A huge fan of the stainless steel openworked Royal Oaks, Garcia’s design is inspired by the Burning Man festival
“When you think of a luxury watch, it’s always something shiny and sleek. I wanted to design a timepiece that looked aged and worn – not your usual glossy trinket. I felt only a manufacture like Audemars Piguet could make such a severe concept desirable and different from other luxury watches,” says London-based Sunny Garcia, who had never thought of designing a watch before he signed up for ‘Your Take On The Royal Oak’.
For his version of the Royal Oak, Garcia rewinded back to the time when Gerald Genta had just introduced this unconventional luxury sports watch in steel. “I began considering an alternate timeline where the Royal Oak design was just too avant garde for the period. A disheartened Gerald Genta gave up and threw his prototype into the ocean (as that’s where he drew his original inspiration from). Fast forward 50 years. This watch is found washed up on a beach somewhere. Aesthetically, what would it look like?” says Garcia.
To shape his concept into a compelling design, Garcia started researching terms like ‘beach metal’, ‘rusted metal’, ‘rusted art’ and 'rusted metal art’. Eventually, he went down a rabbit hole of images from the Burning Man festival. “I was struck by the vivid colors, especially at night, and wanted to include some of that influence in my design. I felt this would act as a counterweight, contrasting the overall visual aesthetic I was pursuing,” he explains. While the overall look and feel of Garcia’s version of the Royal Oak is raw and rugged, the lumed neon rainbow hour-markers and moon phase brighten up the dial in the most charming way. “It was important that although my design concept was quite severe, the finished visual still felt light, organic, and beautiful. I think I achieved this with the combination of the original idea and the bright visuals from Burning Man,” he says.
An advertising agency professional, Garcia works in a fast paced environment where no two days are the same. He helps his clients with creative ideas to grow and develop a range of products and services. “The work I produce typically lasts only a couple of weeks or a few months at the most and is visually quite disposable, so I’m excited to be involved in the creation of a physical object that is built to last,” he says.
Garcia’s favorite design icons include artists like Ralph Steadman, Grayson Perry, Shephard Fairey and David LaChapelle. “I love the refinement of Peter Saville, the chaos of David Carson, and the power of Sebastião Salgado. When it comes to watches, I’d say I’m a huge fan of the stainless steel openworked Royal Oaks, I think they are unparalleled. For me, they perfectly marry the original spirit of Genta’s design with the exceptional quality and attention to detail of Audemars Piguet in the 21st century,” he says.
Looking forward to his visit to the AP manufacture in Le Brassus, Garcia is keen on discovering the brand’s creative process. “I really enjoy hearing stories along the lines of ‘this was my grandfather's watch, he wore it every day’. I have visions of my future generations holding and appreciating the watch I designed long after I am gone. It would be nice to be a very small footnote in the history of an extremely prestigious company,” he says.
Watch the video to get to know Sunny:
