udemars Piguet has always fostered creative synergies with different universes, including sport, pop culture, art and entertainment. Thanks to its collaboration with personalities such as Jay-Z (2005) and LeBron James (2013), the Manufacture has strengthened its links to pop culture since the early 2000s. AP has since become one of the most quoted brands in rap songs. Today, the Le Brassus watchmaker has teamed up with Cactus Jack to design this new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition, which bears the aesthetic codes of the two brands.

Audemars Piguet presents its first Royal Oak model in brown ceramic – a signature colour for Cactus Jack. This light and scratch resistant material can be admired on the watch’s 41 mm case and bracelet studs.

Ceramic is made from yttrium-stabilised zirconium oxide powder (Zr2O), which is combined with a binder and metal oxides that will give it its final chocolate colour once the ceramic has been sintered at over 1000°C. Achieving uniform colour is a delicate and crucial stage in the manufacturing process. Each component is then pre-polished and pre-satin-brushed before being finished by hand to reach the Manufacture’s trademark alternation of satin-brushed surfaces and polished chamfers.

“The chocolate AP,” as Travis Scott likes to call it in his latest album, features white gold hexagonal screws as well as a sapphire dial revealing the openworked architecture of Calibre 5135. This movement combines rhodium-toned components with pink-gold-toned hues subtly echoing the thin circle surrounding the day, month and date subdials respectively located at 9, 12 and 3 o’clock. The subdials also play on transparency so as to reveal part of the movement.

The hour, minute and counters hands, like the hour-markers inserted within the seconds scale, are crafted in gold and covered with brown PVD before being filled with a white luminescent material that turns blue in the dark. The red arrow-shaped hand indicating the week accentuates legibility in day light.

To celebrate this collaboration with Cactus Jack, numerous design elements reference the brand’s graphics. The Audemars Piguet Design team has specially designed the typography of the calendar and week indications based on Travis Scott’s hand-drawn model. Even the hand of the day subdial takes on the shape of the brand’s logo. But, the most visible nod is the design of the moon phase at 6 o’clock.

The usual representation of Earth’s natural satellite has been replaced by Cactus Jack’s emblematic smiley face with its mouth sewn shut, whose luminescent coating glows blue in the dark. In contrast, the other calendar indications, with the exception of the week indication, are endowed with a luminescent material that turns green at night for a unique luminous effect.

A new textured calfskin leather strap makes its debut for the occasion, while the pink gold folding clasp is engraved with the signatures of “Audemars Piguet” and “Travis Scott”.

Lastly, the caseback is engraved with “Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar”, “Limited Edition of 200 Pieces” and “Utopia is a state of mind” in reference to Travis Scott’s latest album. This mention also appears printed on one of the strap’s mobile loops.

The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition is powered by the selfwinding Calibre 5135. The movement automatically takes into account the number of days in the month and correctly displays the prevailing date even in leap years. Assuming the watch is kept fully wound, the date will not require manual correction until 2100, at which point it will need to be adjusted in order to stay in line with the Gregorian calendar.*

The brown ceramic and sapphire caseback reveals the refined decorations adorning the movement including circular satin, satin brushing, sandblasting, sunray brushing and polished chamfers. The stamped openworked 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight is finished with satin brushing and polished chamfers. It is also engraved with the double “Audemars Piguet” and “Cactus Jack” signatures. The Cactus Jack logo, which appears in the centre of the oscillating weight, brings the final touch to this collaboration at the crossroads of diverse universes.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition / 41 mm
26585CM.OO.D301VE.01

FUNCTIONS

• Perpetual calendar with week indication, day, date, astronomical moon, month, leap year, hours and minutes.

CASE

• Case, bezel and screw-locked crown in brown ceramic, brown ceramic and glareproofed sapphire caseback, glareproofed sapphire crystal, water resistant to 20 m.
• Case thickness: 9.9 mm

DIAL

• Sapphire dial, subdials with pink gold frame and calendar indications with luminescent coating glowing green in the dark – number 31 in the counter at 3 o’clock turning blue at night – applied gold hour-markers and Royal Oak hands endowed with brown PVD and luminescent coating turning blue in the dark, brown inner bezel.

STRAP

• Brown calfskin leather strap with textured jeans effect, pink gold folding clasp engraved with the double “Audemars Piguet” and “Travis Scott” signatures.

MOVEMENT

• Selfwinding Calibre 5135
• Total diameter 29 mm (12 3⁄ 4 lignes)
• Total thickness 4.5 mm
• Number of parts 374
• Number of jewels 38
• Minimum power reserve guaranteed 40 h
• Frequency of balance wheel 2.75 Hz (19,800 vibrations/hour)