AP Royal Oak Concept Spider-Man Tourbillion
For the futuristic Spider-Man watch, Audemars Piguet decided to use the Royal Oak Concept case. With a case size of 42mm, it fits perfectly on any wrist. Being crafted out of Titanium and Black Ceramic, the watch also feels very light on the wrist. The black ceramic also adds to the dark allure of Spiderman’s universe. It also makes the red and blue Spider-Man suit pop.
When speaking of a new timepiece, watch enthusiasts prefer to start by speaking about the movement or the case. But in this case, the center of attraction is the Spider-Man. The character itself has been cut out of a solid piece of white gold using a CNC machine. The Spidey suit has been laser-engraved, giving a nice texture and textile appeal to the character.
The three-dimensional Spider-Man figure is a true work of art here. The much-needed touch-ups and the paint were all done by hand. The whole process took 50 hours to complete, and the end-result was something extra-ordinary. As there is no machine work involved in creating the final look, each watch will differ from the other ever so slightly, which is much appreciated in the world of horology.
Royal Oak Concept Tourbillion: The case and bracelet
Since most of the attention is immediately grabbed by the Spidey character under the Sapphire Crystal, AP wanted to keep the straps rather subtle. Hence, they went with a black rubber strap with red accents. This is the first time an Audemars Concept watch has got an interchangeable strap system. With that, AP also introduced another strap that will go well with the aesthetics of the watch with its black color paired with gray accents. No matter which strap you choose, it will get a titanium buckle making the strap stand out of the other Royal Oak models.
AP Royal Oak Concept Spider-Man Tourbillion features a titanium case that features both polished as well as blasted surfaces. It is further complimented by a black ceramic bezel.
Royal Oak Concept Spider-Man: Movement
Under the hood, the Audemars Concept Spider-Man Tourbillion features the caliber 2974 movement. Based on the caliber 2948, it is a hand-wound movement that offers a power reserve of up to 72 hours. It has also allowed the Swiss watchmaker to create an open-worked design for the dial that really helps a lot with the aesthetics of the watch.
Everything else that makes the ROC Spider-Man special
Audemars Piguet Spider-Man reference 26631IO.OO.D002CA.01 is limited to just 250 pieces in the world. The retail price of this Swiss watch has been set at CHF 195,000, which converts brings the AP watch price Dubai to AED 790,000. As it is a limited-edition piece, it is projected to go way above the retail price when some of them start appearing in the secondary market.
For reference, the Audemars Concept Black Panther retailed at around AED 600,000 and was also limited to 250 pieces. In the secondary market, they are exchanging hands for no less than AED 1.4 million.
Royal Oak Concept Spider-Man auctioned for $6.2 million
Besides the Royal Oak Concept Spider-Man Tourbillion, AP also launched a piece-unique Black Suit Spider-Man Audemars Concept. Crafted out of white gold instead of Titanium, this one-of-a-kind piece features Spidey in a black suit inspired from the comic books of the 1980s.
The case also gets laser engraving and features a luminescent paste that makes some of the lines on case also glow in the dark. Lastly, the luminescent on the Black Suit Spiderman watch glows green, which is different than the Spider-Man Tourbillion as that one glows blue.
The watch was auctioned at a private event in Dubai on May 25, 2023 for a whopping $6.2 million.
