Audemars Piguet brings us the latest Royal Oak Concept in collaboration with Yoon Ahn and Verbal, the creative duo behind fashion label AMBUSH.
We all know Audemars Piguet likes a good watch collaboration. We have seen many examples of this over the years. From Travis Scott to Marvel and several in between. The most recent for the Le Brassus brand is a new Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon created in partnership with Yoon Ahn and Verbal, the creative duo behind the fashion label AMBUSH. Limited to 150 pieces, the new release continues AP’s ongoing push into cross-cultural collaborations, blending contemporary fashion, music, and watchmaking into a single compact Royal Oak Concept package.
Sized at 38.5mm, the latest Royal Oak Concept has been crafted in titanium and while it may be a tad more restrained than some previous iterations, it still retains the core DNA of the Royal Oak Concept. Traditionally, the Royal Oak Concept has leaned heavily into more avant-garde and out-there designs. This release takes a slightly cleaner and more wearable approach, pairing a black aventurine dial with a vivid red flying tourbillon positioned at 6 o’clock.
An AMBUSH Design Concept
The collaboration itself stems from the longstanding relationship both Yoon and Verbal have with design and contemporary culture. Yoon Ahn, best known for her work as a designer and creative director, alongside Verbal’s background in music and fashion, have built AMBUSH into one of the more recognisable names bridging luxury fashion and streetwear over the past decade. Their influence on the watch can be seen through the minimalist colour palette and focus on contrast, rather than excessive detailing.
The case construction stays true to the Royal Oak Concept DNA, with sandblasted, satin-brushed and polished surfaces giving the titanium case its layered texture. The black ceramic crown adds another subtle contrast point, while the compact dimensions make this one of the more approachable Royal Oak Concept models AP has released to date.
The red flying tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock is what draws your eye into the dial. Executed in anodised aluminium, the bright red tone contrasts sharply against the dark aventurine backdrop and openworked movement architecture. The colour is used fairly sparingly, helping anchor the dial and giving the semi-cutout aventurine dial space to shine, so to speak.
The dial itself exposes portions of the hand-wound movement, allowing a view into the gear train and openworked barrel. The architecture feels super modern without being too technical, maintaining a balance between mechanical depth and everyday wearability. Something that other Royal Oak Concepts have perhaps lacked a little in the past. Adding to the detail, mirror-polished bevels around the aventurine sections help catch light, particularly against the darker tones of the case and movement.
To complete the look, Audemars Piguet has given the new Royal Oak Concept blackened 18-carat white gold hands filled with grey luminescent material. The entire dial is encircled by a tone-on-tone inner bezel, featuring a contrasting minute tracker to preserve the coherence of the display and overall aesthetic.
A New Calibre Of Calibre
Powering the watch is Audemars Piguet’s new hand-wound Calibre 2982, developed specifically for this edition. The movement builds on the existing Calibre 2964 platform, retaining the flying tourbillon construction while introducing a slightly revised aesthetic execution to suit the collaborative piece. The flying tourbillon itself completes one rotation every minute and is supported only from below, allowing for a more open view of the regulating organ from the dial side.
The movement also carries a respectable 72-hour power reserve and operates at 3Hz. Finishing throughout includes microblasting, satin brushing and polished bevels, continuing the modern industrial style that has become synonymous with the Royal Oak Concept collection.
Red or Black?
Another practical addition here is the interchangeable strap system, marking the first time this smaller 38.5mm Royal Oak Concept case has featured the functionality. Honestly, I feel all higher-end luxury watch brands need strap interchangeability. So well done to AP on this. The watch comes fitted on a black rubber strap with AP’s “micro-mosaic” pattern, while an additional red rubber strap is included in the box for a more contrasting look. Both straps feature a quilted inner texture designed to improve comfort on the wrist.
Initial Thoughts
I’ve said in the past that watch collaborations and tributes can miss the mark easily, and few brands do it really well. Audemars Piguet is one such brand that does a good job, as to me, it takes the core model and infuses it with the DNA of the collaborator in question.
In this instance, the influence from Yoon and Verbal is reflected through the overall aesthetic direction and restrained use of colour. It also helps that the underlying platform, the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon, already lends itself well to more experimental interpretations.
The Royal Oak Concept collection itself dates back to 2002, originally introduced to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Royal Oak. Over the years, it has served as AP’s testing ground for new materials, avant-garde case construction and more experimental complications. This latest release continues that direction, albeit in a more wearable and toned-down format compared to some of the larger and more aggressive Concept pieces of the past.
With only 150 pieces being produced, availability will naturally be limited, though that’s expected for a modern Royal Oak Concept release.
Reference & Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Reference | 26643TI.OO.D002CA.01 |
| Dimensions | 38.5mm x 11.4mm thick |
| Case | Titanium, polished & brushed |
| Dial | Black aventurine openworked dial with Blackened 18-carat white gold with luminescent coating |
| Crystal | Glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback |
| Movement | Hand-wound Calibre 2982 beating at 3Hz / 21,600 vph. 212 components |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon |
| Power Reserve | 72 hours |
| Water Resistance | 20M / 2ATM |
| Strap | Black “mosaic” rubber strap with an additional red “mosaic” rubber strap with a titanium folding clasp |