News 
The watchmaker continues to explore new creative territories, drawing inspiration from and engaging with the wider cultural world. Its latest 43mm limited edition Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon, designed in collaboration with Kaws, brings the subversive nature of the collection to the fore. The futuristic design of this 250-piece limited edition, 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.
This creation incorporates Kaws’ aesthetic on both sides of the watch. In a tribute to the artist’s early “ad intervention” work, the little character 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.
This miniature 3D “Companion” 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. 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. 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.
To ensure an unobstructed view of the miniature character 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. The hours and minutes hands rotate around the periphery of the movement and dial, thanks to two visible, superimposed gear wheels driven by pinions and guided by rollers. The titanium hands, both filled with luminescent material that turns blue in the dark, are fixed to their respective peripheral wheel. In addition, the minutes hand is openworked to distinguish it from the hours hand and facilitate the reading of time. The five-minute graduations, carved into the titanium inner bezel, also glow blue in dim light.
December 12, 2024