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Audemars Piguet has collaborated with American designer Matthew Williams, founder of the brand 1017 ALYX 9SM, on the design of a series of Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore that combines the Manufacture's recognisable codes with the designer's refined touch.
Similarly to the Manufacture, the Chicago-born designer likes to play with materials that are high quality, innovative and highly technical to develop surprising and disruptive creations, while adhering to a holistic sustainable approach.
The resolutely modern collection is composed of several Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore references, for the first time endowed with a similar minimalist aesthetic. Adaptable to all wrist types, these sober timepieces ranging from 37 to 42 mm in diameter let the owner's personality shine through and constitute a bridge between the worlds of fashion and Haute Horlogerie.
In an effort to make the aesthetics as clean and pure as possible, Matthew Williams and Audemars Piguet have reduced the gold dials to their simplest form to highlight their elegant vertical satin finishing. The result is timeless monochrome timepieces that blend refined aesthetics with advanced watchmaking techniques.
A collaboration like this allows for me to explore and extend my knowledge to another area of excellence.
Matthew Williams
Designer and founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM
The two Royal Oak models are crafted entirely in 18-carat yellow gold. The 37 mm Selfwinding model tells the hours, seconds and minutes. The hour-markers and date aperture have been removed to highlight the gold dial's refined vertical satin finishing. The minimalist dial is complemented with luminescent yellow-gold hands and the signatures "Audemars Piguet and "1017 ALYX 9SM." The 41 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph pushes the minimalism of the dial to the limit, going so far as to eliminate the chronograph counters, leaving only the hands to rotate at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock.
The two Royal Oak Offshore models follow the same theme, dispensing with the information usually present on the dial and keeping only the bare minimum. These 42 mm limited editions are available in a choice of 18-carat white or yellow gold, giving them a style that is both sober and dazzling. Equipped with the Manufacture’s interchangeable strap system, these models are accompanied by an additional strap in black rubber for an intense contrast.
While the two 37 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding models house Calibre 5909 which beats at a frequency of 4Hz and has 60 hours of power reserve, the 41 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding is powered by the Manufacture's latest selfwinding movement with integrated flyback Chronograph, Calibre 4409.
The two Royal Oak Offshore models are equipped with the Calibre 4404, which comes with an integrated chronograph and a flyback function.
Each model is fitted with a sapphire crystal caseback that opens onto the oscillating weight that has been specially developed for these limited editions. Made of 22-carat yellow or white gold, it features an engraving of the 1017 ALYX 9SM signature as well as the indication of the winding force and of the rotor weight, a nod to the technical references indicated by Matthew Williams on his buckles.