Audemars Piguet Finally Nails the Blue Ceramic Royal Oak - and It Was Worth the Wait

This isn’t the first time AP has tried to make a blue ceramic Royal Oak. Back in 2022, they dropped a bright blue Perpetual Calendar that looked like it came straight out of a superhero costume lineup. It was bold, it was loud, and yeah - it was cool, but not exactly versatile. Former CEO François-Henry Bennahmias later admitted it wasn’t the shade of blue he’d envisioned. He wanted something moodier. Darker. Navy. And back then, they simply couldn’t pull it off. Now they have.

Source: Hoodinkee

Finally, the Blue That Feels Right

The new releases feature AP’s signature “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” - a name that longtime fans will recognize from the original Jumbo Royal Oak dials. This time, it’s not just on the face. We’re talking full ceramic cases in that historic tone, and they look stunning.

There are three new models in this shade:

• The Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked
  
  

• Two versions of the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph (one vintage-inspired, one more modern)
  

Source: Hoodinkee

The Double Balance Openworked immediately stands out. It’s 41mm across, just under 10mm thick, and powered by AP’s in-house caliber 3132 with the dual balance wheel system. The skeletonized dial gives you full view of the movement, and in this blue ceramic case? It looks like something from the future, but classy.

AP says the use of a second balance wheel and spring increases stability and accuracy by balancing out positional errors. Whether that translates to real-world precision is up for debate, but as a visual experience, this watch is a home run.

The price sits at a cool €93,500. Not cheap, obviously. But AP isn’t exactly trying to sell this to your average nine-to-fiver. What’s interesting is they’ve priced it in line with the black ceramic version, so you’re not paying extra for the new color.

Source: Hoodinkee

The Ceramic That Plays Tricks with the Light

One thing people really appreciate about this new ceramic is how it shifts under different lighting. In some shots, it reads almost black. In others, a rich navy glows through. That subtlety is exactly what was missing in the old bright-blue QP. 

Ceramic is notoriously difficult to finish, especially to AP’s standards. You’ve got brushed surfaces, polished chamfers, and everything has to be razor sharp. Unlike metal, you can’t just polish out a mistake, so the craftsmanship behind this release shouldn’t be overlooked, even if the watches are inevitably caught in the crossfire of “hype” discourse.

Source: Hoodinkee

A Familiar Face, Reimagined

Next up is the vintage-inspired Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, nicknamed “The Beast” thanks to its size and swagger when it first debuted in 1993. The new version sticks to that same DNA - 42mm in diameter, 15.3mm thick, and still very much a wrist presence.

This one swaps the old petite tapisserie dial for a larger “Mega Tapisserie” pattern and runs on the automatic caliber 4404, complete with flyback chronograph function and 70 hours of power reserve. If you liked the original Offshore but wanted something more refined - and a lot more modern - this version checks all the boxes.

It’s priced at €80,000, which again is right in line with what you’d expect for a full ceramic Offshore of this stature. This isn’t a “starter AP”, but rather a piece for someone who already knows the brand and wants to go deeper.

Source: Hoodinkee

A Slightly More Casual Option

The third release is also a Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, but this one’s dressed down a bit. Instead of full ceramic, you get a stainless steel case with a blue ceramic bezel, crown, and pushers. The case is 43mm, with a more ergonomic profile, and it’s paired with a textured fabric strap (with a quick-change system that lets you swap to rubber). Think of this one as the everyday version - the one for someone who doesn’t need to wear their entire net worth on their wrist but still wants something bold and technical.

It runs on the caliber 4401 (basically the same as the 4404, minus the vintage dial layout) and comes in at €39,000. Not “accessible” in any real-world sense, but the least expensive of the bunch.

Source: Hoodinkee

My Honest Take

Listen, I love AP. I’ve loved them since I saw my first Royal Oak in person, and I’ve been a quiet fan of the brand ever since. That said, I’m also wary of how easy it is to get swept up in the hype. We’ve all seen the social media culture, the auction madness, the memes. But beneath all that noise, these watches remind you what Audemars Piguet does best: pushing materials to their limits, rethinking what ceramic can look like, and making something that feels luxurious without being gaudy. 

This new “Bleu Nuit” collection is great. The Double Balancier, in particular, is, in my opinion, one of the coolest watches they’ve made in the last few years. It might not outsell a Jumbo, but it just might be more interesting.

Source: Hoodinkee

Final Thoughts

Ceramic watches used to be niche. Today, they’re becoming a proving ground for brands looking to show what they can really do with materials and finishing, and Audemars Piguet just raised the bar again. What makes this trio of Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 Royal Oaks interesting isn’t just the new color. It’s the consistency across the collection, the integration of legacy and modern tech, and the confidence in launching something this refined outside the usual trade-show fanfare.

AP has once again proved that they are on top of their game. Ceramic might have started as a trend, but with releases like this, I can see it becoming the new trademark.