Audemars Piguet has unveiled its latest watch collaboration with AMBUSH founders Yoon Ahn and Verbal, introducing a limited-edition Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon that merges Swiss craftsmanship with the duo’s sharp, futuristic visual language. Available through Audemars Piguet boutiques worldwide, the 150-piece release continues the brand’s conversation with fashion, contemporary design, and haute horlogerie.
Built around the idea of “purpose over excess,” the watch condenses the architectural codes of the Royal Oak Concept into a compact 38.5 mm titanium case that feels both technical and refined.
A watch collaboration where avant-garde fashion meets haute horlogerie
Introduced in 2002 as Audemars Piguet’s experimental platform, the Royal Oak Concept line has consistently challenged traditional watchmaking codes. For this edition, Yoon and Verbal reduce the palette to monochrome tones interrupted by a single striking detail: a red flying tourbillon cage positioned at six o’clock.
Crafted from red anodized aluminium—the first used by Audemars Piguet for a tourbillon cage—the element references the Earth’s core, symbolising energy and perpetual motion. Its intensity grounds the watch without overpowering it.
Behind the mechanism sits a black aventurine open-worked dial exposing the hand-wound Calibre 2982, created specifically for this release. The partially skeletonised movement contains 212 components and offers a 72-hour power reserve, with hand-finished surfaces catching light in constantly shifting ways.
Inside the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon’s sculptural design language
The faceted titanium case combines satin brushing, sandblasting, and polished finishes, highlighting the sharp geometry associated with the Royal Oak Concept family. Despite its architectural character, the watch remains slim at 11.4 mm thick and highly wearable.
Additional details include interchangeable black and red Micro Mosaic rubber straps, a black ceramic crown, luminescent white-gold hands, and a sapphire caseback engraved with “Audemars Piguet,” “Y/V,” and “Limited Edition.”
The release also reflects Audemars Piguet’s evolving creative direction under CEO Ilaria Resta, who continues to position the Royal Oak Concept as a space for cross-disciplinary collaborations spanning fashion, art, and music.
Read our conversation with Yoon Ahn as she discusses constant reinvention, the relationship between utility and artistic expression, and the vision guiding both AMBUSH® and Nike.
Photography courtesy of AUDEMARS PIGUET
