Dear watch enthusiasts, the time has finally come to announce some of the most anticipated releases of the year. Just over a month away from the start of Watches & Wonders, Audemars Piguet has decided to unveil some of its 2024 novelties. This year witnessed the opening of the largest AP House in the world (but that’s another story). Among all the novelties presented by the Le Brassus maison, one collaboration holds a place of particular importance: the partnership between Audemars Piguet and the super-collector and musical icon, John Mayer. Yes, you read that right.
A Stellar Encounter
Before diving into the details, let’s provide some context. Audemars Piguet, the Swiss watchmaking giant, has a long history of creative collaborations. In recent years, it has partnered with entities ranging from the Marvel universe to fashion with Alyx, and even the Cactus Jack perpetual calendar in collaboration with Travis Scott. In each of these endeavors, successful or not, Audemars Piguet has sought to push the boundaries of watchmaking.
With this latest collaboration, the maison and John Mayer, a seven-time GRAMMY® winner, have decided to go back to basics, almost paying homage to one of the brand’s most revered timepieces: the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar with Tuscan Dial. However, the aesthetic resemblance to the vintage Tuscan Dial fades away once you take a closer look at the dial, which I’ll explain shortly.
The Dial of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar John Mayer
Let’s talk design, because here’s where the story gets truly fascinating. According to John Mayer, the dial is one of the most important elements in his favorite watches. It features a panoramic window that captivates your gaze. Therefore, it had to be the same for a watch created in collaboration with him; the goal was to craft a dial that you could admire endlessly.
Despite bearing a significant resemblance to vintage Tuscan Dials, the dial of this new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar has been crafted using the electroforming technique. This process deposits metal onto the dial, atom by atom, forming irregular crystals. The resulting effect, as you can see from the photos, creates an incredible play of light and a pronounced irregularity that adds an even more dynamic effect to the dial.
The blue counters have been colored with a deep blue hue using the PVD technique, while the moon phase window has undergone the same treatment as the dial but with a different shade of blue. The indices and hands are crafted from white gold, as are the calendar details.
A Tribute to a Legendary Movement
Inside the 41mm white gold case beats the caliber 5134. This movement is not just a masterpiece of watchmaking engineering; it’s the heir to a legacy that began in 1978 during the quartz crisis with the caliber 2120/2800. The sapphire crystal caseback reveals the refined decorations of the movement, with the 22-carat rhodium-plated rose gold rotor being the cherry on top. To crown it all, surrounding the sapphire crystal caseback, we find engravings indicating the limited edition and the total number of pieces available, which is two hundred.
Final Thoughts
What can we say, friends? This is not just a great moment for fans of Audemars Piguet and John Mayer, but for all of us who love watches and appreciate the stories behind these incredible pieces of engineering and design. If you manage to get your hands on one of these 200 pieces, know that you have something more unique than rare. And for everyone else, dreaming costs nothing, especially when it comes to watches that seem to come straight from the stars.
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