After quietly releasing a new 34mm white ceramic timepiece last month, Audemars Piguet has recruited Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 1017 ALYX 9SM for a series of collaborative Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore watches. Merging the timekeeper’s signature codes with the innovative fashion label’s technical language, the selection utilizes high-quality materials to produce label-blending creations that adhere to a holistic sustainable approach.
“A collaboration like this allows for me to explore and extend my knowledge to another area of excellence,” said Matthew Williams, designer and founder of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 1017 ALYX 9SM .
Bridging fashion and haute horlogerie, Williams and Audemars Piguet took a minimalist approach to design, reducing the gold dials in each model to spotlight their vertical satin finishes. The collection includes timepieces ranging from 37 to 42 mm in diameter, with adaptability for all wrist types.
The two Royal Oak timepieces are composed entirely of 18-carat yellow gold. The 37mm self-winding model counts the hours, seconds and minutes with yellow-gold hands, while its hour markers and date aperture have been removed for simplicity. The 41 mm Royal Oak takes the pared-back aesthetic even further, erasing the chronograph counters and keeping only the hands to circulate around three, six and nine o’clock.
Meanwhile, the Royal Oak Offshore watches stick to the status quo, eliminating many of the dial’s usual information features and leaving just the bare minimum to tell the time. Two models are available in the customer’s choice of 18-carat white or yellow gold, both of which are equipped with an interchangeable strap system.
Across the board, the 37 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding models operate with Calibre 5909; the 41 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding model is powered by Calibre 4409, and the Royal Oak Offshore models utilize Calibre 4404.
Audemars Piguet is a watchmaker that needs little introduction, and just yesterday, AP introduced four new Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore references in collaboration with designer Matthew Williams of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 1017 ALYX 9SM . Alongside them is a unique Royal Oak to be auctioned for charity. These new Royal Oak and RO Offshore models offer a unique aesthetic in both yellow and white gold. And while I’ll never be able to own one, I find them pretty exciting.
Introducing so many new references in the Royal Oak line is headline enough, but in addition, Audemars Piguet is collaborating with the fashion brand Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 1017 ALYX 9SM with input from Matthew Williams, the fashion brand’s designer and founder. For those who want to know, the name “Alyx” is that of Matthew Williams’ daughter. The number “1017” is a reference to his birthday, October 17th, and “9SM” is an abbreviation of the brand’s founding studio address in Saint Mark’s Place, New York City. Now that we have got a translation of the name, let’s take a look at the watches.