Audemars Piguet has collaborated with American designer Matthew Williams, founder of the brand 1017 ALYX 9SM, on the design of a series of Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore.
The latest model combines the Manufacture’s recognisable codes with the designer’s refined touch. The Chicago-born designer likes to play with materials that are of high quality, innovative and highly technical to develop surprising and disruptive creations, while adhering to a holistic sustainable approach, similar to the Manufacture.
“A collaboration like this allows for me to explore and extend my knowledge to another area of excellence.”
Matthew Williams, Designer and founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM
In an effort to make the aesthetics as clean and pure as possible, Matthew Williams and Audemars Piguet have reduced the gold dials to their simplest form to highlight their elegant vertical satin finishing. The result is timeless monochrome timepieces that blend refined aesthetics with advanced watchmaking techniques.
The two Royal Oak models are crafted entirely in 18-carat yellow gold. The 37 mm Selfwinding model tells the hours, seconds and minutes. The hour-markers and date aperture have been removed to highlight the gold dial’s refined vertical satin finishing. The minimalist dial is complemented with luminescent yellow-gold hands and the signatures ‘Audemars Piguet and 1017 ALYX 9SM’. The 41 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph pushes the minimalism of the dial to the limit, going so far as to eliminate the chronograph counters, leaving only the hands to rotate at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock.
The two Royal Oak Offshore models follow the same theme, dispensing with the information usually present on the dial and keeping only the bare minimum. These 42 mm limited editions are available in a choice of 18-carat white or yellow gold, giving them a style that is both sober and dazzling. Equipped with the Manufacture’s interchangeable strap system, these models are accompanied by an additional strap in black rubber for an intense contrast.
While the two 37 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding models (above) house Calibre 5909 which beats at a frequency of 4Hz and has 60 hours of power reserve, the 41 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding is powered by the Manufacture’s latest selfwinding movement with integrated flyback Chronograph, Calibre 4409.
The two Royal Oak Offshore models are equipped with the Calibre 4404, which comes with an integrated chronograph and a flyback function.
For more information please visit Audemars Piguet