Audemars Piguet has been closely tied to the hip-hop world ever since Jay-Z started name-dropping the Swiss watchmaker back in the late ‘90s. Since then, emcees from Lil Wayne to The Game to Kendrick Lamar have mentioned the prestige watchmaker in their lyrics. The more you think about it, it makes sense that the bravado of AP — especially when they launched the first-ever luxury steel sports watch back in 1972 with the iconic Royal Oak — is not lost on the rap world. With the notably larger and in-charger Royal Oak Offshore debuting in the ‘90s, right at the nascence of the commercial rise — and eventual dominance — of the rap genre, it’s a natural fit that the horologist pays homage to the modern music scene in return for the admiration it’s been getting for decades.
We’d be lying if we didn’t admit that this was one of the more unusual releases from AP, but we also can’t complain at all. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Music Edition collection features five references in total, made up of three different materials: titanium, black ceramic, and 18-carat white gold. Each watch sports very head-turning colorful dials made to look like volume unit meters on an equalizer, with the guards on either side of the crown resembling faders on a soundboard. Perhaps the most accessible of the bunch is the black ceramic iteration, deliciously contrasting the bright and colorful stones on the dial with the blacked-out case, rubber strap, and upper half of the dial. This version is limited to just 250 pieces.
As for the titanium versions, which come in both 37mm and 43mm cases, they’re limited to 500 pieces each. At the upper end of this collection are the two 18-carat white gold models, also in both 37mm and 43mm, which are gemset on the dial and around the bezel. Various gemstones are used to make up the rainbow-like ensemble, including rubies, peridots, tsavorites, and green, blue, and orange sapphires. Both the titanium and white gold versions have a blue dial color to complement the EQ design.
Starting with the 37mm titanium model at $29,100 and going upward from there, the Royal Oak Offshore Music Editions are available now in Audemars Piguet boutiques.
