predecessors?
The case size of the Royal Oak Offshore is 42mm, the standard size for this watch style. The watch is powered by the caliber 3840. This movement is automatic and is made in-house by Audemars Piguet. This watch has a power reserve of up to 50 hours. It is also water resistant up to 330 feet.
The Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, like all Royal Oak watches, has a very distinctive look. This is mainly due to its instantly recognizable thick case, which has a square, octagonal shape. The distinguishing feature of this watch is the three subdials on the left side of the main model. This is because the watch is an official chronometer, which means that this feature is not included on every iteration of the watch.
One of the main differences between these watches is the different ways they are designed. If you put these two watches side by side, it’s impossible not to notice. The steel case and the bulky octagonal design that defined the Royal Oak are still present in this model.
In many ways, both pieces are very similar, which is to be expected. Interestingly, the newer model is not as water-resistant as its predecessor. The newer model also has a plainer dial and feels more like a tool replica watch than something lighter.
Ultimately, choosing which watch is better for you will come down to a preference for smaller dials and water resistance, as these are the two main factors that distinguish these pieces.