You probably lost your virginity to one of his hits and now you can wear his watch with the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “John Mayer” Limited Edition.
Say what you will, there’s no doubt that John Mayer is a formidable musical force and one that’s defined his generation with some of its most popular songs. Now the guitarist, song writer and seven-time Grammy award winner (he’s also a fervent watch collector) has teamed up with Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet to create his own take on the brand’s Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar.
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Powered by the Manufacture’s selfwinding Calibre 5134, the John Mayer timepiece, limited to just 200 units, is presented in 18-carat white gold, enhanced by a deep blue “Crystal Sky” dial on which every detail speaks in unison to create an evocative and striking design persona. Mayer worked hand in hand with the AP teams to design the picturesque “Crystal Sky” dial, which is complemented by a brass dial plate finished with a new scintillating pattern. The embossed motif is composed of irregular shapes resembling crystals, whose sharp angles and facets add relief and brilliance and which are formed from a stamping die created through a metal deposition process known as electroforming.
For this limited edition, the new motif has been created in a deep blue shade using Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD), a technique that preserves and enhances the depth of the pattern, while maximising the play of light. The textured dial is complemented by subdials in a matching blue PVD colour that display the day at 9 o’clock, the month and leap year at 12 o’clock and the date at 3 o’clock.
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To provide visual contrast, the calendar indications are printed in white on the blue outer zones of the subdials, while the weeks appear in white on the dial’s blue outer ring. Similarly, the 18-carat white gold hour-markers and hands stand out against the blue background, their luminescent material making them even more visible in dim light.
To enhance legibility and aesthetic harmony, John Mayer has brought subtle modifications to the perpetual calendar display including changing the number “31” of the date subdial from red to white, reducing the size of the two numerals of the “31”, and applying a light blue colour for the week indicator.
The laser-microstructured moon phase indicator at 6 o’clock, which is set against an aventurine background, completes the dial’s overall design. For the first time, the “Swiss Made” inscription is printed in white at the bottom of the moon phase subdial rather than on the dial’s outer edge at 6 o’clock – another subtle visual distinction only noticeable on closer look.
The refined dial is framed in 18-carat white gold, while the case and bracelet are meticulously finished with the Manufacture’s alternation of satin brushing and polished chamfers. The polished bevels on the bezel and bracelet links enhance the play of light created by the Royal Oak’s multifaceted architecture. Lastly, the white gold frame of the sapphire caseback is engraved with “Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel” and “Limited Edition of 200 Pieces.”
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “John Mayer” Limited Edition is the last limited edition equipped with the Calibre 5134 selfwinding perpetual calendar movement, bringing down the curtain on a history that began in 1978. The Calibre 5134 automatically takes into account the number of days in the month and correctly displays the prevailing date, even in leap years. Assuming the watch is kept fully wound, the date will not require manual correction until 2100.
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The watch’s sapphire caseback reveals the movement’s refined decorations that include Côtes de Genève, circular graining, circular satin and polished chamfers while the rhodium-toned 22-carat pink gold openworked oscillating weight is further embellished with a stamped motif recalling the Manufacture’s iconic Tapisserie.
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