In the heart of Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux, time doesn’t just tick – it plays a rhythm that has echoed for 150 years. And this year, Audemars Piguet, the Swiss horlogerie powerhouse, is celebrating its sesquicentennial with something bigger than a wristwatch. Marking the moment with a beat that bridges past and present, AP has invited musical icons Mark Ronson and Raye to co-create a sonic homage to the brand’s legacy.
Enter Suzanne, a new track written and performed by Raye, produced by Ronson and released as a part of the brand’s ongoing cultural programme. Rather than just releasing a commemorative edition of a Royal Oak (though we wouldn’t mind that either), AP has leaned into what it does best: craftsmanship, emotion and innovation. This time, through sound.
Suzanne is a brooding, emotionally rich ballad that explores vulnerability and identity. Its haunting piano and stirring vocals sit at the intersection of music and memory – an apt metaphor for a watchmaker that’s spent a century and a half crafting legacy into every tick. The lyrics read like pages from a private diary, while the arrangement is pure Ronson: cinematic, spacious and steeped in feeling.
Directed by Theodor Guelat, the accompanying short film Synching Sounds 150 offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of Suzanne – not just the music, but the ethos. Blurring the lines between music production and mechanical artistry, the film is both an ode to the past and a meditation on how timelessness is made – layer by layer, component by component.
Raye, who just made history at the 2024 BRIT Awards with a record-breaking six wins, brings unfiltered honesty and soul to the project. “Making Suzanne with Mark Ronson was a kind of miracle and discovering the song’s underlying connection with the brand’s history was mind-blowing!” she says. “I’m truly honoured to be working with AP and the legendary Mark Ronson. I love this song and am so proud of it… it feels like everything was meant to be.” It’s a natural pairing: her voice, a finely tuned instrument in its own right, feels as intricately built as a tourbillon.
Ronson, who’s been collaborating with Audemars Piguet since 2022, echoes that sentiment: “This collaboration isn’t just another project – it’s something we’ve poured ourselves into completely… all night tracking sessions in London, New York and Los Angeles. The music we’ve created together carries both our musical DNA but takes us somewhere neither of us would have reached alone.”
For Audemars Piguet, the connection between timekeeping and music is more than thematic – it’s philosophical. Both require discipline, intuition and a refusal to compromise on quality. Both are built to last. And both, when done right, speak directly to the soul.
Founded in 1875, this isn’t the brand’s first foray into the cultural space, but it’s one of its most resonant. The project signals a confident stride forward – one where heritage and experimentation coexist, where luxury isn’t about status, but about story. As Suzanne plays on, we’re reminded that time, like music, is only meaningful when you feel it.
Photography courtesy of Audemars Piguet.
