Following the steps of brands like Hublot and with François-Henry Bennahmias’ —AP’s CEO— obsession with celebrities and aspirations to become one himself, what used to be one of my favorite luxury watch brands has finally lost all its allure and value, at least for me. The old classics will remain as icons in my book, but when it comes to their latest watches, all I see is a decline in AP’s brand equity, and I am not sure how much more it will endure.
After the release of the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon ‘Black Panther,’ I still had some respect left for AP and François, hoping that the brand would go back to its essence. Upon the release of the Royal Oak Offshore Music Edition Models, the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon 'Spider-Man' and the collaboration with 1017 ALYX 9SM by Matthew Williams, AP has continued to head downhill becoming a staple for the ‘nouveau riche’.
If you are a regular reader of Watch Collecting Lifestyle, you know how much I used to love Audemars Piguet. Sadly, long gone are the days when AP would push the boundaries of product design in a classy, timeless way while pioneering the use of new materials.
Well known for their innovative use of materials and unique combinations using tantalum, black PVD, rubber-clad, forged carbon, cermet, and ceramic; it is quite disappointing to see that lately, AP has abused the use of ceramic and celebrity-endorsed limited editions to the extent of Hublot.
Long gone are the days when I could wear my APs without anyone knowing what I had on my wrist. Along with its distinctive design and look, the exclusivity was one of the things I enjoyed the most about owning an Audemars Piguet. Those were the early days of ‘quiet luxury’ when I bought my first Royal Oak Jumbo 5402ST in 1998. Back then, just like the Royal Oak advertisement from 1992 would suggest, it took more than money to wear the Royal Oak.
Today, all it takes is money and a good friend at the AP boutique network to flaunt a Royal Oak or a Royal Oak Offshore anywhere you go. Due to their excessive celebrity-focused marketing approach in recent years, I see more of the ‘nouveau riche’ crowd wearing APs than ever before. Exclusivity in the watch industry requires a puristic approach when it comes to product design, always respecting the brand heritage and not allowing for your brand equity to erode by associating with flashy partners and/or celebrities that do not align with the essence of the brand. If you choose to bring in a celebrity there has to be a real reason behind it and a connection in place. For instance, I don’t understand the connection between an almost 150-year-old luxury watch brand and a comic book superhero like Spider-Man or Black Panther.
To put things in context about my history with AP, I have been a collector of Audemars Piguet watches since 1998. I have owned 14 Royal Oaks and 36 Royal Oak Offshores over the years. Additionally, Watch Collecting Lifestyle has supported the brand since our launch in 2013, and we hold one of the largest digital content libraries —if not the largest— about Audemars Piguet.
Despite all of the above, I find it in very poor taste that for almost a year and a half, I have not received their press releases and have not been invited to any of their events as a ‘punishment’ for publishing honest editorials about their new releases and an unflattering article on their watch allocation practices.
The pictures below show some of the classic Royal Oaks and Royal Oak Offshores that made me fall in love with the brand. These are perfect examples of what Audemars Piguet was known for and what their design code used to be, clearly not like the design code in the Code 11.59, pun intended.
The last time I published AP-related content here on WCL was back in May 2023 when the brand released the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon 'Spider-Man' and I am not sorry that I’ve maintained my journalistic integrity regardless of my appreciation for the brand. My promise to all of you is that I will continue to be one of the few watch journalists who calls a spade a spade and will provide unbiased journalism no matter what.
Yesterday, when I read the news on the release of the Royal Oak Perpetual Cactus Jack, the result of a partnership between AP and the brand and record label founded by hip-hop artist Travis Scott, I just had it. With this move, Audemars Piguet has solidified its status as the luxury watch brand for the ‘nouveau riche’.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Cactus Jack is crafted in brown ceramic and the watch is loaded with Cactus Jack design elements. These include Travis Scott’s handwriting typography utilized all over the watch, the hand for the day of the week is shaped in the Cactus Jack logo, the moon phase disc utilizes Cactus Jack's smiley face, the oscillating weight is engraved with "Cactus Jack" and bears the Cactus Jack logo, oh, and in case this amount of Cactus Jack branding wasn’t enough for you, they also added on the case back the phrase “UTOPIA IS A STATE OF MIND” in Travis’ handwriting typography —Wow!
As a long-time collector of the brand, I am beyond disappointed. When I thought I had seen it all, now comes this new watch. I am sorry AP but you shouldn’t be part of the ‘Holy Trinity of Watchmaking’ when you release stuff like this. The direction in which the brand has been heading over the last few years doesn’t speak to me anymore.
Is the Cactus Jack AP a good-looking watch? Absolutely.
Is it tasteful and in line with the brand equity AP used to have? I don’t think so.
As Audemars Piguet is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2025, I look back at what the brand used to be and who used to wear it. An incredible luxury watch brand that has now turned into horological mockery with watches flaunting superheroes on their dials, logos of other brands, and ultimately tasteless creations that do not appeal to the real AP Purists like myself and many others who helped the brand get to where it is today.
With this last release, I’m sure that François-Henry Bennahmias’ is leaving Audemars Piguet on a ‘high note’. In just a month, the veteran from Procter & Gamble Ilaria Resta will officially become AP’s new CEO. I am not sure how this will play out as she comes from a CPG company.
Sadly, it is what it is and that’s all that it is.
For more info on Audemars Piguet click here.
