Audemars Piguet x Marvel: Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man
If there were a superhero in the watch industry, it would probably be François-Henry Bennahmias, the head of the Swiss watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet. The success he has helped the brand achieve over the past 11 years as CEO is actually impossible to accomplish with normal human strength. Since taking over as CEO of AP in 2012, he has tripled sales and increased demand enormously, despite risky strategic decisions.
Bennahmias does not adhere to the codes one might expect for such a traditional brand. He comes across as rebellious, disruptive and seems untouchable in the process: distancing himself from retail partners through his own monobrand boutiques (AP Houses) instead of multi-brand points of sale, introducing the controversial CODE 11.59, and last but not least creating the partnership with Marvel’s superheroes. Thus, Bennahmias dared to infringe upon the Royal Oak – aka the company’s holy grail, which is largely responsible for the brand’s success over the last 50 years. Bennahmias has a certain penchant for superpowers, so it’s not surprising that he’s harboured the idea of partnering with Marvel since long before he was even CEO of the brand.
The second AP x Marvel edition
Good contacts pay off. Bennahmias’ long-time friend, the actor Don Cheadle, made contact with Marvel a few years ago after he played the role of James Rhodes – aka War Machine – in Avengers. What seemed like the impossible became possible in 2021, when Audemars Piguet unveiled the first Royal Oak Concept x Marvel watch. It was Black Panther, one of the great Marvel characters, floating as a 3-D figure above the dial of a Royal Oak Concept. The 250 pieces sold out instantly, even though a few pieces are now circulating again on the pre-owned market, albeit with a substantial price increase. A unique piece sold for charity fetched 5.2 million dollars at auction. The coup was a success, and the next edition was already being planned, as now, two years later, Bennahmias ceremoniously presents the second Marvel creation in Dubai. The new superhero is none other than Spider-Man.
In this model, too, the Marvel character seems to float within the case. The shape and contours of the figure were milled from a single piece of white gold using a CNC machine. The lower half of the superhero suit was laser engraved, while the upper surface of the figure was engraved by hand and then painted by hand. The decorators spent more than 50 hours just working on the figure. The Concept, launched in 2002, serves as a playground for experimental materials, shapes and functions. The 42 mm case of the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man is made of titanium, which would be unthinkable in the regular Royal Oak line. Moreover, the case was specially made for this edition (as was the case for the Black Panther). Meanwhile, the bezel and crown are made of black ceramic.
Master of skeletonisation
Comic book fans are already considered to be detail-oriented (more on that later.) Accordingly, AP has taken it to the extreme and skeletonised the new movement to the max. The watchmakers removed as much material as possible, resulting in Spider-Man being the main protagonist. The result is the new calibre 2974 with manual winding, a successor to the calibre 2948 that ticks in all CODE 11.59 tourbillon models. Bennahmias already announced in our conversation from 2020 that from now on, the newly developed movements of the CODE 11.59 will also be installed in other watch lines. The Royal Oak Concept Black Panther still featured the calibre 2965, a classic Concept calibre based on AP’s 2964.
The new Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man comes with a black and grey interchangeable rubber strap with an AP buckle made of titanium. The horology house also includes a second rubber strap in black and red. It costs 195,000 Swiss francs (around 238,000 euros).
Unique Piece: Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon ‘Black Suit Spider-Man’
Let’s return to the comic fans of this world, who will be aware that Spider-Man didn’t just exist in his red and blue suit, but also with an all-black outfit. He was seen in it in issue #252 “The Amazing Spider-Man” from 1984. For the unique piece accompanying this year’s Marvel Edition, Spider-Man is therefore dressed in a black suit. The case is not titanium, but rather white gold with engravings that make the light shimmer as if Spider-Man’s web were glowing in the dark. The sapphire crystal caseback bears the inscription ‘Royal Oak Concept Unique Piece’. The unique piece comes on either a black rubber strap with a textured finish, or a black calfskin strap with a textile effect and silver stitching.
The Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon ‘Black Suit Spider-Man’ was auctioned at Christie’s on 25 May for the sum of 6.2 Million US Dollar. All proceeds will go to the First Book and Ashoka non-profit organisations, respectively promoting entrepreneurship among young people from financially disadvantaged families and creating fair, sustainable and humane lives.
The only question that remains is what Marvel character Bennahmias would be. Maybe a bit of Tony Stark – aka Iron Man – with his indestructible armour, with which Bennahmias simply bounces off his sceptics and adversaries. Perhaps there’s also a touch of the nerdy but ingenious Peter Parker alias Spider-Man with his sixth sense; a superpower that Bennahmias also seems to be blessed with, and which defined the future of the watch industry like no other.
With 981 lots between them, the four most important auction houses – Phillips, Christie's, Sotheby's and Antiquorum – reached an impressive 110 million Swiss francs last week. Phillips, in cooperation with Bacs and Russo, succeeded in confirming its leading role as an auctioneer of valuable collector's watches. All 203 of the 203 lots offered by…
The Rolex Certified Pre-Owned programme at Bucherer offers a high-quality and trustworthy alternative to buying pre-owned Rolex luxury watches. But how does the buying, selling, authentication and certification of pre-owned watches actually work? Rolex Certified Pre-Owned at Bucherer In 2019, luxury watch and jewellery retailer Bucherer ventured into the pre-owned luxury watch trade and opened…
In the middle of last year, Jean Arnaud, who is responsible for Louis Vuitton's watch division, announced a new era for the maison's iconic Tambour model. The drum-shaped case has been given a contemporary facelift, and the positioning of the model will focus upon the high-priced luxury watch segment in future. The range has therefore…
In 1972, Audemars Piguet launched its Royal Oak, which is considered the first luxury sports watch to have been made of steel. In 1976, Patek Philippe followed suit by introducing its first Nautilus. Over the years, the hype surrounding both models has led to a lack of availability at any official retailer, let alone the…
It is a watch brand that is actually only known to true connoisseurs: Lang & Heyne from Radeberg near Dresden. The timepieces are not only technically extremely sophisticated with their in-house developed and produced movements, but also finished with a remarkable attention to detail. We wanted to find out more about this small watch manufacture,…
Honestly, we aren’t often ones for rankings, but after numerous questions from our fans online, on Instagram, alongside countless discussions during the fair, we can't seem to resist. We all want to know: what are the most important mechanical watch innovations to emerge from Watches and Wonders 2023? Sit back and enjoy a very personal…
At Watches & Wonders 2022, Swisswatches caught up with Piaget CEO Benjamin Comar to discuss all things Piaget – from ultra-thin watches to the gender-specific watch debate, to what he describes as his ‘COVID-19 babies’. During your childhood, it is likely that at some point you attended a funfair or circus. In doing so, you…
If there’s one thing you should know about Frederique Constant, it’s that the brand is on the up. In recent years, under the savvy leadership of CEO Niels Eggerding, the Swiss horology house has streamlined its watches, refined its target group, and is simultaneously shifting into a higher quality environment. This shift ranges from commerce,…
If I had asked my history teacher at school what history actually was, he would have probably told me that it was all about the past. Unfortunately, I never asked him as I would have been staring out of the window, perhaps pondering the next great watch from Audemars Piguet. One thing, however, is certain:…
The clear readability of all functions on the dial of his watches has always been very important to watchmaker Louis-Abraham Breguet. The dial was consistently designed to dedicate each feature of the watch enough space to pay sufficient attention to its function. These usually were focused on hours, minutes and seconds. But what to do…
Since Georges Kern took the helm at Breitling almost three years ago, realigning collections and the brand’s strategy, annual sales have increased significantly. Kern recently revealed just how the brand will stay on the path to success with an intriguing, forward-looking perspective. A key theme is how we will consume in the future and the…
Rolex is the most well-known and revered horology house on the planet. Owning a Rolex is the ultimate symbol of prosperity in the western world. But just how much money do these watches actually involve? It's time to discover the most expensive Rolex watches ever, from the stories behind them to understanding their nicknames. Get…
In Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the King gives the White Rabbit some sage advice for storytelling: ‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.’ That’s exactly the plan for this ultimate yet digestible guide to the Rolex Submariner. Rather than filling this space…