John Mayer worked hand in hand with the AP teams to design a picturesque dial, whose texture and vastness lend depth to a complication that has shaped the world of Audemars Piguet since its beginnings. Each detail harmoniously combines to give the timepiece a sense of infinity.
A new scintillating dial finish gives life to John Mayer’s vision of a crystal sky. The embossed motif is composed of irregular shapes resembling crystals, whose sharp angles and facets add depth and brilliance to the piece. To achieve this level of detail and complexity, the stamping die was created atom by atom, through a metal deposition process known as electroforming.
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “John Mayer” Limited Edition is the last limited edition equipped with Calibre 5134, bringing down the curtain on a mechanism, whose history began in 1978 with the launch of Calibre 2100/2800, the world’s thinnest selfwinding perpetual calendar movement at the time. At the height of the quartz crisis, this unexpected 3.95mm-thick movement contributed to the revival of other classic complications at Audemars Piguet and throughout the industry.
Launched in 2015, the Calibre 5134 adapted the perpetual calendar movement to a larger case diameter of 41 mm (Model 26574), while maintaining a thin profile with a thickness of 4.3 mm. Unveiled on the first Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in 41 mm (ref. 26574)—a model that also featured a new dynamic aesthetic—this movement brought renewed attention to this high complication that has played a significant role in shaping the world of Audemars Piguet over time.
“My favourite watches have dials that you can stare endlessly at. A great watch dial feels like a picture window – you look into it, not at it. In the case of this QP, it’s like looking up at a moonless sky. There is a true sense of nature in it. And when you couple that sense of depth and vastness with the complication of a perpetual calendar, it is a very powerful combination of technical prowess and aesthetic design,” says John Mayer
Images courtesy of Audemars Piguet
