News

Audemars Piguet Teams Up with Designer Matthew Williams

A minimalist collaboration pulling from the designers own collection.

Four new Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore models have been announced, along with one unique piece that make up this latest collaboration. With a mixture of yellow gold, white gold and two-tone, all pieces are co-branded with Audemars Piguet and 1017 ALYX 9SM, Matthew Williams’ own brand, on the dial and rotor.

Initial thoughts

It’s nice to see collaborations like this taking place. When someone with the fashion and design pedigree of Matthew Williams enters the watch space, it is always worth taking note, as they are bound to bring a fresh and unique perspective. However, here it would seem he has just taken the designs he previously made with MAD Paris and asked Audemars Piguet to make them instead. The only visual difference being that the original ones had circular brushed dials, whereas these are vertically brushed.

While the variety of case size and metal is appreciated, it is clear that these designs are not original with perhaps the only real difference being that the date window has been removed from the standard Royal Oak.

Having the same aesthetic treatment applied across the time-only Royal Oak, chronograph Royal Oak and Offshore is nice to see, making this a cohesive collection. And the unique piece carries pleasing contrasts with the two-tone case and dark, PVD-coated dial giving a look that seems fitting for the streetwear-savvy Williams.

There has been no communication on the price of these pieces, nor how many are set to be produced. All we can be sure of is that they will be hard to get hold of for all bar the top clients of the brand.

Matthew Williams wearing the white gold Offshore chronograph from his collaboration. Image – Audemars Piguet.

Street smart

Releasing five new references in one go in a limited run is an uncommon move for Audemars Piguet. All five have been given vertically brushed, minimalist dials with no markers. Each dial features branding from both Audemars Piguet and 1017 ALYX 9SM, which can also be found on the movement rotors. Everything else is as you would expect from their original models.

Starting with the two Royal Oak models, a time-only ref. 15550BA in yellow gold with a matching dial. The main difference from the standard model is the removal of the date window, in fact the date function has supposedly been removed from the movement altogether, instead of just covering it with a solid dial. The movement is the selfwinding cal. 5909 which fits inside the 37 mm wide and 9.1 mm thick case.

Image – Audemars Piguet.

The Royal Oak Chronograph is a variation of the ref. 26240BA in full yellow gold and matches with the time-only version in its appearance. Again, the date window is gone, and there are no markers to read the time or the chronograph functions from. It measures slightly bigger at 41 mm across and 12.4 mm deep, with the automatic cal. 4409 inside.

Moving on to the two Offshore models, the only difference between the two is the case metal, with one in white gold and the other in yellow. They both feature the distinctive Offshore styling in the case, pushers and bracelet, but unlike the other two models, they have retained their date window. Run off the cal. 4404, these measure slightly bigger than the Royal Oak Chronograph at 42 mm wide and 15.2 mm thick.

Image – Audemars Piguet

Finally the unique piece comes in the form of a two-tone – yellow gold and stainless steel – Royal Oak Chronograph. With all the same measurements and features as the limited edition but the gold dial has been given a black PVD coating with all the text and hands appearing in yellow gold, providing a good contrast. The single watch will be auctioned off at the release party in Tokyo to help raise money to support charities that conduct play-based learning activities for disadvantaged children.

The dial of the unique piece. Image – Audemars Piguet.

Overall, the impact of the design Williams has created is clear, and the trust the Audemars Piguet has placed in him to spread this across four limited editions and a unique piece shows through. While there is no information yet on how many of these pieces will be made, the way they place themselves in the streetwear design world is cleverly done.

Image – Audemars Piguet.

Key facts and price

Audemars Piguet x 1017 ALYX 9SM Royal Oak Selfwinding
Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.02

Diameter: 37 mm
Height: 9.1 mm
Material: Yellow gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: Cal. 5909
Functions: Hours and minutes
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 60 hours

Strap: Matching bracelet

Limited edition: To be announced
Availability: At AP boutiques and AP houses
Price: US$73,500

Key facts and price

Audemars Piguet x 1017 ALYX 9SM Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph
Ref. 26240BA.OO.1320BA.01

Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 12.4 mm
Material: Yellow gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: Cal. 4409
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: Matching bracelet

Limited edition: 200 pieces
Availability: At AP boutiques and AP houses
Price: US$90,400

Key facts and price

Audemars Piguet x 1017 ALYX 9SM Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph
Ref. 26238BC.OO.2000BC.01

Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 15.2 mm
Material: White gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: Cal. 4404
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: Matching bracelet

Limited edition: 75 pieces
Availability: At AP boutiques and AP houses
Price: US$111,500

Key facts and price

Audemars Piguet x 1017 ALYX 9SM Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph
Ref. 26238BA.OO.2000BA.01

Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 15.2 mm
Material: Yellow gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: Cal. 4404
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: Matching bracelet

Limited edition: 75 pieces
Availability: At AP boutiques and AP houses
Price: US$111,500

Key facts and price

Audemars Piguet x 1017 ALYX 9SM Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph
Ref. 26240SA.OO.1320SA.01

Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 12.4 mm
Material: Yellow gold and stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: Cal. 4409
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70 hours