There is no shortage of celebrity watch collectors, with a surplus of covetable wrist candy spotted on musicians, actors, and athletes alike. However, while many celebrities possess the financial means to collate an impressive watch collection, few are regarded as true purveyors of horological taste. One such member of this niche tranche is John Mayer, who has risen to almost mythical status among the watch community in the decade since the release of his first Talking Watches appearance on Hodinkee.
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Now, the seven-time Grammy award-winning singer and avid watch collector—who once proclaimed “I clean up dog poop wearing a Patek”—has created an exclusive piece in collaboration with Audemars Piguet. This isn’t the first time Mayer has stepped into the role of watch designer, having lent his vision to a trio of G-Shock collaborations released in partnership with Hodinkee. However this piece undeniably carries the most horological weight.
Released in tandem with the announcement of his appointment as ‘creative conduit’ at the lauded Swiss manufacture, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar ‘John Mayer’ sees the classic horological complication bestowed with a contemporary design language. Equipped with the manufacture’s in-house self-winding calibre 5134, the timepiece is crafted from white gold, with the 41mm case housing a striking ‘crystal sky’ dial.
The gemstone-like effect was the result of Mayer working hand-in-hand with the Audemars Piguet design teams and artisans, the latter of whom finished a brass dial plate with a new scintillating embossed pattern comprising irregular shapes resembling crystals, with their sharp angles and facets adding textural interest and luminescence to the piece. To achieve the singular effect, the stamping die was created atom by atom through a metal deposition process known as electroforming. The new motif uses Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) in a shade of deep blue, with the process enhancing the depth of the pattern while maximising the refraction of light.
“My favourite watches have dials that you can stare endlessly at,” said Mayer. “A great watch dial feels like a picture window — you look into it, not at it. In the case of this QP, it’s like looking up at a moonless sky. There is a true sense of nature in it. And when you couple that sense of depth and vastness with the complication of a perpetual calendar, it is a very powerful combination of technical prowess and aesthetic design.”
Atop the textured dial sit four snailled subdials that display the day at 9 o’clock, month and leap year at 12 o’clock, date at 3 o’clock, and moonphase at 6 o’clock. The weeks of the year appear in white on the blue rehaut that encircles the dial. The hour markers and hands are crafted from white gold and clad in luminescent material, allowing for visibility under all lighting conditions.
While the timepiece is unmistakably distinct to the untrained eye, there are also several subtle details only visible upon closer inspection. On contemporary Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar models, the ‘31’ on the date subdial is typically printed in red — here, Mayer has eschewed the usual hue in favour of white, resulting in a more seamless two tone aesthetic. Instead, the numerals of the ‘31’ are smaller in size and arranged in a stepped fashion to distinguish them from the adjacent ‘1’. The day-of-the-week indicator is finished in a light blue shade, allowing it to blend into the dial when not in use. Additionally, the ‘Swiss Made’ inscription is printed in white at the bottom of the moonphase subdial rather than at the outer edge of the dial, again resulting in a more harmonious visual effect.
The exhibition caseback reveals the calibre 5134 (which has a 40 hour power reserve), with the words ‘Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel’ and ‘Limited Edition of 200 Pieces’ engraved on the white gold frame around it.
The limited-edition timepiece is the first designed by Mayer in his new role as creative conduit for Audemars Piguet. The release follows collaborations with artist Travis Scott (and his brand Cactus Jack) and fashion designer Matthew Williams (ALYX 9SM founder and former Givenchy creative director), signalling the Swiss manufacture’s intent to directly increase its cultural presence.
“John’s love of complicated watches combined with his creativity made this an organic and fun collaboration,” noted Ilaria Resta, CEO of Audemars Piguet. “He wholeheartedly delved into the intricate design details of the dial, so there is a moment of discovery each time the watch is worn, which gives us a glimpse of infinity.”
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar ‘John Mayer’ is limited to 200 pieces and is priced at $150,000CHF (approx. $258,300AUD).
Enjoyed this article? Check out our Ultimate Guide To Watches here; covering everything from the types of watch movements to watch styles and complications.
Words by T. Angel
