Audemars Piguet launched its first watch in collaboration with Marvel Entertainment last night—the Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther” Flying Tourbillon.
The Swiss manufacturer launched the limited edition of 250 pieces during a virtual event, hosted by actor Kevin Hart and featuring Audemars Piguet’s Chief Executive Officer François-Henry Bennahmias, with LeBron James, Serena Williams, Ian Poulter, Anthony Joshua, Lu Han, Jon Gray and Mark Ronson.
The event also featured an auction for a one-of-a kind version of the Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther” Flying Tourbillon, which featured bidders from across the world all vying for the unique watch.
The auction started at $100,000, and worked its way up to $5.2 million by the time the night was through.
The watch itself is “rooted in ancestral craftsmanship and advanced technology,” according to Audemars Piguet, “celebrating the Manufacture’s long-held values of tradition, innovation and family embodied by Marvel’s Black Panther character.”
The 42 mm watch is powered by Calibre 2965, with a dial that brings together the pulsating flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock with y carved and hand-painted rendition of Marvel’s Black Panther, comprised of white gold.
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The auction was held to support the long-term educational programme Audemars Piguet has established with First Book and Ashoka to support education for low-income and excluded communities.
Serena Williams, Ian Poulter and Anthony Joshua also auctioned off dedicated lots to support the initative.
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