Audemars Piguet and Tokyo-based label Ambush unveiled a 150-piece Audemars Piguet Ambush Royal Oak Concept 2026 Flying Tourbillon in Seoul on May 21, 2026, marking the Swiss watchmaker’s first streetwear collaboration and the first time a red anodized tourbillon cage has appeared in the maison’s history. The limited-edition piece goes on sale May 23 at Royal Oak Concept collection Houses and authorized boutiques worldwide.
The watch was co-designed by Ambush co-founders Yoon Ahn and Verbal, who reclaimed full ownership of their label from New Guards Group in April 2026. It will not be sold online.
The Watch: Specs and the First-Ever Red Tourbillon Cage
The new Royal Oak Concept measures 38.55mm in diameter and 11.4mm thick, cased in matte titanium. Inside sits Calibre 2982, a hand-wound flying tourbillon movement with a 72-hour power reserve. A black aventurine semi-skeletonised dial frames the central architecture, while an anodized red aluminum tourbillon cage rotates at 6 o’clock. Audemars Piguet confirms the red cage is a first for the brand.
Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon: Key Specs
- Case: 38.55mm matte titanium, 11.4mm thick
- Movement: Calibre 2982 hand-wound flying tourbillon
- Power reserve: 72 hours
- Dial: Black aventurine, semi-skeletonised
- Tourbillon cage: Anodized red aluminum at 6 o’clock
- Strap: Interchangeable black rubber
- Edition: 150 pieces worldwide
Yoon Ahn and Verbal: The Ambush Founders Behind the Design
Ambush was founded in Tokyo in 2008 as an experimental jewellery label by Yoon Ahn, a Korean-American designer, and Verbal, a Japanese rapper, DJ and music producer. Ahn has also served as jewelry director at Dior Men since 2018, a role that places her within the broader fine-jewelry industry tracked through programs such as the Tiffany & Co. x CFDA jewelry award.
In April 2026, the pair bought back full ownership of Ambush from New Guards Group, restoring the label’s independence ahead of this launch. The brand’s prior collaborations include Nike, Louis Vuitton, Sacai, Off-White 10×10, Colette and Dr. Martens.
Verbal has framed the red tourbillon cage as the watch’s visual anchor, citing imagery of the Earth’s core and the origin of time.
“Red has always been a powerful colour for us — the tourbillon cage represents the heart of the watch,” Verbal said.
Ahn described the design brief in simpler terms. “Balance, creating something truly universal that anyone could connect with,” she said.
Audemars Piguet CEO on the Creative Partnership
Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta said the maison “was built on collective energy” and described the Ambush partnership as a way to reinterpret the Royal Oak Concept’s architecture. The collaboration “offers a fresh lens on the Royal Oak Concept’s intricate architecture,” Resta said in a statement.
The comment tracks with AP’s accelerating fashion-world crossover strategy in 2026, a year in which the brand has positioned the Royal Oak Concept as a cultural object as much as a complication-driven timepiece.
Availability: On Sale May 23 at AP Houses Worldwide
The Audemars Piguet Ambush Royal Oak Concept 2026 will be available globally from May 23, 2026 at Audemars Piguet Houses and authorized boutiques only. Pricing has not been publicly disclosed.
For reference, comparable Royal Oak Concept models trade between roughly $119,000 and $197,000 on the secondary market. The 150-piece edition size, combined with the absence of online distribution, signals a tightly controlled allocation likely to favor existing AP clients and Houses with established waitlists. Demand context for luxury labels in this tier is reflected in the Lyst Index Q1 2026.
AP’s Accelerating Collaboration Strategy in 2026
The Ambush launch is the second high-profile Audemars Piguet collaboration announced this month. In May 2026, the brand also released “Royal Pop” with Swatch, a deliberate high-low fashion play that signals an aggressive 2026 partnership strategy across price tiers. The maison’s previous Royal Oak Concept collaboration was with the artist KAWS.
The 2026 calendar reflects a broader luxury crossover trend. Recent launches including the Louis Vuitton Color Blossom Watch, Balenciaga x Manolo Blahnik, JW Anderson x Diadora, and On x Loewe LightSpray Cloudmonster have used cross-category collaboration to expand cultural reach. Musician-led partnerships such as Calvin Klein x Jung Kook CKJK follow the same logic that Verbal embodies, while tech-fashion crossovers like Google x Gentle Monster AI glasses point to the same accelerating cross-pollination. Independent-designer recognition tracked through the LVMH Prize 2026 rounds out the picture of a luxury industry leaning hard into collaboration as a growth lever.
For Audemars Piguet, the read is clear: the Royal Oak Concept is now a fashion accessory as much as a horological showpiece, and the red tourbillon cage is the signal that the maison intends to compete on cultural ground, not just craftsmanship.
Source: WWD; additional reporting via Wallpaper*.
