Following last year's AP x KAWS Royal Oak Concept watch release, Audemars Piguet has announced a new collaboration with the founders of Tokyo-based streetwear and jewellery brand Ambush, Yoon Ahn and Verbal. The sublime engineering of this 38.55 mm version features the 72-hour Calibre 2982 and a flying tourbillon framed in red, limited to 150 pieces.
Born in 2002 as Audemars Piguet's experimental laboratory, the Royal Oak Concept has always existed outside convention. The Concept, with its angular case form, is a forward-leaning counterpoint to Gerald Genta's original, classical geometry. For its latest chapter, Audemars Piguet has collaborated with Yoon Ahn and Verbal on a technically accomplished watch, with a semi-skeletonised, architecturally layered dial and tourbillon at six o’clock.
Verbal, co-founder of Ambush, wears the Audemars Piguet Concept watch
A pop of red in the tourbillon cage is the only point of colour in the monochrome design, a signature hue of the Tokyo duo. 'Red has always been a powerful colour for us,' says Verbal, adding, 'while the tourbillon cage represents the heart of the watch, the force that keeps everything in motion. Red evokes the Earth’s core: the origin point, the source of energy and, ultimately, the beginning of how we measure time itself.'
The dial, revealing the inner workings of the Calibre 2892, sparkles in a polished black aventurine, a rare colour in this type of glass, with its metal fragments creating a delicate glitter from the smallest sliver of light.
Compared to previous incarnations of the Concept collection, this smaller size made its debut in 2024. With its fiercely faceted titanium case, it is strong despite its everyday, wearable size. Fans of the brand will recognise the crown and bolted-down bezel as timeless family traits, this time embellished on a slim 11.4mm matte titanium main case, which is fitted with an interchangeable black rubber strap.
The Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon is a key part of Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta's refresh at the company, since she took on the role at the start of 2024. Like the standard-bearing Genta creation that is its forebear, it sets the standard for continuing collaborations in art, fashion and design.