AMBUSH’s YOON and VERBAL Put a Red Tourbillon at the Heart of Their Collaborative Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept

by

Summary

  • Audemars Piguet and AMBUSH co-founders YOON and VERBAL announce a 150-piece limited edition Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon, featuring a black aventurine open-worked dial and a red anodized aluminum flying tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock — a first in AP’s history
  • The watch is powered by the manually wound Caliber 2982, an evolution of Caliber 2964 developed specifically for this edition, with approximately 72 hours of power reserve and 212 components in a movement 6mm thick
  • The 38.5mm titanium case comes with two interchangeable “Micro Mosaic” rubber straps in black and red, with a quilted inner lining and titanium AP folding buckle

Audemars Piguet teamed up with YOON and VERBAL, the founders of AMBUSH, to create a limited-edition Royal Oak Concept watch. Only 150 will be made. This new watch features a striking design, including a red aluminum tourbillon cage – a first for Audemars Piguet – and a unique black aventurine dial. It’s housed in a 38.5mm titanium case and runs on the manually-wound Caliber 2982 movement.

The Caliber 2982 is an excellent starting point, built as an improved version of the 2964. This manually wound movement is incredibly thin at just 6mm and contains 212 individual parts within a 29.5mm diameter. It operates at 3Hz (21,600 beats per hour) and offers around 72 hours of power. Its design deliberately showcases the inner workings, stripping away unnecessary elements to reveal what makes it tick. Skilled artisans have applied microblast, satin, and polished finishes to the gears and mainspring, creating a visually rich effect that changes with the light. The tourbillon, a rotating cage completing a full rotation each minute, is uniquely supported from below, leaving the balance wheel and escapement fully visible from above.

Okay, so this tourbillon cage is seriously cool – it’s where the real innovation happens. They finished the top plate in red using a special process called anodizing aluminum, which Audemars Piguet has never done before. It’s not just about looks, though; getting that precision on something so tiny and vital to the watch’s movement was a huge engineering challenge. The designer, Verbal, actually has a really interesting take on the red color. He doesn’t see it as just decoration; he sees it as a way to draw your eye to the heart of the watch, connecting it to the earth’s core and the very beginning of time. Honestly, it works. That single red piece at 6 o’clock just pops and dominates the whole dial without being overly flashy.

The watch features a 38.5mm titanium case designed to showcase its red tourbillon movement with a striking contrast of materials. The titanium has been finished with a combination of sandblasting, satin polishing, and traditional polishing, creating a dynamic surface that changes with the light without drawing attention away from the dial. Consistent with the Royal Oak Concept line, it includes a black ceramic crown with a titanium tip and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal caseback. The caseback is subtly engraved with “Audemars Piguet,” “Y/V,” and “Limited Edition” to acknowledge the collaboration. Completing the watch are two interchangeable black and red rubber straps, both featuring a unique “Micro Mosaic” pattern and a comfortable quilted lining, secured with a titanium AP folding buckle. A separate grey rubber strap is also available.

Only 150 of the YOON & VERBAL x Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon watches will be made, and they’ll be sold exclusively at Audemars Piguet stores around the globe.

Read More

2026-05-21 13:26