After Black Panther, Audemars Piguet Introduces the Marvel(ous) Spider-Man Concept Tourbillon to Royal Oak

In 2021, Audemars Piguet collaborated with Marvel Comics to launch the Royal Oak Concept ‘Black Panther’ Flying Tourbillon. As the name suggests, the 250-piece, limited-edition collection was dedicated to Marvel superhero Black Panther and it soon became the talk of the town. Collaborating with the comics giant yet again, the luxury watch brand has now released the Royal Oak Concept ‘Spider-Man’ Tourbillon (Ref. 26631IO.OO.D002CA.01), which is also limited to 250 pieces.

Spider-Man is one of the immortal creations of legendary American comic book writer, Stan Lee. The iconic superhero made his debut in the world of comics in 1962. The story begins when Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider and develops spider-like capabilities. An orphan, Parker lived with his aunt May and uncle Ben; he was  often bullied by others and was too shy to talk to girls.

Following the success of the Black Panther model, the new Spider-Man watch combines avant-garde design with innovative materials. The 42 mm titanium watch with satin-finished sides gets a black ceramic octagonal bezel that comes with eight visible screws, a glare-proof sapphire crystal and a black ceramic screw-locked crown at 3 o’clock, sporting elongated crown guards. The openworked dial with a black hour ring features the superhero realistically. All engraving and finishings are executed by hand before being hand-painted. There are white gold hour markers that get Arabic for even numerals and trapezoidal for odd numerals and elongated hands.

This limited-edition timepiece features a tourbillon at 6 o’clock, with luminescent coating on the hour markers, hour, minute hands and Spidey’s eyes. The watch is powered by a hand-wound, openworked tourbillon Calibre 2974 movement with a 72-hour power reserve. This movement is based on Calibre 2948, which can be found in the Code 11.59 collection as well. The movement rests around the barrel at 12 o’clock and the one-minute tourbillon at 6 o’clock.  

Turning the watch over showcases the sapphire caseback with eight visible screws on the outer periphery and embossing of ‘Royal Oak Concept’ and ‘Limited Edition of 250 pieces’ on the chapter ring. The caseback also reveals the barrel and the tourbillon along with the feet of Spider-Man — nice detailing, we say. The Audemars Piguet Spider-Man Royal Oak watch is finished on a black rubber strap with a titanium AP folding clasp and an interchangeable strap system. There is an additional red rubber strap. 

The Le Brassus-based luxury watch brand is known for its high standards when it comes to watchmaking and for pushing boundaries to achieve the unthinkable. The growth of pop culture now offers the brand an opportunity to expand its horizons and target a young clientele. With this new watch saga, it's now time for Spider-Man to use his power and take the responsibility of weaving his web of charm into the Royal Oak.

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