Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet just launched a collaboration with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Records.
The collaboration consists of not only a limited-edition version of Audemars Piguet’s classic Royal Oak watch, but also a capsule collection of merchandise co-branded with Cactus Jack
Last night, Travis Scott performed in New York City alongside special guests, including Future, Shek Wes, and Metro Boomin, to celebrate the launch of his collaboration with Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet. AP CEO François-Henry Bennahmias appeared on stage for his final bow, as he plans to retire at the end of 2023 after 30 years at the company. “We met for the first time about four years ago,” said Bennahmias of Scott. “We spent four hours together, and I saw passion, talent, vision, and no bullshit.” Scott also expressed his excitement and gratitude for working with Bennahmias and the AP team.
The collaboration consists of not only a limited-edition version of Audemars Piguet’s classic Royal Oak watch, but also a capsule collection of merchandise co-branded with Cactus Jack, Scott’s record label.
This Royal Oak watch is made of a light and scratch-resistant ceramic. It’s designed in brown, Cactus Jack’s signature color, which Scott calls “the chocolate AP” on his latest album. It’s a watch that represents a harmony between the classic and the contemporary.
The collection’s creative intentionality shines through in the subtle yet wise Cactus Jack references. The AP design team crafted the calendar and week indications’ typography based on Scott’s hand-drawn version. At 6 o’clock on the watch, Cactus Jack’s symbolic smiley face with its mouth sewn shut replaces the usual representation of the moon. Other calendar indicators feature a luminescent material that glows green at night.
While the Royal Oak watch is certainly the collaboration’s centerpiece, the Cactus Jack and AP collaborative merchandise are sure to capture the interest of Scott’s extensive fanbase. The collection includes hoodies, pajamas, shorts, hats, t-shirts, and jackets. The pieces artistically combine the signature styles of both Cactus Jack and AP and are sold exclusively on Travis Scot’s website.
The collection will fund charities of Scott’s choice, such as the Cactus Jack Foundation, whose mission is to nurture the well-being of disadvantaged youth by increasing their access to educational and creative resources. The Foundation’s Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund, named after Scott’s grandfather, has granted 100 $10,000 scholarships to seniors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities for two years in a row.
To kick off the collaboration launch, the AP boutique in New York City reopened this Thursday, Nov. 30, with a surprise. Cactus Jack took over the store and implemented a new look that channeled the aesthetic codes of Scott’s label.
Showing its ability to push the boundaries of traditional watchmaking, AP retains longstanding ties with the cultural and creative zeitgeist. In 2022, the company announced British-American DJ and producer Mark Ronson as their ambassador. The company’s hip-hop affiliation began with its 2005 collaboration with Jay-Z, commemorating 10 years of his work in the music industry.
Scott is an ideal partner for AP, sharing the same revered status as the watch brand. His fourth studio album, Utopia, which he released in July of this year, reached over 650 million global streams in its first week of release. This made Utopia the most commercially successful hip-hop album of 2023. He’s currently on the road for his Circus Maximus mega-tour, and his superstar status landed him the title of GQ’s Musician of the Year.
The “Chocolate AP” will go down in history as Bennahmias’ last hurrah and another successful collaboration with a music legend.
All images courtesy of High Rise PR.
