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The announcement of a new Audemars Piguet is always an event, whether you're Jay-Z or just your average watch daydreamer. Which is why there was considerable suspense at the AP Social Club in Milan this week, where new CEO Ilaria Resta took to the stage to introduce this year’s assortment of future grails.
The common thread throughout AP's 2024 output is, Resta told the room, “shapes and materials” – something evident in what is undoubtedly this year's headline piece, John Mayer’s new QP. But there were plenty of highlights from the rest of the collection – including a model featuring a new type of gold.
"Sand gold is really clever because it’s gold, but doesn't scream gold,” Mayer says, which is useful for people put off by too much of the bright stuff. Depending on the angle you look at this model, this innovation gives it either the appearance of steel or a faded, pinky gold, making it AP’s most subtle bit of bling to date.
The fact that the open-worked bridges in the movement are colour-matched means the whole piece dazzles in and out of goldness. In a stroke of luck, sand is on trend at the moment, thanks primarily thanks to Dune 2. Maybe Josh Brolin would make a good next ambassador.
Resta was quick to reiterate the brand’s intention to focus on watches that more women can also wear, and two RO Selfwinding pieces were a surefire way to kick off such intentions. We've seen a few pops of pink on men recently (looking at you, Mr Gosling) and the pink grande tapisserie dial of this pink gold RO certainly holds its own in that respect. With a classic date window at 3 o’clock, the dial is otherwise clean. There is also a two-tone steel/pink gold version which a modern-day Patrick Bateman might be a fan of, given the American Psycho character's taste in watches.
Another two-tone release is AP's new sporty steel Royal Oak Offshore, which has a muted blue rubber-coated bezel (music to the ears of anyone who has a tendency to bash their watch against anything and everything). It stands out for its relatively fuss-free aesthetic – it's not shouting “Look at me!” like some Offshores can – and the rubber softens what can sometimes be quite an angular model. That said, the rhodium-toned gold hour indicators still keep things sharp.
Last year saw AP release its most inexpensive line of watches to date – several Code 11.59 pieces in steel. This year, to mark five years since the model was debuted, seven new versions in a range of sizes, materials, colours and complications. Not only do they demonstrate the growing demand for AP’s more conservative line, it also continues to silence any naysayers of the original. Squint closely and you could say the new dial pattern looks like basket weave, but wavy fits the bill better. Of the seven, the freshness of the baby blue 38mm model has the most about it, especially when you factor in the matching alligator strap and sleek pink gold case.
