John Mayer reveals the secret behind his unreleased “road test camo” Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Jamie WeissLast weekend, eagle-eyed watch fans noticed that John Mayer – the Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, noted celebrity watch enthusiast and “Creative Conduit” for Audemars Piguet – was wearing an unreleased Royal Oak as he performed alongside Zach Bryan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (That show, by the way? It broke the record for the largest ticketed concert in US history, with 112,408 fans in attendance at Michigan Stadium.) The watch, which was hard to make out but was covered in graphics of watch components, had us scratching our heads. Was this a new model, or was this a piece unique?
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But earlier today, Mayer owned up to what was actually going on. Turns out, it was a highly camouflaged version of the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra‑Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5, which was released earlier this week. Taking to his Instagram Story, Mayer explains that after seeing the RD#5 at AP’s manufacture in Le Brassus, he proposed that they give him the chance to tease it in an unprecedented way.”This is a story about innovation,” he started off.
“As Creative Conduit at Audemars Piguet, I get to see watches before they’re released. One day, when I was introduced to something very special they were working on, I had an idea. (That’s why they have me.) What if you could road test a watch the way you would a car? Could you “wrap” a timepiece in disruptive patterning in order to deploy it in real-world settings without giving away the surprise?”
For those of you who aren’t a revhead like me, it’s common practice for automotive manufacturers to disguise prototype or concept cars with complex ‘dazzle’ or disruptive patterns in order to mask the shape of their bodywork when they’re being road or track-tested, in order to make it hard to get clear photos or video of their designs… Although sometimes, this camo can have the opposite effect, because if you see something wrapped in disruptive camo, it means it’s probably something special and unreleased! I’ve never seen this done for a watch before, however.
“One thing about AP is they don’t shy away from a challenge,” Mayer continued. “The result: an unreleased, completely laser-etched Royal Oak with more technology under the hood than any other version before it, and hiding in plain sight. (Until I wore it in front of over 100,000 people, that is.)”
“The watch was announced this week: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#5. It’s a complete rethinking of the architecture of a chronograph movement, and a new benchmark in what can be achieved through research, design, innovation… And saying yes to new ideas,” Mayer signed off.
I think this is bloody genius… And it worked! No one guessed what exactly Mayer was wearing, although now knowing what the RD#5 looks like, it’s obvious in retrospect: you could make out the slim chronograph pushers in photos of Mayer from the concert (although being so slim, they’re admittedly hard to make out). I saw more than a few people online comment that it looked like a Maurice Lacroix Aikon Skeleton Urban Tribe – how wrong they were!
I also love how AP brought its very own horological spin to disruptive camo, using graphics of the RD#5’s internals – its gears, bridges and even its ground-breaking rack and pinion chronograph system – to disguise the watch. You can barely make out the tourbillon at 6 o’clock.
This was a brilliant stunt, but the RD#5 is a spectacularly impressive watch in its own right, too. The final entry in AP’s impressive RD series of haute horlogerie experiments, Jason’s done a great job explaining its innovative new Calibre 8100 in detail here. Clearly, AP is firing on all cylinders right now, both technically and creatively. It all bodes well for the brand’s big watch fair return at Watches and Wonders next year…
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” RD#5 pricing and availability
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” RD#5 is limited to 150 pieces total, and is available now directly from Audemars Piguet boutiques. Price: CHF 260,000
| Brand | Audemars Piguet |
| Model | Royal Oak “Jumbo” RD#5 |
| Reference | 26545XT.OO.1240XT.01 |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 8.1mm (T) |
| Case Material | Titanium and bulk metallic glass (BMG) |
| Water Resistance | 20 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Glassbox sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Petite Tapisserie dial in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” |
| Strap | Integrated bracelet in titanium and BMG |
| Movement | Calibre 8100, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 72 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, flyback chronograph, flying tourbillon |
| Availability | Limited to 150 pieces |
| Price | CHF 260,000 |