Audemars Piguet has teamed up with Travis Scott to present the all-new AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked ‘Cactus Jack’ LE.
This latest collaboration by the Swiss watch giant marks another new milestone for the brand, as no other brand in the world of watches has as many successful collaborations with different genres of talent as Audemars Piguet. With the brand being involved in different collaborations throughout the years in different fields such as sports, entertainment and fashion, they certainly aren’t strangers to the world of music either. Many hip-hop songs show that Audemars Piguet is one of the most quoted watch brands.
In the world of music, Audemars Piguet’s last major collaboration was done in 2005, when the brand met with hip-hop icon Jay-Z to create an Offshore timepiece together. The man in charge of overseeing Audemars Piguet and who made the collaboration with Jay-Z possible was Francois Henry Bennahmias. Francois, who is still the current CEO, is set to resign from his duties as head of Audemars Piguet starting January 1, 2024. With possibly his last creation before he departs, it’s one exceptional timepiece that stays true to AP’s recent history of creating timepieces inspired by pop and street culture.
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. For those that may not know, Cactus Jack is a brand and label founded by rapper Travis Scott. Travis Scott is no stranger to high-profile collaborations either, with the rapper already having worked with Nike, McDonalds, Helmut Lang and Dior.
The all-new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition comes in an Audemars Piguet first, a 41 mm brown ceramic case, a signature colour for Cactus Jack. Due to the colour scheme of the timepiece, Travis Scott has termed the watch as “the chocolate AP”, which he also mentions in his latest album.
According to Audemars Piguet, the case material “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.“
I personally feel that the brown is a refreshing take on what is already an incredible timepiece. Besides aesthetic changes, no other significant design changes have occurred. Underneath the sapphire crystal, we are met with Audemars Piguet’s open-worked Calibre 5135 movement. The movement’s pink-gold components match nicely with the pink gold frame of the subdials and also the brown ceramic case, while the other rhodium components serve as the backdrop for the counters to “stand out” against.
Numerous aesthetic changes have been made to the dial and the case back. The design team at Audemars Piguet have created the typography of the calendar and week indications based on Travis Scott’s hand-drawn model! The date sub-dial at 3 o’clock also has the dates done in the same typography. The day indicator at 9 o’clock is done in the shape of Cactus Jack’s brand logo. The most notable change and reference to the Cactus Jack brand appears in the moon phase indicator at 6 o’clock. Usually, what we would find is the Earth’s natural satellite. This has now been replaced by Cactus Jack’s iconic smiley face with its mouth sewn shut. These faces have a luminescent coating that glows blue in the dark, contrasting against the other luminescent material on the timepiece that glows green in the dark!
The Calibre 5135 movement powering this watch operates at a relatively low frequency of 2.75Hz (19,800 VpH) while giving out a decent power reserve of 40 hours minimum. Like any watch aficionado, I do love a good open case back. With this AP, like their other Perpetual Calendar pieces, we are treated to just that, with the added exception of having the 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight engraved with the double “Audemars Piguet” and “Cactus Jack” signatures. The brown ceramic case back also comes with the engraving “UTOPIA IS A STATE OF MIND”.
When I first saw this timepiece, I was immediately drawn to it as it was the first time seeing AP’s Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in this colour. It’s also not every day we see a watch brand collaborating with a very popular musician, especially in this case, two high-profile players in their respective industries. Francois Henry Bennahmias was the one who made this happen for Audemars Piguet, but with his departure, if this latest “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition is anything to go by, let’s hope it doesn’t stop there. The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition will be limited to a production of 200 models and will be available for purchase through Audemars Piguet Boutiques.
“Watchmaking, to me, is the ultimate combo of engineering, fashion, tech and design—a harmony of precision, craftsmanship and perfect timing. I approached this collaboration similar to sampling or starting a beat, taking inspiration from classics while introducing innovation to push them into the future. I’m beyond amped about the results, a first ever for the iconic Royal Oak. For it to be my brother Francois’ final project as CEO of AP makes it even more epic we are sending him out with a Mega fucking epic mic drop … LETTTSSSSS GOOOOOO.”
Travis Scott
Artist and Founder of Cactus Jack
Reference: 26585CM.OO.D301VE.01
Specification
- Case: 41mm, 9.9mm thick,
- Case: Case, bezel and screw-locked crown in brown ceramic
- Dial: Sapphire dial, subdials with pink gold frame and calendar indications with luminescent coating glowing green in the dark – number 31 on the counter at 3 o’clock turning blue at night
- Hands/Indices: Applied gold hour-markers and Royal Oak hands endowed with brown PVD and luminescent coating turning blue in the dark
- Crystal: Glareproofed sapphire crystal
- Caseback: Brown ceramic and glareproofed sapphire caseback
- Water resistance: 20m (2 BAR)
- Movement: In-House Self-winding Calibre 5135
- Movement Frequency: 2.75 Hz / 19, 800 VpH
- Movement Power reserve: 40 hours
- Bracelet: Brown calfskin leather strap with textured jeans effect, pink gold folding clasp engraved with the double “Audemars Piguet” and “Travis Scott” signatures.
