Luxury Watch makers Audemars Piguet has teamed up with Cactus Jack, the brand and record label founded by American hip hop artist Travis Scott, to design a dedicated Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar limited edition..
This 41 mm model is crafted in brown ceramic – a first for Audemars Piguet – and incorporates a number of Cactus Jack design elements. The sapphire dial, which reveals the openworked selfwinding perpetual calendar movement ticking within, is enriched with a series of details that glow blue or green in the dark, in a nod to the brand’s aesthetic codes.
Combining a classic complication with contemporary materials, this limited edition illustrates Audemars Piguet’s free and daring spirit, as well as its ability to push back the boundaries of watchmaking. This collaboration also reinforces the strong links that the Manufacture has forged with fields of creative practice over the years.
Since its inception, Audemars Piguet has fostered creative synergies with fields as diverse as sport, pop culture, art and entertainment, at times resulting in the development of micro-mechanical wonders endowed with highly contemporary designs. Collaborations with Jay-Z (2005) and LeBron James (2013) ushered in an audience among the free-spirited youth who believe in being part of the culture of the moment. AP has since become one of the most quoted brands in rap songs.
Today, Audemars Piguet’s collaboration with Cactus Jack – a powerhouse in the realms of music, merchandising and creative collaborations dedicated to driving innovation and creative freedom – continues the Manufacture’s long-standing dialogue with the larger cultural world.
A BROWN CERAMIC ROYAL OAK INSPIRED BY CACTUS JACK
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition displays a brown aesthetic, a nod to one of Cactus Jack’s signature colours. Its case and bracelet studs are fully crafted in brown ceramic, a very first for the Manufacture, and are meticulously finished with the trademark alternation of satin-brushing and polished chamfers.
The watch incorporates numerous design elements that reference Cactus Jack’s aesthetic codes, be it on the case, the sapphire dial, or the brown textured calfskin leather strap.
Highlights include the typography of the calendar and week indications, which is based on a hand-drawn model by Travis Scott. Even the hand of the day subdial at 9 o’clock takes on the shape of the Cactus Jack logo. The most visible reference, however, is the design of the moon phase at 6 o’clock that is represented by Cactus Jack’s emblematic smiley face with its mouth sewn shut, whose luminescent coating glows blue in the dark. In contrast, other calendar indications feature a luminescent material that turns green at night to create a distinctive luminous effect.
The brown ceramic and sapphire caseback reveals the refined decoration of selfwinding Calibre 5135, which powers the watch, as well as the dedicated stamped openworked 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight engraved with the double signature of “Audemars Piguet” and “Cactus Jack”. The Cactus Jack logo at its centre adds the finishing touch to this collaboration at the crossroads of different universes.
