Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet (AP) has teamed up with American singer, guitarist, watch collector and longstanding friend of the brand John Mayer to design the last iteration of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar equipped with the manufacture’s selfwinding Calibre 5134.
For this occasion, the rocker applied his sensibilities to create a distinctive timepiece, limited to 200 pieces, that combines the aesthetic power of the Royal Oak with the refinement and astronomical roots of the perpetual calendar. The result is a timelessly elegant watch in 18-carat white gold, enhanced by a deep blue dial where every detail speaks in unison to create a landscape evocative of a crystal sky.
Audemars Piguet’s collaboration with seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist, and fervent watch collector, continues the enriching dialogues the brand has nurtured over the years with talented individuals, whose creative vision has led to the creation of micro-mechanical wonders blending technical complexity with distinctive designs.
John Mayer proposed a highly contemporary design that seamlessly evokes the timelessness and refinement at the heart of the perpetual calendar, while bringing the instantly recognisable aesthetic codes of the Royal Oak to the fore. With its cosmic air, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar John Mayer Limited Edition puts Calibre 5134 in the history books, while opening up new aesthetic horizons for the Royal Oak collection as a whole.
The star worked hand in hand with the AP teams to design a picturesque Crystal Sky dial, whose texture and vastness lend depth to a complication that has shaped the world of Audemars Piguet since its beginnings. The brass dial plate is finished with a new scintillating pattern developed by watchmaker’s artisans to give life to John Mayer’s vision. The embossed motif is composed of irregular shapes resembling crystals, whose sharp angles and facets add relief and brilliance to the piece.
“My favourite watches have dials that you can stare endlessly at. A great watch dial feels like a picture window – you look into it, not at it. In the case of this [watch], it’s like looking up at a moonless sky. There is a true sense of nature in it. And when you couple that sense of depth and vastness with the complication of a perpetual calendar, it is a very powerful combination of technical prowess and aesthetic design,” said the artist.
For this limited edition, the new motif has been created in a deep blue shade using Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD), a technique that preserves and enhances the depth of the pattern, while maximising the play of light. The textured dial is complemented by subdials in a matching blue PVD colour that displays the day at nine o’clock, the month and leap year at 12 o’clock and the date at three o’clock. To provide visual contrast, the calendar indications are printed in white on the blue outer zones of the subdials, while the weeks appear in white on the dial’s blue outer ring. Similarly, the 18-carat white gold hour-markers and hands stand out against the blue background, their luminescent material making them even more visible in dim light.
To enhance legibility and aesthetic harmony, John Mayer brought subtle modifications to the perpetual calendar display that only become apparent on closer inspection. While the number 31 of the date subdial is usually red on modern Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar models, it is now printed in white. Also, the two numerals of the 31 are now smaller in size and slightly stepped to distinguish them from the adjacent 1. In addition, the guitarist chose a light blue colour for the week indicator.
The laser-microstructured moon phase indicator at six o’clock, which is set against an aventurine background, completes the dial’s overall design. For the first time, the Swiss Made inscription is printed in white at the bottom of the moon phase subdial rather than on the dial’s outer edge.
The refined dial is framed in 18-carat white gold and the case and bracelet are both meticulously finished with the manufacture’s alternation of satin brushing and polished chamfers. The polished bevels on the bezel and bracelet links enhance the play of light created by the Royal Oak’s multifaceted architecture. Lastly, the white gold frame of the sapphire caseback is engraved with Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel and Limited Edition of 200 Pieces.
Visit www.audemarspiguet.com for more information.