26620IO.OO.D077CA.01
Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther” Flying Tourbillon
Lug width: Integrated bracelet
Source: Database- Attachment
- integrated
- Status
- Listed in our database, not yet verified
The story · Since 2002
The story of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept
It began in 2002 as a one-off stylistic exercise for the Royal Oak's 30th birthday, cut from an aerospace alloy no watch had used. Nineteen years later a unique Black Panther version sold for US$5.20m, an all-time record for the brand at auction.
- 2002 to 2004 A stylistic exercise for thirty Audemars Piguet marked the Royal Oak's 30th anniversary with the Concept, known internally as CW1.
- 2008 to 2011 Carbon and a second time zone The 2008 Concept Carbon used a forged carbon case and turned the mainplate into the dial, with a 237-hour power reserve from calibre 2895.
- 2015 to 2016 A driver's request, a louder chime In late 2010 Michael Schumacher asked AP for a mechanical watch able to time consecutive laps; the Laptimer arrived in 2015 after almost five years of work.
- 2021 to 2023 Superheroes on the tourbillon A partnership with Marvel, opened with help from actor Don Cheadle, put a hand-painted white gold Black Panther over the flying tourbillon in 2021, in a new 42 mm case limited to 250 pieces.
- 2023 to 2025 A new case and quick straps The Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date of 2023 introduced a 43 mm titanium case and the first interchangeable strap of the collection.
237 hours
power reserve of the twin-barrel calibre 2895 in the 2008 Concept Carbon
Worn by
Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Don Cheadle, Serena Williams, LeBron James
Read the full storyHide the story
237 hourspower reserve of the twin-barrel calibre 2895 in the 2008 Concept Carbon
430Vickers hardness of the Alacrite 602 used for the 2002 case
US$5.20mprice of the unique white gold Black Panther, an AP auction record in 2021
221pieces of the Laptimer, one per point-scoring Schumacher race
Chapters
- 2002 to 2004
A stylistic exercise for thirty
Audemars Piguet marked the Royal Oak's 30th anniversary with the Concept, known internally as CW1. Its 44 mm case was cut from Alacrite 602, a cobalt-based alloy from aerospace and medicine, under a titanium bezel. It was meant as a single experiment, and the brand's heritage director later called it a mere stylistic exercise.
- 2008 to 2011
Carbon and a second time zone
The 2008 Concept Carbon used a forged carbon case and turned the mainplate into the dial, with a 237-hour power reserve from calibre 2895. In 2011 the GMT Tourbillon paired a satin titanium case with a ceramic bezel and added a second time indicator at 3 o'clock.
- 2015 to 2016
A driver's request, a louder chime
In late 2010 Michael Schumacher asked AP for a mechanical watch able to time consecutive laps; the Laptimer arrived in 2015 after almost five years of work. The same year the RD#1 prototype opened the Supersonnerie story, a minute repeater eight years in the making, which went into series in 2016.
- 2021 to 2023
Superheroes on the tourbillon
A partnership with Marvel, opened with help from actor Don Cheadle, put a hand-painted white gold Black Panther over the flying tourbillon in 2021, in a new 42 mm case limited to 250 pieces. Spider-Man followed in May 2023, suspended in a skeletonised calibre.
- 2023 to 2025
A new case and quick straps
The Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date of 2023 introduced a 43 mm titanium case and the first interchangeable strap of the collection. The case later came in CFT carbon, and a 43 mm Tourbillon designed with the artist KAWS put a COMPANION figure at its heart.
Worn by
Jay-ZMusic2019
Wore a Royal Oak Concept Carbon, launched at SIHH 2008, while finalising his partnership deal with the NFL.
Pharrell WilliamsMusic2014
Appeared at the BET Awards wearing a Royal Oak Carbon Concept; the report says he moved from skeleton Royal Oaks to the Concept line.
Don CheadleScreen2021
The actor who brought AP and Marvel together wore the Black Panther Flying Tourbillon after its launch.
Serena WilliamsSport2021
An AP ambassador, she wore the Black Panther Flying Tourbillon after its 2021 launch.
LeBron JamesSport2021
Wore the Black Panther Flying Tourbillon; he had collaborated on an AP watch in 2013.
Tamara RalphCulture2024
The couturier was photographed wearing the frosted gold Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon she designed with AP.
Moments
2023. A one-of-a-kind Black Suit Spider-Man Concept, in white gold with luminous spider legs on the case flanks, sold for US$6.2 million at a charity auction in Dubai on the night the Spider-Man edition launched.
2022. Phillips Hong Kong sold a titanium Black Panther Flying Tourbillon, ref. 26620IO, one of 250, for HK$3,024,000 against an estimate of HK$1,200,000 to 2,400,000.
2021. At the launch on 10 April 2021, a unique white gold Black Panther (ref. 26623BC) sold for US$5.20m at a live charity auction for First Book and Ashoka, over 30 times the standard model's retail price.
2015. The Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher was the first time AP developed a movement from scratch at an ambassador's request. Schumacher had asked for a way to time consecutive laps without a bank of stopwatches; the edition of 221 matches his point-scoring F1 races.
Designed by
Claude Emmeneggerdesigner2002
At Audemars Piguet from 1999 to 2003, he worked on the first Concept for two years with the movement side, starting from new materials and curved shapes he could not apply to the Royal Oak itself.
Tamara Ralphco-designer2024
The couturier designed the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon Tamara Ralph Limited Edition, with a frosted gold bezel and concentric bronze-hued discs inside.
KAWSco-designer
The artist co-designed a 43 mm titanium Concept Tourbillon with a miniature COMPANION figure at its centre and a peripheral time display.
Awards
- 2016Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève · Mechanical Exception PrizeReference 26577TI.OO.D002CA.01
The Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie, a minute repeater, won the Mechanical Exception category.
- 2002Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève · Technical Innovation and Complication Watch Prize
The first Concept won the GPHG prize for technical innovation in 2002.
Generations and strap changes
- 2023Ref. 26650TI Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date
Selfwinding split-seconds flyback calibre 4407 with GMT and large date.
New 43 mm by 17.4 mm case; first interchangeable strap of the line, a click and release system built into the case and the triple-blade clasp.
- 2021Ref. 26620IO Black Panther Flying Tourbillon
Titanium and black ceramic, hand-wound calibre 2965, a hand-engraved white gold Black Panther over the tourbillon, 250 pieces.
New 42 mm Concept case; purple AP rubber strap, titanium deployant clasp and an extra rubber strap.
- 2020Ref. 26589IO Flying Tourbillon GMT
Blue and grey colourways of the 2018 Flying Tourbillon GMT, calibre 2954 with a 10-day reserve.
44 mm by 16.1 mm; blue rubber strap with titanium folding clasp plus an additional black rubber strap.
- 2018Ref. 26227BC Flying Tourbillon
The first Concept for women, in white gold with a diamond-set openworked dial and inner bezel.
First significantly smaller case: 38.5 mm.
- 2016Ref. 26577TI Supersonnerie
Series version of the RD#1 minute repeater, with gongs fixed to a soundboard and caseback apertures, plus tourbillon and chronograph.
44 mm titanium case.
- 2015Ref. 26221FT Laptimer Michael Schumacher
Two independent chronograph hands timing consecutive laps, limited to 221 pieces for Schumacher's point-scoring races.
44 mm forged carbon case with titanium bezel and caseback.
- 2011Ref. 26560IO GMT Tourbillon
Titanium and ceramic, with a crown position indicator, a tourbillon and a second time zone set by a pusher at 4 o'clock.
- 2008Ref. 26265FO Concept Carbon
Forged carbon case with black ceramic bezel and crown, linear chronograph counter and calibre 2895 with 237 hours of reserve.
- 2002Ref. 25980 (CW1)
The first Concept: a hand-wound tourbillon calibre 2896 with a torque indicator and an R, N, H function selector worked by a pusher at 4 o'clock. The movement was made by Renaud & Papi.
Case of 44 mm in Alacrite 602 and titanium.