On Utopia standout "Meltdown," Travis Scott raps about his "chocolate AP." As it turns out, that wasn't just some clever wordplay. The brown Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is real. Travis Scott can now add Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet to his lengthy rolodex of collaborative partners.
The special edition Royal Oak, which was unveiled on Nov. 30, is dressed in the rapper's signature brown color palette. It marks the first time that a Royal Oak has been crafted of brown ceramic. The strap is made of textured calfskin leather. Details like a Cactus Jack smiley logo in the moon phase indicator, Travis Scott's hand-drawn font used for the days and months on the face, and a Cactus Jack logo used as the day subdial fuse the DNA of Cactus Jack into the luxury timepiece, which is limited to only 200 units. It's the final project under AP CEO François-Henry Bennahmias, who has help the position since 2013 and been with the company since 1994.
"Watchmaking, to me, is the ultimate combo of engineering, fashion, tech and design—a harmony of precision, craftsmanship and perfect timing," Travis Scott said in an official press release. "I approached this collaboration similar to sampling or starting a beat, taking inspiration from classics while introducing innovation to push them into the future."
As to be expected with any Travis Scott collab, there is also some limited edition merch, which is available now via Travis Scott's web store. Most of his loyal fans likely don't have $201,000 to spend on a brown wrist watch. The merch capsule, which ranges from $45 to $1,850, gives them a more attainable access point.
Pieces include satin pajama pants covered in AP monograms, T-shirts featuring an array of horological imagery, zip-up hoodies peppered with sepia photos of AP's home city of Brassus, Switzerland, and crewnecks with AP and Cactus Jack co-branding. Accessories like slippers and belts will also be for sale. The color palette stays true to what we have come to expect from Travis Scott, earthy shades of brown and olive green mixed in with washed out colors like forest green and dusty purple that give them a vintage quality.
The entire capsule was debuted at Audemars Piguet's New York flagship store on Nov. 30 through a special pop-up that saw Cactus Jack completely overhaul the appearance of the showroom. Video boards with campaign visuals were placed across one wall, while merch occupied the opposite side of the space. Glowing green Cactus Jack x AP logos were also placed in various spots to illuminate the dimly-lit store. Travis Scott, Tom Brady, and Kevin Hart were in attendance to celebrate the occasion.
This AP collaboration is just the latest in a long list of brand partners that Travis Scott has racked up over the past few years. Most notably, he has released over a dozen sneakers with Nike. Other collaborators have included McDonald's, Fortnite, Sony Playstation, and Dior. It's also the latest example of AP tapping into the world of hip-hop that champions its wristwear so heavily. Some may remember Jay-Z's Royal Oak collaboration from 2005.
Fans looking to get their hands on some of the Cactus Jack x AP merch can shop here. Proceeds from the merch sales will be donated to a yet-to-be-named charity of the rapper's choosing.
