Today is the Battle of Les Brassus on Versus as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15707CE.OO.A002CA 01 challenges the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Ocean Commitment II 5000-0240-O52A for the right to call itself the ultimate ceramic luxury dive watch from the Vallee de Joux. The stripped-down brother of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms will toe-to-toe with the steroidal progeny of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in a deep diving rivalry born in a landlocked nation!

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Diver is the descendant of the original 1972 Gerald Genta Royal Oak, but today’s model traces its ancestry directly to the Wempe special edition divers and the Royal Oak Offshore Scuba AP boutique editions of the mid 2000s. This 42mm ceramic Offshore Diver 15707CE bowed at SIHH 2013, and it represents one of the most wearable Royal Oak Offshore variants. With a ceramic case and a titanium caseback, this watch wears light on the wrist; an Audemars Piguet diver strap in vulcanized rubber is the most comfortable band offered on any Offshore model.

An Audemars Piguet manufacture caliber 3120 automatic powers the Offshore Diver. Its 60-hour power reserve surpasses the industry average, and the movement features both hacking seconds (stop seconds) and a quickset date. The screw-down crown ensures water resistance to 300 meters. On the dial side, the movement drives a set of hands over a signature “Mega Tapisserie” dial. An internal rotating dive bezel can be positioned using a screw-down ceramic crown located at ten o’clock.

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe appeared during a vintage-driven 2013 launch. That Bathyscaphe reference 5000 muted many of the reference 5015’s most extravagant features and offered watch buyers a slimmer case with a smaller 43mm diameter. Baselworld 2016 brought this Bathyscaphe Ocean Commitment model, which technically can be called the “Ocean Commitment II.”

With a full grey ceramic case, blue ceramic diving bezel insert, and a sunburst blue dial, this is a compelling dive watch. Blancpain’s dial includes baton-style hands, cabochon-style hour indices in white gold, a date window, and plenty of Super Luminova to make the Bathyscaphe legible in the dark. A stout blue sailcloth strap with rubber trim underneath keeps the Bathyscaphe fixed to the wrist, and a full ceramic pin buckle ensures that all points of contact remain resolutely scratch-resistant.

Inside its satin-finished case, the Bathyscaphe draws power from a Frederic Piguet caliber 1315. This automatic movement boasts three mainspring barrels and a five-day (120-hour) power reserve. Additional refinements include a freesprung balance, a silicon hairspring, 6-position adjustment, and high horology finish rarely seen on a dive watch. Hacking seconds and a quickset date are included. All of this hardware is visible beneath a display caseback and water resistant to 300 meters.

Shop AP: https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/audemars-piguet/
Shop Blancpain: https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/blancpain/