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Audemars Piguet And Marvel Reveal Brand New RO Concept Tourbillon "Spider-Man" Watch

‘With great power comes great responsibility’. As a closing line from the 1962 Spider-Man comic book, entitled ‘Amazing Fantasy #15’, Marvel won the hearts of little boys, girls (and adults) all across the globe. Isn’t it exceptionally fitting that the line works perfectly for Audemars Piguet?

Founded in 1875, the brand has the longevity, and size to highly influence the course of horology. May we say, Timelords… they most certainly have executed this perfectly! The impact the brand has can be traced from their inception onwards.

I mean, did you know AP created the exceptionally thin automatic tourbillon wristwatch named the calibre 2870 in 1986. They then promptly led the charge for carbon materials in 2007 by developing the first watches which utilised carbon as seen in the Royal Oak Carbon Concept. Last, but certainly not least, they released the world's thinnest automatic perpetual calendar in 2019, named the Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. But let’s take a breather here for just a second!

The brand also knows how to let loose a little with their timekeeping craftsmanship to get the artistic juices flowing. Without exposing too much right now, this isn't the brand's first rodeo on the Marvel bull! Join Chrono Hunter as we report on the latest goings on with the unifying forces of Audemars Piguet and Marvel and their subsequent release…the Royal Oak ‘Spider-Man’ Concept Tourbillon Watch.

It’s about time we put in the call to Peter Parker.

The History of Marvel and Audemars Piguet

‘Everybody needs help sometimes, Audemars Piguet’. Admittedly, that isn't the real quote but the point still stands…

François-Henry Bennahmias and Don Cheadle - Source - South China Morning Post

The timekeeping brand and Marvel first spun a web of horological friendship in 2017 through a very delightful encounter between Chief Executive Officer of the horological brand, François-Henry Bennahmias and certifiable Marvel actor, Don Cheadle. And so the epic story began with these two giant universes colliding like Wayne Enterprises and Stark Industries. There’s really no loss on either side of this deal!

Upon the announcement of such an exciting unity in 2021, the watchmaking world waited with bated breath upon the first release from the brand. Initially, the unity sparked criticisms of the good name of the watch brand.

As part of the ‘Holy Trinity’ triumvirate alongside Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe, the horological brand is held to an extraordinarily high standard in every watch they produce. This venture gave critics a chance to say that they were ruining a beautiful past of eclectic watches, instead, choosing to fall on childish concepts in a vain attempt to expand from their majestic past.

Crafting 40,000 watches annually, the horological brand has very slim room to nail every watch they produce. The venture with Marvel represented a new dawn, especially one where Gen-Z are slowly influencing the horological marketplace. Screw the misery and the cost of living we say! In the words of the masked hero, ‘If you keep something as complicated as love stored up inside, it could make you sick’.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther”

Marvel and Audemars Piguet got to work straight away upon their initial union. 2021 spun around, bringing with it gorgeous “Black Panther” watches. Representing the first watch from the collab, the release ceremony saw stars like Serena Williams and boxer Anthony Joshua turning up to cast beady eyes over this masterpiece.

Black Panther - Source - Audemars Piguet

The case is crafted out of sandblasted titanium, giving a rugged edge for the hand painted Black Panther figure to jump out from. The figure is crafted from white gold and has undergone extensive construction techniques to achieve its sinewy frame. Blending both laser etching to garner the suit's texture to the hand sculpted hands and claws, the figure isn't just a tacky model! Limited to 250 pieces, you can buy an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther” Tourbillon for around £118,000.

Black Panther One-Off - Source - Audemars Piguet

Of course, in their typical fashion, they didn’t rest on their haunches. They released a one off version that same year with a few adaptations. The case was crafted out of white gold and the figurine now featured a few purple touches instead of an entirely black construction. Suffice to say, these few touches and incredible rarity, brought a hefty price tag of around £4.3 million at auction. The haters have gone awfully quiet over there…

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Man”

We are well on our way in 2023.

From the previous excitement of Watches and Wonders 2023, the horological world has died down a bit as we let the latest releases sink in. What a perfect time for the horological brand to drop a bombshell of a model on us in time for Pimms and Lemonade!

Technical Features of The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon ‘’Spider-Man”

They have released the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Man” and it’s everything we could’ve dreamed of…except for the masked hero being a real person of course!

Royal Oak Spider-Man - Source - Uncrate

The watch utilises a brand spanking new Calibre 2947 which takes its inspiration from the Calibre 2948. The movement is a hand-wound openworked beauty that's as skeletonised as Glob Herman from the X-Men or Skeletor from He-Man for you retro cartoon geeks.

But does AP have all the power? Through the timepiece brand keeping the watches as open as possible, the watch can achieve its goal of allowing Spider-Man to take front and centre stage. This attention to transparency sees the figure hovering in 3D as if drifting from skyscraper to skyscraper. This is of course offset against the sapphire crystal. How cool!

The movement powers a one-minute tourbillon with accompanying hours and minutes. Supplying a fantastic 72 hour power reserve and a fairly steady beat of 21,600VpH, the entire movement is blacked out and given a high quality finish, typical of the brand's watches. The Superhero can be left to look after your watches after you’ve towelled off from swimming in the Caribbean Ocean.

Construction of The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Man”

Now, who says the brand isn't the horological king of pop culture! Kinda like the Michael Jackson of watches dare we say…

Royal Oak Spider-Man - Source - Pandatells

But this one is far from bad. Measuring 42mm, the watches are crafted out of highly durable grade 5 titanium. Yes, it may be fairly sizable on the wrist. But what else can you expect from a watch which features a figure as iconic as Spidey! The titanium itself blends both micro-blasting and polished finishing to attain its rugged man glare.

It works extremely well with the blacked out ceramic bezel and crown. Of course, this is all just protection for the real beauty which hides within, including a stunning Spider-Man figure, decked out in red and blue.

In fact, the Superhero is so important to the piece that the figure on the dial alone took a hell of a lot of leg work, resulting in around 50 hours of work to create this centrepiece alone. The guys at Le Brassus are certainly earning their pay.

Crafted out of white gold, the figure follows the same design stylings as the Black Panther model. Laser engraving and artisanal hand painting swiftly follows, ensuring a consistent level of detail while allowing each piece to be unique in its own way. The level of detail and skeletonisation is so extreme that from the back of the watch, you can see the figures' feet hovering in midair. Enough to keep the most avid of enthusiasts on the edge of their seats.

Every kid dreams of being able to quickly fire a web and grab onto a wall, scaling it with consummate ease. However, while you still don't have that ability (yet), you can be sure that these watches grip onto your wrist effortlessly. Housing the innovative interchangeability system associated with Royal Oak Concept watches, the straps can be swapped out instantly, without any fuss.

Secured with a titanium buckle and equipped with a black and grey or black and red rubber strap, you can be sure that the entire timepiece blends beautifully together and is comfier and less awkward than a seat on This Morning’s sofa.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Black Suit Spider-Man”

Sure, Spider-Man once said that ‘What we believe we know may not be the truth’. We, however, knew time peeps that if there was another collab between the two industries, there would certainly be a one off on the horizon!

Black Suit Spider-Man - Source - DayFR Euro

As expected, our horological wishes came true! Following the same design codes as the one-off Black Panther timepiece, the watch is crafted out of white gold. Complemented with a sturdy black ceramic bezel, sides of the case feature luminescent ‘spider legs’, harking to the Superhero's emblem.

My Spidey senses are tingling already! Combine this with a finely engraved, lasering finish on the remainder of the case and the watch wouldnt look out of place on the Superhero's wrist…or yours for that matter. Why not pair it with a black leather jacket for that edgy look or make it the centre of attention with a white suit shirt. Remember to roll those sleeves up!

The same design construction of the figure on the dial within the 250 limited-edition Spider-Man model is repeated with this one-off variant, except with the obvious change of suit. So, why is he wearing a black Spiderman suit you may ask? As I’m sure you Marvel nerds will already know, it relates to an outfit the character wore in a few comics back in the 80s. The outfit was infrequently worn, making this model even more desirable and mysterious.

The timepiece comes with a blacked out rubber strap and a black calfskin leather strap with white stitching. The seamlessness of the model is therefore ensured throughout, allowing you to pair it with a similarly blacked out jeans and jumper outfit when out of the town.

How Much Can You Buy A New Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Man” For?

Ah, now we reach the $64,000 dollar question, Timelords. Well, it'll set you back just a tad more than that.

Royal Oak Spider-Man - Source - Hollywood Reporter

While the brand's website says that you should request a price if you are looking to buy an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept “Spider-Man” Tourbillon, there are estimates that it costs around £175,000 at retail at the time of writing.

As we mentioned previously, great power does come with great responsibility. This is why, just like with the one-off Black Panther edition, the horological brand has donated $8.5 million, or £5 million to the British readers, for the one off piece as well as two other lots which were auctioned off. The total figure has been sent to two specific charities, First Book and Ashoka;

“For this second collaboration with Marvel, we want to pay tribute to Spider-Man, one of the most popular SuperHeroes in the Marvel universe, who is aware that with great power comes great responsibility…And, 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; they are our real-life heroes.” declared François-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet.

It just goes to show that not all heroes wear capes!

Other Marvel Watches

Marvel doesn't just rest with Audemars Piguet. In fact, there has been an eclectic list of top grade watch brands, joining forces (or without prior written agreement) to release a string of phenomenal watches with Marvel nicknames!

Rolex Submariner 116610LV “Hulk”

I have a feeling that some of you guys knew that this Marvel watch would make an appearance!

Rolex Submariner 116610LV

Also known as The Rolex Submariner 116610LV, the “Hulk” reference comes from the Rolex community rather than the brand themselves. You see, the bezel and the dial of the timepiece are extremely green! This colour reference instantly conjures up images of the green Marvel superhero with massive fists and catchy sayings like ‘Hulk Smash!’

Rolex GMT-Master II 116710 BLNR ”Batman”

The Rolex GMT-Master II 116710 BLNR similarly gets its nickname from the Rolex community, not out of a Marvel and Rolex collab.

Rolex GMT-Master II

Originally launched in 2013, the timepiece was discontinued in 2019 and fits the bill for your usual Rolex GMT timepiece. So, why is it called “Batman”? Negating the dials colour, it is due to the duo-coloured bezel which is blue and black, the same colours which Marvel Superhero Batman is famed for. Maybe I’ll start calling it “Bruce Wayne” instead… that's if he is really Batman?

What’s Our View?

So you want to hear our final thoughts on the new Royal Oak Concept “Spider-Man” Tourbillon? Here we go. It seems people forget that the brand is counter culture by their very nature.

When the Royal Oak was released in 1972, it was heavily criticised due to its highly unorthodox design and expensive price tag, around ten times the price of a Rolex Submariner at that time. Its prominent screws and gaskets, not to mention the integrated bracelet have had opinions turn faster than The Flash.

The Concept collection, released in 2002 offers a safe haven for the brand to experiment in. As such, we have seen a host of stunning releases like the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon GMT. Need we mention the collaboration pieces with Jay-Z and LeBron James? The brand does love a timekeeping challenge and for a brand that's conquered most of the horological kingdom, can we really blame them for having a little fun?

The Marvel influenced Royal Oak Concept “Spider-Man” is a collection of unique watches that accentuates their vision for fun and dynamic watches. It’s crafted with the same exceptional quality and technical precision as its predecessors while adhering closely to the Royal Oak design codes of eight hex screws around the octagonal shaped bezel.

While we wouldn't recommend wearing this to your promotion meeting at work, we can picture it on chilled out days meeting friends in your local hot spot, a relaxed dinner soiree or sipping Hennessy on your private yacht. It’s really time to express your personality, Timelords!

The watch has the potential to be very valuable due to its rarity of 250 pieces and its highly unorthodox, yet intricately detailed pop culture reference of Spider-Man. It also happens to be crafted like a beast and runs with the typical charm of any of the brands watches. That’s enough Spider-Man talk for one day. Where’s Peter Parker with that pizza!

Conclusion

While we feel there may be more contention over this model than deciding which actor gave the best rendition of Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire, anyone?), we can all agree that the level of detail and time that's gone into these 250 limited edition watches is dare I say marvellous! If we do a little bit of maths here, 50 hours of work per figurine means in total, 12,500 hours have gone on just the figurines alone regarding the 250 watches alone.

The lines between horology and other creative concepts are becoming increasingly blurred, resulting in an amalgamation of high quality watches and funky ideas. Need we cast your mind to The Oris Kermit at this year's Watches and Wonders 2023, or the vibrant jigsaw dial Day-Date from Rolex? We want more!

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