Following the success of the Black Panther Flying Tourbillion, Audemars Piguet has come up with the limited-edition Royal Oak Concept Tourbillion Spider-Man. This reflects Haute Horlogerie’s forward-think approach to heritage watchmaking craft.
In collaboration with Marvel, the Swiss watchmaker utilized horological innovation to pay homage to the friendly neighborhood hero. The timepiece is limited to only 250 units. The Royal Oak Concept Tourbillion Spider-Man comes ahead of the June 2 release of the animated feature Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. The 42mm Tourbillion watch features an open-worked design that showcases a three-dimensional-looking Spider-Man made in hand-painted white gold on the dial. It bridges haute horology and pop culture. This limited-edition timepiece is priced at around $125,000.
Francois-Henry Bennahmias, CEO Audemars Piguet, in a statement, said they are paying tribute to Spider-Man in the second collaboration with Marvel. “To mark the occasion, we are pleased to reiterate our commitment to First Book and Ashoka’s work to empower young people to become agents of change.” He said the timepiece is based on the Calibre 2948. The new hand-wound Calibre 2974 achieves a level of transparency that allows Spider-Man’s character to appear in a three-dimensional form as if suspended in the void through the sapphire crystal.
The statement highlights that the many details on Spider-Man’s suit are laser-engraved to obtain the differences in texture that give it its textile appearance before being finished by hand by a single artisan. This makes the timepiece unique. Hand painting gives the character his recognizable two-tone aesthetic (contrasting mat red and metallic blue).
The new Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Man” required to eliminate as much material as possible allowing the Super Hero to shine in the light of day.
Ref. 26631IO.OO.D002CA.01
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— Audemars Piguet (@AudemarsPiguet) June 2, 2023
There is also the unique Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Black Suit Spider-Man”. This is described as a one-of-a-kind timepiece that comes in a white gold case complemented with a black ceramic bezel. The case flanks are decorated with a laser-engraved spider leg motif, filled with luminescent hybrid ceramic. The case is finely engraved by laser once more to create the effect of a spider’s web in the background. On this timepiece, Spider-Man appears on the dial in a black suit.
Marvel says the lesser-known representation of the character makes the piece unique and more mysterious, as does the luminescent material, which glows green in the dark, seen on the hands, hour-markers, and part of the character.
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