The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Pride of Mexico' in 18K rose gold, is one of those watches that if you are a fan of AP and you are Mexican, you need to own. However, this very special watch was released in 2010 by Audemars Piguet in a limited edition of 200 pieces in titanium with stainless steel bezel ref. 26297IS.OO.D101CR.01 —reviewed by us here— and in a 100 pieces in 18K rose gold ref. 26297OR.OO.D101CR.01. In our opinion, this is the most beautiful 'Pride' Offshore out there. Therefore, is no surprise that soon after its release, the watch was completely sold out. While many gray watch dealers claim to have these watches in stock, they don't and finding a brand new one or even a mint one like the rare bird we have here, is as hard as finding 'El Chapo' roaming around the streets of Mexico City.
While today there is no Mexican holiday to celebrate, why pass on the opportunity of featuring this rare bird as we were very lucky to find this one. For those of you that know very little about Mexico's history, the 'Pride of Mexico' was released as a celebratory piece to commemorate the Bicentennial of the Mexican Independence that took place in 1810. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Pride of Mexico' in 18K rose gold ref. 26297OR.OO.D101CR.01 comes with the standard 42 mm Royal Oak Offshore case and a white silvery dial with striking color accents.
Fitted with a 'méga tapisserie' white silvery dial with green Arabic numerals and a red chrono seconds hand, the watch has just the right amount of color to celebrate Mexico's Independence the right way without overdoing it. The three colors utilized in its dial are representative of the Mexican flag and are very well executed in this timepiece. The 'méga tapisserie' dial is quite nice and shimmery when exposed to fluorescent light sources and the numerals and hands feature luminescent material, a must have on a Royal Oak Offshore.
If you've read our review of its counterpart Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Pride of Mexico' ref. 26297IS.OO.D101CR.01 —reviewed by us here— in titanium with stainless steel bezel, you know that the 18K rose gold version is the way to go. Why price might be of significant difference, the combination of 18K rose gold along with the silvery dial and the colorful accents works in a phenomenal way and justifies going for the gold one.
Flipping the watch over reveals a very nice surprise engraved on its case back. The engraving features the 'Ángel of Independence' that is located on a roundabout on 'Paseo de la Reforma' —Mexico City's most important avenue— and which is a constant reminder of the War of Independence against Spain. The 'Angel of Independence' most commonly known as 'El Ángel' was built in 1910 to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence and years later it was turned into a mausoleum where the remains of the most important Independence war heroes are kept. This historic landmark is a point of reference in the city and also the place where soccer fans gather to celebrate the sporadic victories of the Mexican national team 'El Tri'.
To round out this amazing limited edition watch, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Pride of Mexico' limited edition is presented in a special wooden box with the three colors of the Mexican flag and topped with a round plate that features the same engraving of the 'Ángel of Independence' that appears on the case back of the watch. The beating heart inside this watch is the Audemars Piguet automatic calibre 2326/2840 —second generation movement inside the Royal Oak Offshores but not the latest one calibre 3126/3840— which provides a power reserve of 38 hours when fully wound.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Pride of Mexico' in 18K rose gold is equipped with a very elegant dark green —almost black looking— alligator hornback leather strap with light green contrast stitching and the usual folding buckle.
On the wrist, the watch wears true to its size and extremely heavy but not in an uncomfortable way. If words like 'El Bandasha', 'El Baby' o 'El Fisher's' mean the world to you and every time you hear them you go back in time to your 'wonder years' in D.F., then you know that sooner rather than later, this particular limited edition Audemars Piguet will become part of your collection. Let the hunt begin!
Sticker Price —whatever you feel is worth paying to have it. For more info on Audemars Piguet click here.
