In collaboration with watch-collecting icon John Mayer, Audemars Piguet has unveiled a brand new stunning Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar.
Audemars Piguet has released a variety of timepieces recently (read here!), with some fan favourites (that Sand Gold release, wow!); however, this timepiece is special in more ways than one. Firstly, for the collaboration with John Mayer, a music icon who has endless love for Audemars Piguet, and secondly, this limited edition timepiece will be the last to bear the brand’s current self-winding perpetual calendar movement.
John Mayer, if you didn’t know, is one of the most prolific musicians today. The American-born singer, songwriter and guitarist has won seven GRAMMY® Awards whilst also collaborating with some of the biggest names in the music industry; his impact is undeniable. His love for watches is also evident to everyone. In fact, we recently did a Celebrity Watch Spotting article on John Mayer’s six-million-dollar Audemars Piguet collection (read here!).
It’s a no-brainer for Audemars Piguet to team up with the talented musician to create a limited-edition model of the final current-gen perpetual calendar timepiece that the brand will replace with a newer edition sometime in the future. A long-lasting friend of the brand, John Mayer let his “collectors eye” to enhance the aesthetic beauty of the current Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. He proposed a highly contemporary design that seamlessly evokes the timelessness and refinement at the heart of the perpetual calendar while bringing the instantly recognisable aesthetic codes of the Royal Oak to the fore.
“John’s love of complicated watches combined with his creativity made this an organic and fun collaboration. He wholeheartedly delved into the intricate design details of the dial, so there is a moment of discovery each time the watch is worn, which gives us a glimpse of infinity.”
Ilaria Resta
Audemars Piguet’s Chief Executive Officer
John Mayer has worked closely with the AP team to create a very picturesque “Crystal Sky” dial. Its beautiful texture lends depth to a complication that has shaped the world of Audemars Piguet since its very beginning.
“My favourite watches have dials that you can stare endlessly at. A great watch dial feels like a picture window – you look into it, not at it. In the case of this QP, it’s like looking up at a moonless sky. There is a true sense of nature in it. And when you couple that sense of depth and vastness with the complication of a perpetual calendar, it is a very powerful combination of technical prowess and aesthetic design.”
John Mayer
American singer, songwriter and guitarist
For this limited edition release, Audemars Piguet has created the motif dial in a deep blue shade using a technique called Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD). This technique preserves and enhances the depth of the motif, which in turn maximises its play on light. The textured dial is complemented by subdials in a matching blue PVD colour. The four sub-dials display the date at 3 o’clock, the moon phase at 6 o’clock, the day of the week at 9 o’clock and the month and leap year at 12 o’clock. Audemars Piguet has used white lettering for the indications to provide stark contrast on the sub-dial and easy readability of the dial. The week indication on the outer edge of the dial is also done in the same manner.
Audemars Piguet states that to bring legibility and aesthetic balance to the dial, “John Mayer has brought subtle modifications to the perpetual calendar display that only become apparent on closer inspection. While the number “31” of the date subdial is usually red on modern Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar models, it is now printed in white. Also, the two numerals of the “31” are now smaller in size and slightly stepped to distinguish them from the adjacent “1”. In addition, John Mayer chose a light blue colour for the week indicator that “could fall back into the dial when simply reading the time but easily be found when looking to read the week complication,” as he explains.”
This stunning dial creation is enclosed in an 18-carat white gold, a precious material case. As we’d expect, both the case and immaculate bracelet are finished with Audemars Piguet’s alternation of satin-brushed and polished chamfers. With the Royal Oak’s signature multifaceted architecture design, the polished bevels on the bezel and bracelet links play with light beautifully.
While the main highlight of this limited edition timepiece is the John Mayer collaboration, the secondary importance is the discontinuation of the Calibre 5134 movement from the brand. The brand is committed to bringing the latest technology and innovation forward to its evolving calibres, which means that this self-winding perpetual calendar movement, Calibre 5134, is finally bringing down the curtains on a 46-year history of previous-gen perpetual calendar movements that started in 1978.
“The perpetual calendar is, for me, the ultimate complication, the benchmark for high horology. Though there are more complex complications, the QP’s historical footing in the history of watchmaking is what makes it stand out. Calibre 5134 will go down in history as one that defined an era of watch collecting—and public enthusiasm at large—for a complication that had not enjoyed that kind of attention and desire before.”
John Mayer
American singer, songwriter and guitarist
Launched in 2015, the Calibre 5134 is the culmination of the 46-year history of perpetual calendar movements. This movement has brought renewed attention to this classic complication, which declined at the end of the 20th century. Upon the release of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26579CE in black ceramic back in 2017, it sparked a revival of renewed interest, stirring the emotions of watch fanatics and collectors around the world. Since it’s 2017 debut, the Calibre 5134 has gone on to power numerous Audemars Piguet Perpetual Calendar timepieces.
The Calibre 5134 movement takes into account the number of days per individual month, and is there able to correctly display the date even considering leap years. As long as the watch is wound fully, the date will not need manual correction until 2100, which is when it’ll need to be adjusted to stay in line with the Gregorian calendar. Due to the high complications of the perpetual calendar involved, the movement only beats at a frequency of 2.75hz (19,800 VpH) and offers only 40 hours of power-reserve.
Final Thoughts
It’s quite fitting that the final send-off for the current-gen perpetual calendar Calibre 5134 is a limited edition timepiece in collaboration with one of the biggest celebrity icons in the world of horology. John Mayer has quite an extensive Audemars Piguet collection, giving him the perfect insight into what would work well aesthetically on this Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar.
The artisans at Audemars Piguet have given life to John Mayer’s vision of creating a dial that displays the astronomical roots of the perpetual calendar complication. The dial brings the crystal sky to life through an embossed motif made up of irregular shapes resembling crystals, whose sharp angles and facets add relief and brilliance to the piece.
Limited to just 200 models worldwide, this Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is a fine display of craftsmanship, both aesthetically and mechanically. While it is the end of the Calibre 5134 movement, we eagerly await to see what the future of the Perpetual Calendar holds for Audemars Piguet.
Reference: 26574BC.OO.1220BC.02
Specification
- Case: 41.0 mm x 9.5 mm thickness
- Case Material: 18-carat white gold case
- Dial: Blue “Crystal Sky” dial, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent material.
- Crystal: Glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback
- Water resistance: 20m (2 Bar)
- Movement: Self-winding Calibre 5134
- Movement Frequency: 2.75Hz (19,800 VpH)
- Power reserve: 40 hours
- Bracelet: 18-carat white gold bracelet with AP folding clasp.
