Swiss fine watchmaking manufacturer Audemars Piguet is pleased to introduce its new Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Man†model, the second iteration of its collaboration with Marvel that began in 2021. This 250-piece limited edition features a fascinating openwork movement with a 3D silhouette of the superhero. For the launch event in Dubai, a unique piece was auctioned off among two other lots to benefit First Book and Ashoka, two non-profit organizations that work to encourage young people to become change agents.
Royal Oak Concept’s new limited edition “Spider-Man” and one-of-a-kind piece were revealed during an event held at the tallest tower of the Central Park Tower in Dubai. With a cocktail created by 3-Michelin star chef Björn Frantzén, an impressive performance by free climber Alexis Landot and an exclusive DJ-set by Heron Preston, the evening was attended by only a select few but the auction was followed live in several AP Houses worldwide.
The funds raised, a total of USD 8.5 million (USD 6.2 for the unique piece), will allow Audemars Piguet to continue supporting the educational program that it launched with First Book and Ashoka two years ago in the United States. Titled “Time For Change: Dream, Act, Change Our World,†this joint program is designed to advance educational equity through the power of change by providing educators and caregivers with tools to inspire and empower youth from historically excluded communities and low income. become agents of change. The program now plans to expand internationally to Brazil, the UK, Nigeria, Canada and Indonesia, to further this global movement.
In April 2021, Audemars Piguet had already raised funds for this project through the auction of the one-piece Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther†Flying Tourbillon, which supported a first group of 25,000 educators and approximately 750,000 young Americans ages 5 to 18, marking the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Audemars Piguet, First Book and Ashoka. Thanks to this first auction, more than 50,000 books related to creating change have been distributed, while educators have benefited from practical and actionable tools to raise awareness about the power of creating change. Today, this collaboration makes even more sense with this Spider-Man-inspired piece, which embodies the saying: “With great power must also come great responsibility.”
Housed in a 42mm titanium case contrasting with a black ceramic bezel and crown, the openwork movement of the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Manâ€, caliber 2974, reveals the superhero in his iconic red and blue suit. This 250-piece limited edition is accompanied by a one-off piece featuring Spider-Man donning a black suit, referencing his appearance from select previous comics, such as “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
Combining ancient watchmaking know-how and the latest technology, the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Black Suit Spider-Man†features a white gold case that has been decorated with a spider leg motif. The case is first laser-engraved to create the spider legs, which are then filled with luminescent hybrid ceramic. It is then finely polished and laser etched once more to form a spider web in the background. The case is paired with a black ceramic bezel and a black ceramic sapphire caseback inscribed “Royal Oak Concept Unique Piece” in white.
The new Caliber 2974, based on the manually wound Caliber 2948, required all the expertise of Audemars Piguet engineers, watchmakers and craftsmen to bring this level of fretwork to life. By minimizing the architecture of the movement, they have achieved a level of transparency that allows Spider-Man to appear suspended in midair through the sapphire crystal. The character’s silhouette and volume were first cut out of a block of white gold using a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine. Next, the Superhero’s costume was laser engraved to capture the differences in texture giving it a textile effect.
After this step, the touch-ups and finishes related to the engraving were meticulously carried out by hand by a single craftsman, making each piece unique. The superhero was then painted by hand. During this step, the artisan emphasized shadows and contrasts to give the character even more perspective. The Superhero was created in three dimensions and spans the entire thickness of the watch. In total, it took around 50 hours to complete the character.
