PHOTO COURTESY OF AUDEMARS PIGUET
What started with Matthew Williams’ personal customisation of his favoured Royal Oak with MAD Paris has resulted in his own official collaboration with Audemars Piguet. Some two years in the making, Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias reached out to the American designer, which resulted in a four-piece collection, with a fifth one-of-one auction piece.
Fast forward to 2023, the Swiss watchmaker unveiled the collection in Tokyo last night with Matthew Williams and his brand, 1017 ALYX 9SM. It featured four exciting new Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore references, as well as the aforementioned auction special.
Expect precious materials including full 18-carat yellow gold or 18-carat white gold. The clean face, complete with the Audemars Piguet brand in gold appliqué and a 1017 ALYX 9SM logo, certainly makes for an impactful timepiece. On closer look, the dial radiates a beautiful vertical satin-finish shine.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AUDEMARS PIGUET
Aside from being limited-edition, as the caseback indicates, these four timepieces are all powered by Audemars Piguet’s state-of-the-art movements. The 37MM Royal Oak Selfwinding model has the Calibre 5909 with a 60-hour power reserve, while the 41MM Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph houses the integrated Calibre 4409 chronograph with column wheel and flyback function. Both are offered in yellow gold only and limited to 200 pieces per model.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AUDEMARS PIGUET
The larger 42MM Royal Oak Offshore, on the other hand, features the Calibre 4404 with a power reserve of 70 hours. Hefty, with almost 400 grams of gold on each timepiece, this style is limited to 75 pieces each. Another plus? They also feature Audemars Piguet’s signature interchangeable strap system, so you can switch to the accompanying black rubber strap.
Prices start from SGD107,100 and SGD131,700 for the 37MM and 41MM models respectively. The 42MM Royal Oak Offshore, which includes a date window, comes in at SGD162,400.
Created for a good cause, the fifth reference showcases a black PVD-coated gold dial. With proceeds going towards Kids in Motion and Right to Play, the one-of-a-kind timepiece was auctioned off for a cool million last night at the official launch party to celebrate the official collaboration between Audemars Piguet and 1017 ALYX 9SM.
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