Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked Cactus Jack 26585CM.OO.D301VE.01

Rumors about the brown ceramic Royal Oak watch began to spread a few months ago, and the latest issue of Audemars Piguet (AP) confirmed their truth. However, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” 41mm is more than just a new color. This is a limited edition of 200 copies, released in collaboration with American rapper Travis Scott and his streetwear brand Cactus Jack.

The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “Cactus Jack” is interesting because it represents more than just changing the color of the dial, as it usually happens with limited editions. Although the Cactus Jack model is based on the standard model, it has a brown ceramic case, as well as typography on the dial based on the musician’s handwriting, as well as a Cactus Jack smiley logo depicting moons.

Travis Scott Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, with the exception of the unprecedented brown ceramics, is identical to all previous editions: the diameter is 41 mm and the thickness is 9.9 mm. The bezel retains the traditional hexagonal screws made of white gold, as well as the flat sapphire crystal protecting the dial, revealing the beauty of the skeletonized mechanism of its own production.

Despite the crown with a screw lock and the screw-down back cover with a sapphire window, the watch is only waterproof up to 20 m, which is a common feature of all ceramic QP models. On the wrist, it’s a relatively light watch –the combination of the strap and ceramic makes it very comfortable on the wrist–and from a certain distance, it doesn’t really catch the eye. The chocolate-brown color is more delicate than one could imagine. It goes well with all the other elements of the watch, including the unusual strap and discreet gold accents.

The ceramic used for the case, bezel, crown and back cover (or zirconium oxide powder Zr2O, to be precise) has long been used by AP for Royal Oak Perpetual watches, which have already been released in black, white or blue with closed dials. As for the Openworked version, so far the only option has been black. In the case of ceramics, achieving uniform color is a delicate and crucial step before the components are processed manually. The case retains all the classic features and finishes of the RO watch made of steel or gold: the octagonal bezel and case have alternating satin surfaces and polished chamfers.

The novelty has many differences compared to the classic RO Perpetual Calendar Openworked model. Firstly, the thin circle surrounding the additional dials of the day, month and date, located respectively at the positions of “9”, “12” and “3 o’clock”, is made in rose gold color and perfectly matches the brown shade of the case. The hour, minute, and counter hands, as well as the hour markers inserted into the second scale, are made of gold and coated with a brown PVD coating, and then filled with a white luminescent material that turns blue in the dark. Finally, the numerous elements on the dial reflect the visual identity of Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack brand.

The AP team has specially developed a typography of calendar readings based on a hand-drawn Travis Scott model, which can also be found on the week indicator on the inner flange. The additional dial “arrow of the day” takes the form of the brand’s logo. And the most distinctive element of the dial, without a doubt, is the moon phase indicator at 6 o’clock. The traditional photorealistic image of the Earth’s natural satellite has been replaced with a symbolic Jack Cactus smiley face with a sewn mouth on a blue aventurine base, and the luminescent face cover glows blue in the dark. All other calendar pointers, with the exception of the week pointer, are covered with a luminescent material that turns green at night to create a bright lighting effect.

The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition is equipped with a 5135 self-winding movement, a mechanism that was already in the classic Openworked version made of black ceramic. Based on the Calibre 2121, an ultra-thin movement of the Royal Oak Ultra-Thin Jumbo 15202 model, easily recognizable by its four-stone ring rotor, it is complemented by a perpetual calendar function on top. If the watch is fully wound up, then manual date adjustment will not be required until 2100.

All the details are treated to an impressive level, including circular, satin, sandblasting, “sunbeam” brushing and polished chamfers. The bridges, main plate, drum and ratchet wheel were decorated with exceptional attention to detail, including many interior corners. Especially for this model, the 22-carat rose gold openwork rotor has a satin finish and polished chamfers. It also has the double signatures “Audemars Piguet” and “Cactus Jack” engraved on it. The Cactus Jack logo appears in the center of the swinging load. The inscription “Utopia is a state of mind” is engraved on the back cover, referring to Travis Scott’s latest album.

Another feature of this Travis Scott x Audemars Piguet watch is that the traditional ceramic RO bracelet has been replaced with a new textured calfskin strap, which gives this collaboration a special look. It is closed with a pink gold folding clasp, which is engraved with the signatures of AP and Travis Scott. The inscription “Utopia is a state of mind” is also depicted on one of the movable loops of the strap.

The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked Cactus Jack Limited Edition watch is sure to cause a strong reaction. If you look at the watch exclusively through the prism of watchmaking, it is certainly a very impressive model with a consistent, original and distinctive, but desirable design. In fact, they are relatively low-key for such a topic, and in general, the watch is undoubtedly of a very high level.

Limited edition of 200 copies Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked Cactus Jack Limited Edition Brown Ceramic (reference 26585CM.OO.D301VE.01)

WATCH

Calibre 5135, proprietary, openwork automatic perpetual calendar, 374 components, including 38 stones, frequency 2.75 Hz or 19,800 half-vibrations per hour, power reserve 40 hours, functions: hours, minutes, perpetual calendar with week, day, date, month, leap year and moon phase

HOUSING

Diameter 41 mm, thickness 9.9 mm, case, bezel and crown made of brown ceramic with brushed and polished finish, white gold rivets on the bezel, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, sapphire back cover, hexagonal crown with screw lock, water resistant up to 20 m

DIAL

Sapphire dial, additional dials in a rose gold frame and luminescent calendar indexes that glow green in the dark, the number 31 on the counter at 3 o’clock, which turns blue at night, Royal Oak gold hour markers and hands with brown PVD coating and luminescent coating that turns blue in the dark, brown inner bezel with weekly scale

STRAP

Brown calfskin strap with textured denim effect, rose gold folding clasp with Audemars Piguet and Travis Scott engraving, movable strap loop with the inscription “Utopia is a State of Mind”

FEATURES

The back cover is engraved with the inscription “Utopia is a state of mind”, the typography of the calendar and week indexes based on a hand—drawn model by Travis Scott, the arrow of the day indicator in the shape of Jack’s Cactus logo, the traditional image of the moon is replaced by a symbolic image of Jack’s Cactus – a smiley face with a sewn mouth. The series is limited to 200 units.

REFERENCE

26585CM.OO.D301VE.01

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