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maradiliko
Angemeldet seit:
07.01.2022
Beiträge: 16
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The year 2021 feels like ages ago. In April of that year, Audemars Piguet, under the wonderfully maniacal vision of Francois Bennahmias, released a six-figure Royal Oak Concept tourbillon with a miniaturized sculpture of the popular Black Panther character planted at the center from the dial – and more design cues spilling onto the case. My description of the watch is quite pedestrian compared to the reaction it garnered from the view community. And I understood where some of the outraged watch lovers were coming from, but some of that apoplexy missed the point in the watch and the soon-to-be-ending brand stewardship of Bennahmias.
At its heart, the Black Panther Concept Tourbillon was about merging a cultural touchpoint with modern watchmaking and craftsmanship. The result was a hand-crafted sculpture on the highest detail that is best appreciated in the metal.
I was lucky enough to experience that watch for an extended period of time and came away moved by the craft rather than offended by the idea. And it hit culturally, as we saw celebrities gravitate towards the watch, whether it be Kevin Hart or NBA stars Draymond Green as well as Spencer Dinwiddie.
Knowing that Bennahmias is a pop-culture nut (and lover of all things film and comic book) helps to contextualize the actual thinking. And after a few years associated with sitting with the Black Panther - we now have a new contender swinging into the mix.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Maple Concept Spider-Man Tourbillon is the latest Marvel-comic-book-horological-crossover from the holy trinity brand name. In terms of the literal explanation: The thing basically speaks for itself and in many ways continues the design decisions made on the previous launch.
That means that the base model remains the Concept collection, within the very good 42mm sizing (not-so-hot take: All AP RO Concepts should be this size). It features an internal chapter-ring-style minute readout as well as a tourbillon.
The dial features alternating black PVD-coated gold hour markers and also Arabic numerals that are overlaid by hands of the same material. The fingers and numbers are finished in white luminescence that turns blue in the dark, in what the brand says "subtly referring to the world of Spider-Man. " And lest we forget the three-dimensional, mini sculpture of a web-slinging Spider-Man center of frame.
But where the Black Panther utilized designs derived along with inspired by the Vibranium-rich mines of Wakanda, it would seem that this watch takes a webbier approach. In that vein, I won't call this any skeletonized switch, but rather some sort of "web dial" that appears to be partially open-worked.
The actual strap within the Black Panther was full purple, but Spider-Man opts for black (why it wasn't glowing blue, I don't know) with red accents. For the first time around the Concept, AP is delivering an interchangeable strap system, so in addition to black and gray, there is also a black and red strap. Both feature a titanium buckle.
The overall finishing of the titanium case alternates between polished and blasted surfaces, with no added engravings like the previous model. The case itself is titanium but the bezel is actually black ceramic.
And then there's Peter Parker himself. The particular dial art finds Spider-Man mid-swing around Manhattan along with one hand out of framework (ostensibly clutching some webs) while the other hand comes forward as if reaching out from a 3D movie screen, ready to shoot some - um -- more webs.
Now, the design form of Spidey isn't from any big-screen adaptation with the character, but rather pulled directly from the pages of a comedian book. That has always been the particular clear delineation of AP's partnership together with Marvel on these releases. These are Marvel comic characters, not some extension of your Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Excuse me for not knowing the exact artist this is inspired by (I only have room in my brain for so many forms of nerdery), but I have to say that typically the dynamism belonging to the sculpture really gives a sense of motion to what is literally a frozen, lifeless image. And a hat tip to the designers of the enjoy, as Parker's backside narrowly avoids often the wrath within the tourbillon.
Inside this see beats the exact Manufacture Calibre 2974 : a brand new movement based on the caliber 2948 which also represents a change from the 2965 quality and reliability of the Dark Panther. Typically the open-working took the full engineering might of the AP team to reduce the very movement down to only the necessary parts required to make Spidey the star of the show.
In so doing, what we're left with will be Spider-Man essentially emerging from a void of dark space, swinging around the tourbillon. According to AP, "The silhouette and volume of the character are first cut from a block of white gold using a CNC machine. Often the Super Hero's suit is then laser-engraved to obtain the differences in texture that give this its textile appearance. "
Following this process, touch-ups in addition to engraving-related completing is done by hand by a single artisan. The exact painting is also a hand-finished step. In all, this is a 50-hour procedure.
Utilizing the same basic case from the prior release was a great move here. If there is one single piece of consensus from the last release, it's the overall form of the 42mm case.
There is enough experimentation with a observe like this. If there's even one part that isn't broken, you definitely avoid fix it. Instead, AP and also the team kept it as a relatively blank canvas to allow the main Spider-Man figurine to shine.
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I have not yet had the pleasure to see this one IRL, but if it's anything like the Black Panther, these images you see right here don't do it justice.
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