“Hybrid children watch the sea…pray for father roaming free.” So goes one of the most hair-raising and spooky verses from Metallica’s Lovecraftian-themed “The Thing That Should Not Be” in their 1986 Master Of Puppets album. The foreboding intonation about Cthulhu’s spawn seems to apply just a bit to this jaw-dropping, provocative horological monstrosity…which likewise, might also be something terrible to behold. Yet, like the hideous and supremely powerful Great Old One, the two watches which spawned it were intended for a life at sea, both with bezels inspired by ship portholes. Of course, both luxury legends also sprang into existence out of the fertile, creative mind of the late Gerald Genta, arguably the most celebrated watch designer in history.
So I guess fathers (plural) would be more fitting, but you get the idea: this concept piece by the shadowy brand “Genius Watches” is a literal 50/50 joining of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus designs, watches which are so similar in certain ways, with a shared lineage, yet so, so different. Who’d have ever thought somebody would have thought to hybridize these two superstars, who shared a genesis from Mr. Genta during the 1970s?? But if you’d ever wondered, here it is, at least in theory, with half of its dial having the Royal Oak’s grande tapisserie waffle pattern, and half the horizontally striated Nautilus dial; the bezel, too, shows the similar yet distinctly differing porthole approach of both houses in equal measure, part having the hexagonal screws of the AP contender, and the other being barren of such decor in the way of Patek Philippe. Continuing the theme, the upper half of the bracelet reproduces the Nautilus integrated bracelet, with the lower showing the distinctly different form AP is known for. (One thing that both its “fathers” have–but it won’t be getting–is a particularly refined or rare movement, instead relying on a workhorse Sellita base.) The price of this provocation, while nowhere even near the galaxy of an AP Royal Oak or Patek Philippe Nautilus in any metal, will still reportedly set you back slightly more than a steel Omega Seamaster 300m Diver, a value proposition that is…assuredly questionable, to put it politely. But then again, what price can one put on a good, hardcore luxury trolling session these days?
This thing is wild, upsetting, humorous, and scandalous. I don’t love it–and I don’t see how I ever could. In fact, I quite loathe it. BUT, I must admit that I do admire how brash the creator is, even if they aren’t being particularly original beyond the process of creating discord and keeping discussion lively. A look at the cryptic Genius Watches website shows that this seems to be exactly the creative inspiration though, so draw from that what you will. Let’s face it, as much as we love the powerhouse high luxury brands–and AP and PP are both at the pinnacle of that elite group–the hype has become excessive…so, maybe, just maybe, a little comic relief at their expense now and again will keep us watch geeks from taking things so seriously. (Doubtful, that.) And, according to scuttlebutt from around the web, the watch has received no blessings from Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, or the estate of Genta, so one may assume it will likely receive a firing squad death of lawsuits-as-bullets from every direction before it even sees the light of day. Or, the sand of a beach. As it crawls from the depths…or, whatever. We shall see!
