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Striking the Right Note: the AP Royal Oak Offshore Music Edition

This week's release of the Royal Oak Offshore Self-Winding Music Edition.
The newest reference of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Music Edition in 37 mm (ref 77600CE.OO.A002CA.01) is not an opening act. It was in 2022 that we first saw the Royal Oak's famed tapisserie dial morph into stacked rectangular rainbow bars evoking musical spectrum analyzers (or perhaps EQ's on old school stereos). The most recent release is a first for me, though. I went hands-on with the ROO Music Edition a few weeks ago so I thought I would share some of my firsthand impressions.

This rendition of the ROO Music Edition is in black ceramic, a material in harmony with the musical motifs found throughout the design.
Crown and case detail from the Royal Oak Offshore Self-Winding Music Edition.
For example, many stereo systems sport a brushed black face. The titanium crown guards evoke the sliders on a sound mixing board while the case engraving immediately adjacent to the guards are a nod to a sound board's grooves and scales.

The tabs holding the rubber strap to the case are knurled in a manner that you've probably seen on the audio jack for a guitar amplifier.
My hands-on photo fo the ROO Self-Winding Music Edition.
For me, one of the most striking features of the Royal Oak Offshore Music Edition is the black rubber strap. The OG Royal Oak bracelet is perhaps one of the most well-known designs in all of watchmaking. I honestly believe that with their design for the Music Edition strap, AP has found an aesthetic that might rival the Royal Oak bracelet.

I still don't know how they did it, but the facets that are molded into the rubber strap reflect light in a fairly captivating manner. The effect is quite clear: we're meant to think of a disco ball. The reflective effect from a disco ball is comparatively easy to achieve. Rectangular pieces of mirror are affixed to a sphere and they reflect light in a somewhat unpredictable manner as the ball spins.

A wrist roll illustrating the "disco ball" efect on the ROO Music Edition strap.
I honestly don't know how AP achieved this same effect with a rubber material. The most obvious technique would involve some kind of polishing for the facets on the rubber, but this seems improbable (although certainly possible). There may also be something special in the material itself which surfaces a reflective effect when the rubber is molded. A third option would be some type of surface treatment which is reflective. I could probably populate a sizeable portion of this post with speculation about how the reflective effect is achieved. I will likely continue to ask until I get the answer.

The Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Music Edition also fits well within AP's connection to the world of music. The brand's relationship with Jay Z is the stuff of legend. They presently have an active relationship with musician Mark Ronson. Superstars such as Ed Sheeran and John Mayer seem an avid collectors of the brand. From this perspective, the Royal Oak Offshore Music Edition, in its newest rendition, is a natural for the Audemars Piguet catalogue.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Music Edition is available in a limited production run of 250 pieces. Visit Audemars Piguet here for more details.
My book on the history of Rolex marketing is now available on Amazon! It debuted as the #1 New Release in its category. You can find it here.

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Comments

  1. Looking very amazing and even the front theme is really attracting specially those who like to listen musics and even looks like a music gadget actually as a writer offering Best Nursing Essay Writers Services so thats why I like to listen songs for fresh mind and even that watch also helpful for me to manage my time.

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