Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Audemars Piguet · Royal Oak Offshore
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 36 mm Salmon Stainless
Reference 78073ST.79
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Audemars Piguet
- Collection
- Royal Oak Offshore
- Model
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 36 mm Salmon Stainless
- Reference number
- 78073ST.79
- Year / era
- 1986 · 1980s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 80B — In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1986 – 1998
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 36 mm Salmon Stainless sits within Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Offshore line, introduced in 1986. It carries the house codes established since 1875 — stainless steel case, salmon dial and in-house manual-winding, hand-finished — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Audemars Piguet
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1875
- Founder
- Jules Louis Audemars & Edward Auguste Piguet
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore, Royal Oak Concept, Code 11.59, Millenary, Jules Audemars, [Re]master01
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Composite and ceramic case materials · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Notable watches
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 44 mm Ice Ceramic (1993) · Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 37 mm Salmon Ceramic (1959) · Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 39 mm Slate Ceramic (1972) · Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40 mm Black Ceramic (1980)
Brand history
Audemars Piguet has spent more than 151 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Royal Oak, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Jules Louis Audemars & Edward Auguste Piguet established Audemars Piguet in 1875, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Audemars Piguet calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1875
Jules Louis Audemars & Edward Auguste Piguet founds Audemars Piguet in Switzerland.
1899
Audemars Piguet earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Audemars Piguet to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Audemars Piguet enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Audemars Piguet continues to produce Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore, Royal Oak Concept and other icons in limited numbers.
More Royal Oak Offshore
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 38 mm Meteorite Quartz
Ref. 13515OR.49
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 36 mm Salmon Grade
Ref. 52360OR.47
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 38 mm Meteorite Stainless
Ref. 46792ST.14
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 44 mm Black 18k
Ref. 68011OR.80
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 38 mm Slate Platinum
Ref. 92215OR.63