Audemars Piguet

Was invited by Shanghai AP to their AP x Marvel launch event & party and got a chance to see the watch in the flesh (steel?), and I have to say AP may have f*cked up big time on this one. The Marvel partnership seems strange and literally "cartoony". ...  

I have now owned and enjoyed AP over 20 years. The brand has done many daring things over that period, and this collaboration is the latest. I have 0 interest in comic related things, but am not offended with this creation at all. Does not diminish the br... 

Many owners will enjoy owning this watch and why not, variety is the spice of life.

I think it's one thing to vent about negative feelings about this collaboration - but to "dump" the brand is definitely over-reactionary. The Marvel partnership as a one-off thing will not hurt the brand in any way. However if they continue making poor ch... 

The corner ribbing, the guard assembly, the numerals and clean tach. This watch could easily be rendered with a more common AP type dial and people would go crazy for it. I never saw the BP movie, but I would enjoy seeing this carved detail up close. I'm ... 

Back to the topic, nobody can argue with the commercial success Francois has brought to AP. By looking into the future and ignoring the past, not without a cost. The fact that one has a choice to not own AP is not a defence of everything that they do. Als... 

as for the watch, Fun Piece, out of my league though, Congrats to the Lucky Owners. PS: Remember how people reacted to the Shaq, Jay-Z, a collab with a Japanese martial artist, and even Arnold's baby mama scandal. Reeks of elitism and superiority complex ... 

Just like with the Code. Craftsmanship and detail is always there for AP but they clearly lack genuine ideas and design on the front and seem to completely fail with their marketing.

Nt

overly defensive of the brands we like. I am not “offended” by this Marvel watch and it hasn’t changed my opinion about the APs I own and love either. But let’s face it: the watch is awful and so is the overall concept of this cartoon collab. It’s short t... 

with this live photo, definitely not for me. A watch seen IRL makes ALWAYS the difference.

but if you like why not. I'm sure it'll be impeccably finished and key details will look sublime under a loupe but these collabs have a hint of naff about them at times. Anyone else think the same?

I looked at it, thought about it, and look at it again. Couple of interesting things to note.. Since the Black Panther actor Chadwick Bosemen (apologies if I incorrectly spelled this) recently passed away, that may greater pique the interest in a watch of... 

There's a type of instinct in watch collectors/fans that have developed a taste over time, If you have to "digest" it and "make" yourself like it that requires more than a week or so, probably something's not right

AP has in the past done a good job of reaching out to new, different, younger, and more diverse audiences with their watches becoming popular with rap stars a decade ago. This is important because the market for mechanical watches will otherwise dwindle e... 

But then neither are most other AP's as I have no history with a Boutique or AP AD my chances of getting any regular Royal Oak's or even the Off Shores at retail within the next decade are virtually non existent. I may be be able to get a Code 11:59 or so... 

...many records will those ltd pieces break. Largely Untapped market. May seem cheap tacky chintzy or abomination watever to us but unsuccessful it won't be.

But too much appeal and relevance to rappers and hiphop over time may turn off other audiences. AP will definitely gain some new fans (as well as off-put some existing ones) with peices like this

I was pretty surprised that the Black Panther watch auction winner was based in China. I don't recall Black Panther being that popular or successful in the China box office, so do you think this model will be interesting for collectors in China or anywher... 

when it comes to luxury/art and more outliers due to population, but the feedback in general from the Chinese watch circle (me being a part of it) is a lot of head scratching.

I guess some collectors like you are not happy to see their high complicated models "downgraded".

...  

Just included the dickture here too

the steel 15400 and an ROO Diver, this is a silly collaboration, IMHO.

...as AP are considered part of the "Holy Trinity". Being part of that elite group, it's fair enough to ask "would Patek/Vacheron collaborate with Marvel...?" and I suspect we'd all suggest not. Citizen has made a fantastic Marvel collaboration as we woul... 

The "Would Patek/Vacheron do this" is a perfect analogy

Yes the black panther has a HUGE .... ( you know what ) 😂 ...  

I hope, you meant a huge ... ego?? 😎 Cheers 🥂 Thomas

How does producing this kind of watch reflect on the AP brand, on it's values, and on who it wants it's customers to be? This doesn't represent everything AP is but nor is it an insignificant statement of how Francois sees the brand and it's relationship ... 

Brand image -> brand value

1. It mashes together two stand-out pieces of modern culture 2. It upsets conservatives just as Gerald Genta did in the 1970s when he designed the Royal Oak 3. It does what GG did again in the 1980s when he put Micky Mouse, the Pink Panther and Popeye on ... 

I'm not an AP die hard fan and won't be able to speak up on how AP fans will react etc. And not that I can easily buy this watch too so my comments won't mean much. For me, this watch does not appeal to me design wise. I do feel the Marvel collab is not a... 

to call it an "abomination". But yes, I don't like it and I think AP made a big mistake. It's a very well made but ugly like hell watch, and how can anyone at AP not noticed that the hands, especially when they are aligned 24 times in a day, strongly rese... 

I do buy purely for the watch, that is all that matters to me. I also don't feel the watch is an F-U to me, and I have collected them over 20 years now.

LOL... so the brand on the dial does not matter to you at all? That's a first for me. Of course I am speaking for myself. You sound so defensive. Perhaps not to you but if this is not a "F-U" to most collectors, how you explain the overwhelming negative c... 

I buy watches I like for me. Not to impress anyone or be in a club with others. And I was buying this brand long before the current craze. You stated: "When we buy into a brand like AP, it's not purely just for the watch itself but also the brand image". ... 

doesn’t necessarily mean you want to ‘belong in a club’ or ‘impress others’. Besides liking the watch (of course!), it can mean you trust the brand, both technically and, why not, that you align with its design language. Imho, if AP keeps the current appr... 

I really don't, and anyone who really knows me would agree.

Most of my personal friends who collect watches are the same too.

and I of course respect that view. But caring for the brand and the overall design language of the brand do NOT equal to just ‘caring for what other people think’ or ‘wanting to belong to a club’. I do care about the brand’s overall design preferences reg... 

If the interview is right, they are timing releases with the origin stories, next in 2024. If true, that is a very very long cycle until the next model come out. Maybe cooler heads will prevail and we will see the long term impact of this collaboration? A... 

Looking into my crystal ball, AP will have the last laugh, along with all the purchasers. Remember the early Daytonas that were a flop? Who's laughing now?

I do not believe that commercial success of a model should be equated to horological excellence. Many models can have astounding sales due to ambush-marketing coupled with short term trends. But they lose their relevance over time and have limited nostali... 

calibers, movements, parts etc...around 150 years ago... So sad..

.. AP could have demonstrated their serious horological strengths by way of a true collectors’ dream machine, in the light of some scintillating offerings from Patek ( 5236); Lange ( Lange 1 perpetual; Triple Split); Chopard ( Quattro Spirit 25); Vacheron... 

. . . who, while trying to make small talk, said something on the order of, "So who do you like better, DC or Marvel?" 🙄

I’m new to AP from an owners/collecting standpoint, but I’m a seasoned collector. I’ve been fortunate to actually handle and try on this new AP Concept watch (note the word Concept) and whilst it’s not something I would personally buy or actually wear it ... 

“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”, they say. And so it is ; and hence subjective. One important aspect though is the viewpoint of the great majority of AP collectors + fans who have strongly expressed their sentiment against this particular offering...