Audemars Piguet 26516OR

So far in the Watch Paparazzi database, the Audemars Piguet 26516OR has been spotted on one wearer: Colombian reggaeton star Maluma. That may be a short list numerically, but it says a great deal about who this watch is actually aimed at. With a retail price of $195,430, the 26516OR sits firmly at the top end of the Royal Oak range, and the profile of the person wearing it reflects that. Maluma occupies a space in global pop culture where jewellery and high-end watches function as both personal expression and professional statement — and choosing a manually wound flying tourbillon in 18k pink gold rather than a more visible or accessible Royal Oak model suggests a level of deliberate connoisseurship rather than simple brand recognition.

The 26516OR is not a watch you walk into a boutique and buy. Audemars Piguet produces flying tourbillon references in very limited numbers, and pink gold versions of the Royal Oak Extra-Thin at this complication level are among the hardest to acquire through authorised channels. On the secondary market, examples have traded at or above retail, reflecting genuine scarcity rather than speculative inflation. For context, the broader Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin family consistently ranks among the most waitlisted references across the entire AP catalogue, and the 26516OR in pink gold is a step above even that already restricted tier.

The reference is built around Calibre 2924, a manually wound flying tourbillon measuring just 3.95mm thick, housed in a 41mm pink gold case. Maluma's visibility in Latin America, the United States and Europe — across music, fashion and social media — has helped put this otherwise low-profile reference in front of a large audience that may not have encountered it through traditional watch media.

More Audemars Piguet references worn by celebrities

• Audemars Piguet 15400ST.OO.1220ST.02 (24 celebrities)
• Audemars Piguet 26401RO️ (21 celebrities)
• Audemars Piguet 26320OR.️ (20 celebrities)
• Audemars Piguet 15407OR️ (20 celebrities)
• Audemars Piguet 26579CB (20 celebrities)
• Audemars Piguet 26400SO.OO.A002CA.01 (20 celebrities)
• Audemars Piguet 26331ST (19 celebrities)
• Audemars Piguet 26470OR (18 celebrities)

See all Audemars Piguet references →