It’s one thing to be known as a watch-buying celebrity — looking at you, Jay-Z — but to be known, even respected as a watch critic, semi-consultant, and all-round expert is something else. For John Mayer, balancing seven Grammys and 20-million albums sold with his role as a contributor to Hodinkee and jury duties at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève is just another responsibility — one that ties into his multi-million dollar watch collection and his close association with the world’s biggest brands.
This year, right before he sets off on a 2024 ‘SOLO’ tour of Europe and the UK, the blues star made an appearance with Audemars Piguet for a 200-piece limited edition based off his own design inputs. We’re going to let the piece do the talking — have a look at the latest Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar John Mayer Limited Edition:
Given the title of ‘Creative Conduit’ by AP, Mayer’s direction over the watch’s design was realised in 18ct white gold, with a 41mm case that’s 9.5mm thick with a. display caseback. The dial is exceptionally busy for a Royal Oak model — featuring tons of features set onto a ‘Crystal Sky’ dial. The dial itself is reminiscent of older hand-hammered designs such as that of the 25654PT; this time reflecting a deeply textured raw-gemstone-esque finish formed by an electroformed die. The resultant irregular peaks and crests are then PVD-coated in a rich blue shade. There’s also a few clever touches — one of my favourites is Mayer’s tasteful choice to coat the unusual week hand in light blue, allowing it to blend into the background and prevent the dial from seeming too overcrowded.
The watch also contains one of the last few iterations of the legendary Calibre 2120 introduced by AP nearly 46 years ago; in the form of the 2015-introduced 5134, a robust, remarkably thin evolution of the original design that’s good for 40 hours of power.
“My favourite watches have dials that you can stare endlessly at,” said Mayer on behalf of the brand. “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.”
While customer access will likely be restricted to longtime clients (and Mayer’s personal buddies), the 200 limited edition models will be sold at $180,700 — and are expected to fetch even more once they hit the resale market.
