The best luxury watches are certainly built to last, but not all are built to take on an apocalyptic battle—besides the newest edition of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, which pays tribute to a timepiece worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1999 horror epic End of Days.
A watch you can wear to save humanity (at least on the silver screen) should have some serious bells and whistles, and the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph has an illustrious history all its own. Arnold co-designed the original model himself, after all.
The 1999 version of the timepiece (seen above) is worn by Schwarzenegger’s Jericho Crane, a former NYPD detective tasked with protecting a young woman in humanity’s battle with Satan—quite the conflict, and one that calls for a watch that can handle a tough situation or two.
Audemars Piguet notes the collaboration with the famed actor and bodybuilder “started the trend for limited series with celebrities from all walks of life.”
The Royal Oak Offshore itself hit the market in 1993, and the 1999 partnership also “helped to put the collection on the map, especially in the street culture scene,” said Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias. “For the 30th anniversary of the Offshore, it was an obvious choice for us to pay tribute to this iconic timepiece.”
The initial partnership on the End of Days Royal Oak led to six additional co-design collaborations with the Terminator star in later years.
Schwarzenegger’s Royal Oak Offshore featured a Kevlar strap and a steel case with a PVD treatment, while the newest edition boasts a lightweight blend of ceramic and titanium.
The current iteration of the Royal Oak Offshore is just the latest revamp to hit the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak lineup, and joins three other Royal Oak Offshore models.
There’s also the introduction of the first-ever black ceramic case for the 42mm edition of the Royal Oak Offshore, complete with a matching bracelet and black dial for what Audemars Piguet calls a “contemporary monochrome look.”
As for the revamped take on the 1999 edition, only 500 units are available: Time is of the essence if you’re lucky enough to track one down.