MINIMALISM: A TIMELESS CONCEPT
When the savoir-faire of Le Brassus meets the spirit of New York and the expertise of Milan, this journey leads us to the genesis of an unprecedented story, that of the creation of a watchmaking quartet forged in yellow or white gold for a minimalist, restrained, timeless allure.
Two different worlds coming together in the fertile ground embodied by creativity to give birth to an object or even objects: this is the genesis of the collaboration between watchmaker Audemars Piguet and designer Matthew Williams. Founder in 2015 of the clothing and accessories brand 1017 Alyx 9SM – a complex name based on his date of birth, the first name of his eldest daughter and the abbreviation of the first address of his workshop in New York before relocating to Italy – the American has put his stamp on two watch collections to create the four pieces with the minimalist, muted, timeless allure that are the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore x 1017 Alyx 9SM.
This small, limited-edition series comprises models in yellow gold (three of them) and white gold, powered by three movements with power reserve of between 60 and 70 hours: caliber 5909 for the 37mm Royal Oak Selfwinding, which displays hours, minutes and seconds in the center, caliber 4409 for the 41mm Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph and caliber 4404 for the 42mm Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph duo. Far from the often busy graphics of his clothes, which explore multiple trends, Matthew Williams has opted for the pure elegance of time. Gone are the Tapisserie motif so dear to Audemars Piguet, the hour markers, Arabic numerals and circled counters: the dial appears bare, clear and free. On the circular, vertically satin-brushed surface, the Royal Oak hands in gold underlined by a touch of luminescent material catch the eye, then, on models equipped with a chronograph with flyback function, attention is drawn to the totalizers, small seconds counter and, if applicable, the date.
