Serena Williams and Audemars Piguet unveil a $85,600 Royal Oak chronograph limited to 500 pieces

Audemars Piguet and Serena Williams have unveiled a new Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph, limited to 500 pieces and priced at 70,000 Swiss francs, or roughly $85,600. The tennis champion, an AP ambassador since 2014, helped design the watch herself, marking a deeper collaboration than the endorsement deals typically struck by watch brands and their athletes.

The 38mm case, bezel, crown and integrated bracelet are all made from white ceramic, chosen for its durability and hand-finished with alternating satin brushing and chamfering. That hard architecture is set against a soft pink mother-of-pearl dial, a pairing Williams says was central to the design brief she brought to the project.

"Working with Audemars Piguet on this watch has been special because it reflects so many parts of who I am," Williams said in a statement. She has worn the maison's watches since becoming an ambassador in 2014, starting with a rose-gold Millenary before moving through various Royal Oaks and the Code 11.59, and has been visible in its marketing for more than a decade.

"I've always believed that strength and feminine energy can exist side by side," Williams explains. "The white ceramic feels strong and resilient, while the pink mother-of-pearl dial brings warmth and softness." She adds that every detail was intentional, calling the watch a reminder that power and grace are not opposites.

What sits on the dial

Luminescent white-gold hands and matching applied hour markers are against the pink mother-of-pearl surface, alongside three subdials ringed with rhodium-toned threads. A pink date window carries contrasting white numerals, continuing the colorway that also runs through the pink rubber strap and its white ceramic studs.

That strap closes with a titanium AP folding clasp, matching the case metal used elsewhere on the piece. The design borrows its octagonal bezel, hexagonal screws and tri-compax subdial arrangement from the original Royal Oak chronograph that Audemars Piguet launched in 1997, updated here for Williams.

The movement inside the case

The chronograph runs on Calibre 6401, the in-house movement Audemars Piguet launched earlier this year to replace the long-serving Calibre 2385. It uses a patented vertical-clutch system that the maison says smooths activation and improves reliability, and it carries a power reserve of 55 hours.

Through the sapphire caseback, the movement shows Cotes de Geneve striping, circular graining, polishing and satin brushing, the standard vocabulary of haute horlogerie finishing. The titanium frame around that caseback is engraved with the words "limited edition," marking each of the 500 numbered pieces.

Where this fits at Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet's watches typically start around $17,000, with its most expensive pieces reaching well over $100,000, so the Williams chronograph sits toward the upper end of that range. The brand belongs to the small group we consider the summit of haute horlogerie alongside Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, a trio we call the classic holy trinity in our guide to the best luxury watch brands.

That guide ranks brands on heritage, in-house movement-making, value retention and design language, and it places Rolex above the trinity for build quality and near-unrivaled resale value. Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak line, first designed by Gerald Genta in 1972, remains central to that reputation, and this chronograph extends its steel-and-ceramic sports-watch identity into a named athlete collaboration.

Her involvement in this design, rather than a simple face-of-the-brand arrangement, marks a shift toward athletes shaping the product rather than merely wearing it.

Readers drawn to the ceramic and mother-of-pearl combination can also browse Audemars Piguet's wider catalog, including past Royal Oak references, through third-party retailer Jomashop, where inventory and pricing vary by model and are not fixed by the brand's own list.

Audemars Piguet has not said whether the Serena Williams chronograph will be sold through boutiques generally or reserved for select clients, nor whether further colorways or a men's version are planned. The 500-piece run and the Swiss franc price stand as the only terms disclosed so far.