Audemars Piguet's ever-evolving Royal Oak collection

Audemars Piguet, which has been actively promoting fusion with other industries, has recently added a new partner to its collection: playful street culture. Never one to shy away from unprecedented challenges, Audemars Piguet expresses its cutting-edge spirit and exceptional creativity in its collaborative model with artist KAWS. The style is imbued with originality, as if revealing the future of watches.

ROYAL OAK CONCEPT ╳ KAWS
Cutting-edge creations made clear through collaboration with KAWS

　Audemars Piguet, which will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2025, has been releasing cutting-edge and highly original pieces since the fall of 23 under the slogan "SEEK BEYOND (Beyond watches. Beyond imagination.)" In addition, "Shaping Materials," which explores material research and the resulting sophisticated shapes, is also an important theme as the brand looks to the future.

　Audemars Piguet, a prestigious brand with a long history and a cutting-edge approach, has always been beloved by cutting-edge artists. KAWS is one such brand. Born in New Jersey, USA, KAWS began his career as a graffiti artist. He gained attention for his "subvertizing" style, which involves adding original graffiti to street advertisements. However, before he became known in the art scene, he was captivated by Japan's Ura-Harajuku culture and interacted with YOPPI and NIGO, who were driving the boom. Influenced by the fashion and music emanating from the backstreets of Harajuku, he eventually produced numerous products in collaboration with Japanese fashion brands he was friends with. This led to him becoming an icon of street culture.

　KAWS has now become such a big name that he has collaborated with Uniqlo, but even with this level of fame, he is not simply seen as an artist. This is probably because he has always been a disruptor of the boundaries between commercialism and fine art. What will he do next? The appeal of KAWS is that it creates such anticipation.

　Looking at the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon "Companion" from this perspective, we can see the shared philosophy of Audemars Piguet and KAWS, who have continued to go beyond the boundaries of common sense.

　Standing behind the sapphire crystal is the character "Companion," created by KAWS. He has been expressed in various forms, including graphics, figures, and giant balloons, but his collaboration with Audemars Piguet has subverted the notion of luxury timepieces. The "Companion" placed on the dial is made of titanium. The miniature, with its satin and sandblasted finishes enhancing its three-dimensional effect, seems to trap the "Companion." Moreover, the eyes of the "X" mark, which gaze intently at the wearer with both hands clasped against the crystal, are a truly unique design that invites imagination to explore its emotions.

　The tourbillon rotates within the watch, like the heartbeat of the Companion, but to avoid obscuring the artwork, peripheral hour and minute hands rotate around the movement. The manually wound Caliber 2979, developed for this display, is also a highlight on the back, featuring a padded design inspired by KAWS's character. The tops of the screws that go into the bezel also feature the same "x" mark as the eyes, making use of the Royal Oak's distinctive design while incorporating KAWS' artwork down to the smallest detail, allowing you to enjoy Audemars Piguet's thorough creations.

　The Royal Oak Concept collection was launched to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Royal Oak, which was first introduced in 1972. The addition of KAWS' artwork to the collection is a style that echoes the subverting aesthetic of street advertising, blending graffiti with street art, while also expressing the cynicism inherent in his work. Luxury watches and street culture share a common belief that creativity knows no bounds, and this collection is a perfect testament to that belief.

The current state of the Royal Oak, a watch that continues to evolve

The Royal Oak, a masterpiece with a history spanning over 50 years, remains highly popular to this day. While inheriting the iconic design created by the now legendary designer Gérald Genta, it has evolved into a more elegant and original watch by skillfully incorporating modern needs with its technology and aesthetic sense.

　The Royal Oak was born in 1972 and has been passed down for over 50 years with its unchanged style. What is needed to further evolve this watch, which can already be considered a perfect model? This is a difficult question for a designer. One wrong step could result in an unnecessary addition. Meanwhile, watch enthusiasts are always looking for a new Royal Oak.

With the slogan "SEEK BEYOND," Audemars Piguet chose to evolve the Royal Oak by enhancing its expressive power. The Royal Oak already has the strengths of a distinctive shape and delicate finish, but by making use of these, they have brought out new appeal.

　The first thing they focused on was the dial. From the very first model, the Royal Oak has had a pattern called Tapisserie engraved on the dial. Its modern look, which differs from traditional guilloching, highlights the Royal Oak's cutting-edge design. Meanwhile, the color is simple, with many models, including the first, using "Night Blue, Cloud 50." Initially, it was produced using a galvanic process, but in order to achieve a uniform color throughout the collection, PVD processing technology has been improved.

　The Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon, on the other hand, features a soft, gradated smoky yellow gold dial. The tourbillon is a flying design, complementing the striking dial. The dramatic dial, which becomes deeper as it approaches the periphery, offers a new way to enjoy the Royal Oak, a watch whose main focus tends to be on the case and bracelet.

　The case also offers a new style. Frosted Gold was born in 2016, the 40th anniversary of the women's Royal Oak, in collaboration with jewelry designer Carolina Bucci. A traditional metalworking technique with roots in Florence, Italy, uses diamond-tipped tools to create minute irregularities on the gold surface, resulting in diffused light reflections. While the surface appears frosted, it is actually incredibly smooth, and its refined finish has earned it high praise from both men and women. The 34mm Royal Oak Automatic also features a dynamic, embossed dial called "Crystal Sand," inspired by ruthenium crystals, enhancing the overall dazzling brilliance. The Royal Oak is known for its vibrant brilliance, created by the combination of hairline and polished finishes, and the Frosted Gold and Crystal Sand finishes further expand the scope of expression.

　The Royal Oak also established a new approach to mechanical expression. The Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked combines a pair of balance wheel and hairspring on the same axis, offsetting any misalignment in the center of gravity between them to produce stable precision. This innovative, patented technology debuted in 2016, and by expressing it in a dynamic openworked design, it adds to the enjoyment of admiring its movement. Moreover, this model features a tone-on-tone design, with the movement parts matching the pink gold case, while the inner bezel features a purple accent, highlighting the complex yet carefully crafted structure of the movement.

　The Royal Oak is not a blank canvas. It is a masterpiece painted by a master, and the weight of history and tradition has earned it many fans. Adding a new touch to such a masterpiece is no small feat, and requires great courage. This is precisely why the evolved Royal Oak model, born with such conviction, shows Audemars Piguet's passion for pursuing the "future of watches." The most evolved version of this masterpiece may be like a mirror reflecting the current era.

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE
A special deep red that adds elegance to the massive body.

With an enlarged case size and improved water resistance, the sporty Royal Oak Offshore, launched in 1993, expanded the Royal Oak's range and became a driving force in attracting a new fan base. The Japan-exclusive model features a deep red dial, adding a fresh accent to the Royal Oak Offshore's look.

　Developed in preparation for the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak in 1992, the Royal Oak Offshore, released in 93, was nicknamed the "Challenger" within the company. Not only was it the first Royal Oak to feature an automatic chronograph movement, but its prominent crown guards made it appear larger than its stated 42mm size. Furthermore, the rubber gasket beneath the octagonal bezel stood out as if to highlight the watch's water resistance. The Royal Oak Offshore, designed by Emmanuel Guillet, was a stark departure from the conventional wisdom of luxury watches at the time.

　The first model, nicknamed "The Beast" by watch enthusiasts, was not well received. However, its overwhelming presence, volume, and excellent water resistance were appreciated by extreme sports and hip-hop enthusiasts, and it became associated with youth culture. As a result, it attracted a different audience from its previous fan base, expanding the world of the Royal Oak.

　The Royal Oak Offshore has now firmly established itself as a masterpiece, with a color scheme that brings out its powerful design. This Japan-exclusive model features an eye-catching deep red dial achieved through multiple layers of paint. The Royal Oak Offshore is also characterized by its ceramic bezel, whose hard shine gives the watch a powerful presence and accentuates the color of the dial.

　The case is made of white gold, and the watch is water resistant to 30 bar. This is a special timepiece that is not a tool watch, but a luxury watch that suits modern life.

ROYAL OAK CONCEPT
The next stage of innovation with the new generation of forged carbon

The Royal Oak Concept goes beyond the conventional wisdom of luxury watches, featuring avant-garde designs and mechanisms that no one had ever imagined. In addition to high complication technology, the company has also focused on material development, further enhancing the expressive power of the watch. Where is luxury watch heading in the future? Audemars Piguet's answer is reflected in this collection.

　The Royal Oak Concept, launched as a new collection in 2002, adopted unprecedented materials and structures and attracted attention as a watch that truly expressed the concept of "SEEK BEYOND." Since then, the project has continued to explore the possibilities of the Royal Oak, expressing infinite possibilities within the universe of the octagonal bezel.

The Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date was launched in 2023 as a revolutionary model unlike any before it. It was a formidable feat to house the caliber 4407, comprised of over 600 parts, in a three-dimensional case measuring 43mm in diameter, while keeping the case thickness to just 17.5mm. Moreover, this watch was born from the pursuit of new technologies, including the development of a semi-peripheral rotor that houses the split-seconds chronograph mechanism in the center of the movement and rotates the rotor around it.

　The case of this latest model, an evolution of the previous model, is made of a new forged carbon material created using ChromaForged Technology (CFT), developed by Audemars Piguet's R&D laboratory. This technology allows for direct coloring of carbon, making it possible to add color accents to black carbon. Furthermore, it reduces the amount of resin used as an intermediate material, significantly improving scratch resistance. It also allows for a new expression technique, allowing the blue carbon fiber contained in the material to glow in the dark.

　Audemars Piguet has also focused on developing materials to explore its creativity. The concept known as "Shaping Materials" brings out the joy of wearing and admiring a watch. Beyond the fantastical colors of black and blue, the infinite possibilities of Audemars Piguet can be seen.