1017 ALYX 9SM Dive Headfirst Into The Luxury World of Watches With New Collaboration
Teaming up with watch masters Audemars Piguet, Matthew Williams and his label 1017 ALYX 9SM tap into the world of luxury vintage watches to design a watch collection comprising five timeless editions.
Teaming up with watch masters Audemars Piguet, Matthew Williams and his label 1017 ALYX 9SM tap into the world of luxury vintage watches to design a watch collection comprising five timeless editions.
Nothing screams luxury like an 18-carat yellow gold watch. Now add Audemars Piguet and Matthew Williams' 1017 ALYX 9SM label into the mix, and suddenly, luxury isn't just a want but a need. The two brands have recently collaborated on a watch collection under a brief that specified the designs follow a half grunge, half streetwear aesthetic with lots of disruption; tropes quintessential to the ALYX brand.
Four designs, all Royal Oaks, form the collection, with an additional fifth having been sold at auction last week in Tokyo, which benefited both NGOs Kids in Motion and Right to Play. Seeing the item as an expression of 'who you are', Williams and Audemars Piguet have reduced the dials on each 18-carat gold watch to their simplest form, putting elegance first while retaining the function.
Watches have always been in demand due to their risk-free investment purposes. However, the trend to seek out vintage has recently reached stratospheric heights, with collectors and enthusiasts seeking out classic timepieces that have stood the test of time. Acknowledging Williams' natural fit for the collaboration, François-Henry Bennahmias, chief executive officer, said in a statement, 'This is the first time we have dressed the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore simultaneously, and it was a natural fit thanks to Matthew's clean, contemporary design! That is the beauty of this collaboration: the synergies are such that we have taken each other to the next level.'
With hardware accessories being a core staple to the ALYX brand, it's no wonder that designing a watch is as easy as creating a fashion collection for Williams, who is also creative director at Givenchy. A couple of years ago, Williams worked in conjunction with MAD Paris to release a series of 40 34mm embossed Alyx-branded Royal Oak watches. All of these aligned with Williams' brutalist aesthetic, in the same way this collection does, making him the perfect collaborative partner in elegance, taste and style.