AUDEMARS PIGUET x KAWS Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “COMPANION” Edition

 

AUDEMARS PIGUET x KAWS ROYAL OAK Concept Tourbillon “COMPANION” 43mm Titanium Edition - 2024

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KAWS AND AUDEMARS PIGUET
OFFER A NEW TAKE
ON HAUTE HORLOGERIE

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Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet continues to explore new creative territories, drawing inspiration from and engaging with the wider cultural world. Its latest 43 mm limited edition Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon, designed in collaboration with KAWS, brings the subversive nature of the collection to the fore. 

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The futuristic design of this limited edition of 250 pieces, fully crafted in titanium, is imbued with the aesthetic DNA of one of the most popular artists working today, who has placed a miniature COMPANION at the very heart of the watch. 

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To give pride of place to this cartoon-like character, the Manufacture has literally put time to the side thanks to the use of an innovative peripheral time display. 

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At once universal and provocative, witty and inquisitive, the collaboration invites the viewer to see Haute Horlogerie in a different light and to reflect on the power of the imaginary to push boundaries.

BRINGING TOGETHER CULTURE AND CREATIVITY

The collaboration with the artist KAWS reinforces Audemars Piguet’s curiosity and ongoing dialogue with the cultural world. Over the years, the brand has partnered with luminaries across disciplines, including art and pop culture, to nurture its creativity, shake up the status quo and reflect on the meaning of Haute Horlogerie in today’s world. 

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KAWS, started out as a graffiti artist in New York City in the 1990s, making a name for himself by augmenting ads in phone booths and bus shelters. 

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His early “ad intervention” work paved the way for his cast of characters, including COMPANION, which have served as experimental platforms to push the boundaries of what is possible in terms of shape, material and size – a strong link to both Audemars Piguet’s free-spirited mindset and the groundbreaking nature of the Royal Oak Concept collection in particular.

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KAWS’ COMPANION has travelled across media and the globe, from toy figures and large-scale sculptures to giant floating inflatables and AR versions. 

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Evoking both life and death, the real and the fake, this cartoon-like character is at once endearing and disconcerting. Its inherent dichotomy challenges norms and expectations, while inviting its audience to be curious, get out of their comfort zone and look at the world differently.

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Today, this cultural phenomenon takes on unprecedented miniature proportions to explore the creative territory of fine watchmaking. 

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Placed at the very heart of its eponymous Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon limited edition, this imaginary character both subverts and humanises Haute Horlogerie, pushing the limits of the craft.

INSPIRED BY KAWS’ AESTHETICS

The 43 mm Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “COMPANION” incorporates KAWS’ aesthetic on both sides of the watch. 

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In a tribute to the artist’s early “ad intervention” work, KAWS’ COMPANION appears beneath the watch’s sapphire crystal, its face and hands seemingly touching the inner surface of the glass, curiously peering out to see what lies beyond.

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This miniature 3D character in contrasting shades of light and dark grey is entirely made of titanium and is mounted on the titanium dial plate decorated with a sunburst motif. 

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Its alternating satin-brushed and sandblasted finishes add texture and depth, while accentuating its rounded silhouette. Its skull-shaped head, X-shaped eyes, gloves and crossbones make it instantly recognisable. The X eyes have been cut into the titanium component and filled with a thin layer of grey lacquer.

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Lastly, in a nod to KAWS’ dissected series, the chest of the COMPANION reveals its beating heart, the watch’s tourbillon, blurring the line between the character and the movement.

PUTTING TIME TO THE SIDE

To ensure an unobstructed view of the miniature COMPANION on the dial side, Audemars Piguet has literally pushed time to the side by using a peripheral time display that offers new aesthetic possibilities for both movement and dial designs.

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The hour and minute hands rotate around the periphery of the movement and dial, thanks to two visible, superimposed gear wheels driven by pinions and guided by rollers. 

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The titanium hour and minute hands, both filled with luminescent material that turns blue in the dark, are fixed to their respective peripheral wheel. In addition, the minute hand is openworked to distinguish it from the hour hand and facilitate the reading of time. 

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The five-minute graduations, carved into the titanium inner bezel, also glow blue in dim light.

A LATEST-GENERATION TOURBILLON MOVEMENT

This limited edition is powered by the new hand-wound peripheral hour and minute movement, Calibre 2979, which gives pride of place to the tourbillon on the dial side at 6 o’clock. 

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This delicate, high-end complication reduces the effects of gravity on the watch’s accuracy. The balance wheel and escapement are housed in a tiny rotating cage that completes a revolution every minute to prevent their centre of gravity from staying in the same orientation.

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The sapphire caseback showcases the movement’s black-PVD titanium bridges, whose padded aesthetic is inspired by KAWS’ cast of characters. The gear train bridge opens onto the ratchet wheel, which arms the barrel-arbour when the watch is wound, and which has been crossed out to reproduce KAWS’ emblematic X. 

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The click that prevents it from turning in the unwinding direction is also visible at 12 o’clock. The bridges’ blackened aesthetic is contrasted by the mention of “Swiss,” “39 jewels” and the “Audemars Piguet” signature, all engraved by laser and filled with white lacquer.  

"SEEK BEYOND."

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
 

Model  Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “COMPANION” / 43 mm Titanium

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Ref. 26656TI.GG.D019VE.01
🔰Limited edition of 250 pieces

MOVEMENT SPECIFICATIONS
Hand-wound Calibre 2979
Total diameter
32.3 mm (14 ¼ lignes)
Total thickness 10.4 mm
Number of parts 332
Number of jewels 39
Minimum power reserve guaranteed 72 h
Frequency of balance wheel 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)
FUNCTIONS
Tourbillon, peripheral hours and minutes.
CASE
Sandblasted titanium case, black ceramic crown with titanium chip,
double glareproofed sapphire crystal,
sapphire caseback, water-resistance to 100 m.
Case thickness: 17.4 mm
DIAL
Sunburst titanium dial plate with miniature titanium KAWS’ COMPANION
in shades of grey, sandblasted light grey titanium inner bezel, peripheral
titanium hands and hour-markers with luminescent material glowing blue in the dark.
STRAP
Interchangeable light grey calfskin leather strap with textile effect, titanium triple-blade AP folding clasp.
Second interchangeable slate grey calfskin leather strap with textile effect.

🔰Edition ✅ ❱❱❱ 250 pieces
🔴 Price on Request 💰 

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Press Release - 2024
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Audemars Piguet (Marketing) SA
Route de France 16 - Case postale 16
1348 Le Brassus - Switzerland
Phone : + 41 21 642 39 00
Fax : + 41 21 642 34 02
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AUDEMARS PIGUET – ROYAL OAK Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date Carbon

 

AUDEMARS PIGUET – ROYAL OAK Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date Electric Blue 43mm Carbon - 2024

A NEW FORGED CARBON MAKES
ITS DEBUT IN THE ROYAL OAK
CONCEPT COLLECTION

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Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is pleased to unveil a new 43 mm Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date model, premiering the use of a brand-new coloured forged carbon. 

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Created in Audemars Piguet’s R&D workshops using the Chroma Forged Technology (CFT), this innovative deep black material offers a new aesthetic with subtle touches of colour. 

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This non-porous CFT carbon also provides unprecedented resistance to humidity, heat and shocks. The ultra-light forged carbon case middle of this new Royal Oak Concept, which features blue luminescent pigments, is complemented by a black ceramic bezel, crown, push-pieces and caseback. 

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The two-tone timepiece is enhanced by a dark architectural dial with electric blue accents. Combining watchmaking complexity with ultra-contemporary design, this timepiece embodies the constant quest for innovation that has driven the Le Brassus Manufacture since its inception. 

A HIGH-TECH MATERIAL

After an absence of eight years at Audemars Piguet, forged carbon is making its grand return in the new Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date model.

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Unlike previous generations of carbon, Audemars Piguet’s Chroma Forged Technology (CFT) makes it possible to colour the carbon fibres directly instead of the resin and arrange them as desired in the component produced, opening up new creative possibilities. Its lower resin content compared to traditional forged carbon makes it less susceptible to scratches.

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The manufacturing process involves numerous steps and great expertise. The carbon fibres are first cut into small pieces and coloured with pigments. A multitude of colours is possible, allowing for a wide range of creative developments. The coloured carbon pieces are then manually placed in a mould according to the intended design and completed with resin. 

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This process is repeated to build several layers like a mille-feuille pastry. The content of the mould is then compressed to obtain a block free of air bubbles. Finally, the mixture is placed in an autoclave to be cured under pressure for about ten hours to reveal the properties of the resin and produce a carbon block that is then machined for six to eight hours to create the final component.

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“Audemars Piguet was the first brand to introduce forged carbon to watchmaking in 2007. After five vears of research and development, we are proud to present a brand-new generation of forged carbon, which can be coloured while retaining its excellent mechanical properties.”
Lucas Raggi,
Research and Development Director, Audemars Piguet

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As the blending stages are carried out by hand, each case middle produced has a slightly different motif, making it a unique piece that seamlessly combines cutting-edge technology and the expertise of the Le Brassus artisans.  

A FUTURISTIC AESTHETIC  

The new 43 mm Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date model combines watchmaking complexity, innovative materials, ergonomics and bold aesthetic in a two-tone design pairing the dark tones of the openworked dial with electric blue touches for a trendy look.

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The ultra-light CFT carbon case middle, adorned with blue glow-in-the-dark fibres to enhance the watch’s playful aesthetic, is complemented by a black ceramic bezel decorated with satin-brushing and polishing. These meticulous finishes are also visible on the black ceramic crown, caseback and push-pieces. The case and crown are slightly curved to follow the natural shape of the wrist. The push-piece guards at 2, 4 and 9 o’clock are contrastingly honed in titanium in an echo to some of the lighter components of the openworked dial.

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Conceived like the bridge of a movement, the openworked dial is the result of very precise machining. Circular apertures have been cut into a single sandblasted nickel silver plate, finished with black PVD and decorated with diamond-polished rhodium-toned bevels, to reveal part of the micro-mechanics ticking within.  The two-tone design adds depth and play of light to this edgy timepiece, which is further emphasised by the absence of a logo on the dial. In keeping with the blue highlights of the case middle, the inner bezel and the external zones of the three counters are finished in an electric blue hue, which contrasts with the grey and black tones of the movement while enhancing legibility.

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The futuristic look is accentuated by white gold hour-markers and hands, which, like the hands on the counters, are filled with luminescent material that appears white during the day but turns blue in the dark. Lastly, the tachymeter scale on the inner bezel and the gradations on the counters are transferred in white for optimum readability.

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The timepiece is mounted on a blue rubber strap with black accents for a sporty touch. Fitted with the interchangeability system introduced in the 43 mm Royal Oak Concept collection in 2023, the watch also comes with a second black and blue rubber strap.

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“This new CFT carbon is testament (o our teams’ expertise and to the endless quest for innovation that has driven Audemars Piguet since its inception in 1875. It also opens up new creative horizons, promising many surprises for Haute Horlogerie enthusiasts in the years to come.”
llaria Resta,
Chief Executive Officer, Audemars Piguet

HIGH-TECH MOVEMENT EASY TO USE

This timepiece houses the selfwinding Calibre 4407, a feat of mechanical and industrial engineering that combines flyback chronograph, split-seconds, GMT and a large date. Launched in 2023, it is based on the Manufacture’s latest-generation integrated flyback chronograph, Calibre 4401, released in 2019 in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection. Despite its horological complexity, this movement has been designed to marry ergonomics and simplicity of use.

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Unlike a regular chronograph, the flyback function allows the wearer to reset and restart the chronograph without having to stop it first. The column wheel works with a vertical clutch system. When starting or stopping the chronograph, the hands respond accordingly without any hint of jumping. Furthermore, a patented zero resetting mechanism ensures that both chronograph and split-seconds hands instantaneously reset to zero. 

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 The split-seconds mechanism enables to measure intermediate time intervals thanks to the addition of a split-seconds hand that can be stopped independently of the chronograph hand when the dedicated pusher is activated. When the latter is pressed again, it catches up to the running hand to continue their journey together around the dial, in perfect synchrony. The action can be repeated at will. Located at 9 o’clock, the push-piece subtly nods to the Royal Oak Concept Laptimer (2015) – the first mechanical watch capable of measuring consecutive lap times on the racetrack developed in collaboration with Michael Schumacher. To reduce the movement’s height, the split-seconds mechanism has been integrated within the thickness of the semi-peripheral rotor’s ball bearing and is now visible through the sapphire caseback like in pocket watches and hand-wound wristwatches. Usually hidden from view in selfwinding watches, the split-seconds wheel and two actuating clamps can be admired at the centre of the platinum oscillating weight, under the X-shaped bridge holding the mechanism in place.

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  The timepiece also has a GMT function. The day/night display located at 3 o’clock shows the time in a second time zone. It is adjusted using the crown’s coaxial push-piece at 3 o’clock (one press advances the time by one hour). The GMT system is based on a disc and a hand that rotate at different speeds: the hour hand completes one revolution in 12 hours, while the day/night disc makes a full rotation in 24 hours. Two coloured surfaces facilitate reading: white for daytime and black for night time. Lastly, the large date at 12 o’clock enhances legibility with its digital look, while providing perfect symmetry with the small seconds counter at 6 o’clock. 

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Equipped with ultra-contemporary functions and a non-magnetic balance spring with Breguet overcoil, the Calibre 4407 upholds fine watchmaking tradition with its elegant Haute Horlogerie decorations, including sandblasting, circular satin, circular graining and polished chamfers, all visible through the sapphire caseback.

A PIONEER IN THE FIELD OF CARBON

For half a century, the Swiss watch industry has explored a wide range of materials, including titanium, plastics, ceramics, wood and rubber. Audemars Piguet has been at the forefront of this quest, ennobling steel in 1972, and introducing tantalum in 1988, alacrite in 2002, forged carbon in 2007, cermet in 2010 and the first form of precious BMG in 2021. 

Used in watchmaking since 1998, the first version of carbon, borrowed from the automotive industry, resembles fabric. Long fibres are woven together to form a highly resistant surface. Audemars Piguet first used this technique in 2004 to cover the bezel of the Royal Oak Offshore Juan Pablo Montoya (26030RO).

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In 2007, the Manufacture introduced forged carbon to the watchmaking world, a material previously used for helicopter rotor blades. Forged carbon differs from conventional carbon in that shorter strands of carbon are randomly placed in the resin, giving optimum torsional strength in all directions. This material was first used by Audemars Piguet in the 44 mm Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Chronograph (26062FS), dedicated to the Swiss sailing team. 

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Following the success of this 1,300-piece watch, numerous forged carbon models were created, including the Millenary Carbon One (26152AU), which weighed just 70 grammes thanks to its forged carbon and titanium case, launched in 2009 in a limited edition of 120 pieces. The following year, the Royal Oak Offshore collection brought forged carbon to the fore with the Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix (26290IO). Inspired by motor racing circuits, this 44 mm Selfwinding Chronograph sported a case combining forged carbon, titanium and ceramic, bringing together many of the Manufacture’s skills.

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In 2015, Audemars Piguet unveiled the Royal Oak Concept Laptimer (26221FT) in collaboration with racing driver champion Michael Schumacher. This revolutionary chronograph, which was the first mechanical watch to introduce the Laptimer function for measuring consecutive laps on the racetrack, was housed in a 44 mm case, combining forged carbon, titanium, ceramic and pink gold.

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Forged carbon made its last appearance at Audemars Piguet in 2016 on the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph QE Il Cup (26406FR). Today, the Manufacture introduces a new high-tech CFT carbon, whose resistance and creative possibilities open up new horizons for years to come.

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“2024 marks a historic milestone for Audemars Piguet in the field of materials thanks to its introduction of a new technology that allows the creation of polychrome ceramics and golds, as well as a new generation of forged carbon that is entirely free of porosity.”
Sébastian Vivas,
Museum and Heritage Director, Audemars Piguet

“Seek Beyond.”

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
 

Model: Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date / 43mm

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Reference: 26650FO.OO.D353CA.011

MOVEMENT SPECIFICATIONS
Selfwinding Calibre 4407
Total diameter  32 mm (14 lignes)
Movement thickness  8.92 mm
Number of jewels  73
Number of parts  638
Minimum guaranteed power reserve  70h
Frequency of balance wheel 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour) 

 

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FUNCTIONS
Flyback chronograph, split-seconds chronograph, GMT 24h, hours, minutes, small seconds and
large date.
CASE
Diameter 43 mm 
Case thickness: 17.4 mm
CFT Carbon case, black ceramic bezel, crown, pushpieces and caseback, glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback, water-resistant to 50 m.
DIAL
Openworked dial
Black counters with blue external zone, white gold hour-markers and hands with luminescent coating, titanium chonograph and split-second hands, blue inner bezel.
STRAP
Blue and black rubber strap with titanium AP folding clasp and interchangeable strap system.
Additional black and blue rubber strap.

🔴 Price: 184'000 USD / 170, 000 CHF 💰

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Press Release - 2024
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Audemars Piguet (Marketing) SA
Route de France 16 - Case postale 16
1348 Le Brassus - Switzerland
Phone : + 41 21 642 39 00
Fax : + 41 21 642 34 02
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