Travis Scott x AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton “Cactus Jack” Brown Ceramic Watch
Travis Scott's reference to "Chocolate AP" on his latest album isn't just a phrase in a song...it's a teaser for AP's latest collaboration!
There’s no doubt that collaborations and watches inspired by pop and street culture are an important part of Audemars Piguet’s recent history. No other brand in Haute Horlogerie can generate such creative synergies with different sectors. Sports, pop culture, art, fashion and entertainment...it's looking at things from a different perspective, whether you like it or not. This year, Audemars Piguet collaborates with Cactus Jack, the brand founded by American hip-hop artist Travis Scott, to launch a new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton Limited Edition . Yes, this is indeed "The Chocolate AP," as Travis Scott likes to call it on his latest album. It's another bipolar collaboration with a slightly controversial artist, but it sure looks spectacular.
AP X Cooperation
As most of you probably know, this new model isn’t the Swiss watchmaker’s first foray into music and sports, specifically hip-hop and basketball culture. Far from it! As main examples we can cite the collaborations with Jay-Z (2005) and LeBron James (2013), among others. The brand has been famous in the field since the early 2000s, and AP has since become one of the most referenced brands in rap songs. It may not appeal to the entire collecting community and watch enthusiasts at large, but it does bring the brand into the spotlight and make it visible to more people than just watch enthusiasts. A winning strategy...? Looking at the brand's sales figures in recent years, it's safe to say. Long-term achievement? Time will prove everything.
What we have now to consider is the brand’s latest collaboration, a made in partnership with one of the most successful rap artists of recent years, Travis Scott, and his label, Cactus Jack. This isn't the first time the man has collaborated with other brands to create unique, collectible items—check out this link for an overview of his most famous collaborations, including takes on iconic Air Jordan sneakers or the official Cactus Various interpretations of the Jack x Dior capsule collection.
Chocolate AP by Travis Scott
For this new collaboration, the watch chosen is not just a standard Royal Oak (if the Royal Oak can be called that...) it is actually based on one of RO's most desirable, bold and complex finished versions, the Perpetual Calendar Skeleton black ceramic. But Travis Scott and his brand Cactus Jack have done much more than just a few details on the dial, a new strap, and engravings on the case back. The Travis Scott x Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton Cactus Jack Limited Edition 26585CM (admittedly, the name is a mouthful) brings unprecedented color to the ceramic case, a dial full of detail and unique features, and an overall surprisingly consistent design. . I didn't expect it to be this way, but the results, if bold and polarizing, are quite stunning.
The AP x Travis Scott Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton is first and foremost an impressive technical high-end watch. Although the design and color scheme are very modern, it is still a true Haute Horlogerie level watch. It's more than just an embossed logo on the base model. Visually, we are familiar with the classic look of the RO Perpetual. Here, Audemars Piguet launches its first Royal Oak watch in brown ceramic, Cactus Jack’s signature color (a central theme of his Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG SP or Dior capsule collection).
The ceramic (or zirconium oxide powder Zr2O, if you want to be precise) used for the case, bezel, crown and caseback has long been used by AP for Royal Oak Perpetual watches, which we've seen in black, white Even black material. Blue with closed dial. As for the skeletonized version, black is the only option so far. Travis Scott decided to bring his favorite color, a head-to-toe chocolate brown hue... As with ceramics, achieving a uniform color is a delicate and critical stage before components are hand-finished to achieve the same level of precision as ceramics . What was found on the metal version. The case retains all the classic features and finishes of the steel or gold RO, with the octagonal bezel and case alternating with satin-brushed surfaces and polished chamfers.
The case of this AP x Travis Scott Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch is the same as all previous versions, except for the unprecedented brown ceramic. It has a diameter of 41 mm and a relatively thin thickness of 9.9 mm. The bezel retains the traditional hexagonal white gold screws and the flat sapphire crystal that protects the dial, here showing the beauty of the self-produced skeleton movement. Despite the screw-down crown and screw-down case back (complete with sapphire window), the watch is only water-resistant to 20m, a common feature of all ceramic QPs. On the wrist, it's a relatively light watch - the combination of strap and ceramic makes it very comfortable on the wrist - and not too visually noticeable from a distance. Chocolate brown is more subtle than one might think. It blends perfectly with all other elements of the watch, including the specific strap and subtle gold accents.
Continuing on to the dial, this Travis Scott x Audemars Piguet Chocolate Brown Royal Oak brings a ton of unique details... While the layout and indications are classic for the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton, the Cactus Jack Limited Edition changes up almost all of the design detail. The sapphire dial showcases much of the exquisite movement, which here is rhodium-plated to give it an understated pink-gold hue. The mesmerizing interplay of gears, springs and levels is almost hidden beneath the transparent indications, which include, as always, day numerals on the inner flange, hours and minutes in the centre, and a perpetual calendar with date, day of the week, month, leap year and double months .
There are countless evolutions compared to the classic RO Perpetual Calendar Skeleton watch. First, the thin rings surrounding the day, month, and date subdials at 9, 12, and 3 o’clock respectively have a rose gold treatment that perfectly matches the brown tone of the case. The hour, minute and counter hands, like the hour markers within the seconds scale, are crafted from gold and coated with brown PVD, then filled with white luminous material that turns blue in the dark. Finally, several elements on the dial reference the visual identity of Travis Scott’s brand, Cactus Jack.
First, the AP team specifically designed the typography of the calendar indications based on Travis Scott’s hand-drawn models, a font that can also be found on the day of the week indications on the inner flange. The date subdial takes the shape of the brand’s logo. The most distinctive element of the dial is undoubtedly the moon phase design at 6 o’clock. The traditional realistic representation of Earth's natural satellite has been replaced by Cactus Jack's iconic smiling face, with a mouth sewn onto a blue aventurine base and a luminous coating on the face that glows blue in the dark. Except for the day of the week indications, all other calendar indications are made of luminous material, which turns green at night, creating an eye-catching luminous effect.
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition is powered by the self-winding caliber 5135, a movement we’ve already seen in the classic black ceramic Skeleton version. The ultra-thin Caliber 2121 movement in the Royal Oak Ultra-Thin Jumbo 15202 watch is based on the Caliber 2121. Its oscillating weight is easily identifiable, with a circular ring running on four jewels, and a perpetual calendar function added to the top, exposing the mechanism. As you'd expect, manual date correction won't be necessary until the year 2100, assuming the watch remains fully wound.
All parts on the front and back are decorated to an impressive level with round brushed, satin brushed, sandblasted, sunray brushed and polished chamfers. The bridges, cocks, mainplate, barrel drum and ratchet wheel are all skeletonized and decorated with great attention to detail, including multiple internal corners. Unique to the Travis Scott/Cactus Jack version, the skeletonized 22k rose gold oscillating weight has a satin-brushed and polished chamfer finish. It is also double signed "Audemars Piguet" and "Cactus Jack". The Cactus Jack logo appears in the center of the oscillating weight. "Utopia is a state of mind" is engraved on the case back, a reference to Travis Scott's latest album.
Another special feature of the Travis Scott x Audemars Piguet watch is that the traditional RO ceramic bracelet has been replaced by a new textured calfskin strap, adding a unique look to the collaboration. It closes with a rose gold folding clasp engraved with AP and Travis Scott's signatures. A moving ring on the strap also displays the reference "Utopia is a state of mind."
This new Travis Scott x Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton Cactus Jack Limited Edition is sure to make a big splash. As with previous collaborations, it ventures into a different universe, away from the classic rules of haute horlogerie. There's no doubt that Travis Scott's personality and overall partnership are polarizing and maybe even a little controversial. Having said that, if we look at this watch solely from a watchmaking perspective, it is certainly an impressive watch with a design that is coherent, original, unique, yet desirable. For such a subject, it is actually relatively discreet, and there is no doubt that the level of the entire watch is very high. It's up to you whether you like the backstory or not.
Technical Specifications – TRAVIS SCOTT X AUDEMARS PIGUET Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton Cactus Jack Limited Edition 26585CM
Case: Diameter 41mm x Thickness 9.9mm - Case, bezel and crown brushed and polished brown ceramic - Bezel with white gold studs - Anti-reflective sapphire crystal - Sapphire case back - Hexagonal screw Push-in crown - 20 m water resistant
Dial: Sapphire dial, subdials with rose gold bezels, date display with luminous coating that glows green in the dark - number 31 on the counter at 3 o'clock turns blue at night - applied gold Hour markers and brown PVD Royal Oak hands Luminous coating on dark brown inner ring that turns blue within weeks
Movement: Caliber 5135 - In-house - Skeletonized automatic perpetual calendar - 29 mm x 4.5 mm - 374 components, including 38 jewels - 2.75 Hz frequency or 19,800 vibrations/hour - 40 hours power reserve - Hours, minutes, with day of the week indication Perpetual calendar, day of the week, date, month, leap year and moon phases
Strap: Brown calfskin strap with textured denim effect - Pink gold folding clasp engraved with Audemars Piguet and Travis Scott - Strap mobile ring stamped "Utopia is a state of mind"
Features: Case back engraved with the words "Utopia is a state of mind" - Calendar and day indication layout based on Travis Scott's hand-drawn model - Day hand subdial shaped like Cactus Jack's logo - Traditional moon representation is symbolized by Cactus Jack's logo Replacing the smile with the mouth sewn shut
Reference number: 26585CM.OO.D301VE.01