Audemars Piguet Launches This £3.78 Million ‘Black Panther’ Royal Oak Concept Watch!
In March, Audemars Piguet announced its collaboration with Marvel Entertainment in a live auction. This partnership is meant to benefit the non-profit organisations ‘Ashoka’ and ‘First Book’ that work to improve low-income communities’ lives by providing education.
However, soon after AP declared its partnership with Marvel, people started to speculate. Supposedly, the brand would create a new concept watch with thematic dial colours. And the answer is out.
AP released a new ‘Black Panther’ Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon. And keep note that this timepiece is not like any other Audemars Piguet watches. Please continue reading to dig into the unique Audemars Piguet watch’s details representing its partnership with Marvel Entertainment.
The New Royal Oak Concept’ Black Panther’
You can describe the Audemars Piguet’ Black Panther’ Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon as a ‘character’ superhero watch. AP offered the timepiece in a 42mm titanium case and a purple strap. However, what captures the full attention is the dial that features a sculptural Black Panther. It is made from white gold and placed on a hammering tourbillon.
The watchmaker has precisely and painstakingly designed the Black Panther sculpture that displays his muscles’ contours, his claws’ sharpness, and his suit’s texture. Moreover, the pupils of his eyes are also clearly visible.
Only one artisan is behind all these details, incorporating the laser-cut form of Black Panther and hand-engraved it. Furthermore, the craftsman stained the metal, added lighting effects and exposed its three-dimensional effect.
The entire process took nearly 30hours, and Audemars Piguet hired eight artisans to make these figures. The new Royal Oak’ Black Panther’ will be available in a limited number of 250pieces. Now, let’s take a look at the complex engineering behind the dial.
The Audemars Piguet’ Black Panther’ Royal Oak houses the Calibre 2965 movement that offers a power reserve of 72hours. If you flip over the timepiece, you can view the titanium and PVD-coated glory of the mechanism through its exhibition case-back.
Generally, it is pretty hard to outshine a timepiece like this new AP Black Panther. However, the watchmaker also produced one version offering a white gold case with Wakanda-inspired symbols engraved. The Black Panther sculpture on the dial is highlighted with a purple hue.
Interestingly, at the launch event, Audemars Piguet auctioned the watch to donate the selling amount to charity. And to everyone’s surprise, the timepiece hammered a record-breaking price of £3.78 Million. The new Royal Oak’ Black Panther’ is the first Audemars Piguet timepiece to sell for such a staggering price.
The Genre of ‘Character Watches’
Watch enthusiasts are well-familiar with ‘Character Watches’ in high-end watchmaking. For example, the famous Gerald Genta, who designed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, released a collection of Disney-themed timepieces in 1984. They had price tags of about £7,251.
However, the new Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak’ Black Panther’ Flyting Tourbillon is unique and stands out of all others in the brand’s catalogue. Soon after its release, the watch sparked debate, and the Maison has undoubtedly expected it.
Whether or not you would purchase the model depends on your taste. However, the AP’s Black Panther is undeniable equivalent to some of the rarest Patek Philippe watches ever auctioned.
Nonetheless, a more significant question that many people are also enthusiast to know is why Audemars Piguet collaborated with Marvel.
A Senior Research Analyst in luxury items globally at wealth Management Company in Bernstein, Luca Solca, made a clear-cut assessment. According to her, Audemars Piguet has taken an intelligent move by collaborating with Marvel Entertainment. The release of the new ‘Black Panther’ watch’s made it clear that the market has an extremely high demand for limited editions and unique assets.
However, less formal and unconventional silhouettes have more demand. Like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, Audemars Piguet recognises this trend and heading its creations towards it. In this way, the watchmaker captures collectors’ attention that is evident from the amount of debate AP’s strategy has encouraged.
Well, after the spectacular launch event on Sunday, you can anticipate seeing a lot more superhero watches that pay homage to Audemars Piguet’s partnership with Marvel. So what character you want to see next?
The CEO of Audemars Piguet, Francois-Henry Bennahmias, asserted that they are incredibly delighted to honour Marvel’s heroes. With the creation of the Royal Oak Black Panther, Audemars Piguet strengthens its association with Marvel and its connection with the entertainment industry.
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