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Royal Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, the younger brother of Qatar's Emir and a prominent figure on the international sporting circuit, was recently spotted wearing one of Audemars Piguet's most technically ambitious Royal Oak Offshore references — the Flying Tourbillon Flyback Chronograph in titanium, reference 26622TI. The sighting places a watch of genuine horological rarity firmly in the public eye.

The 26622TI is built around Audemars Piguet's Calibre 2897, an in-house movement that simultaneously deploys a flying tourbillon — positioned at 6 o'clock without a structural bridge obscuring the cage — and a column-wheel flyback chronograph. The flyback function allows the chronograph to be reset and restarted in a single pusher action rather than three, a complication historically associated with pilots and military timekeeping. Running at 21,600 vph with a 65-hour power reserve, the movement is finished to AP's characteristic haute horlogerie standard with bevelled bridges and côtes de Genève. The 44mm case is machined from grade 5 titanium — notably lighter and more corrosion-resistant than steel — and pairs with the signature Royal Oak Offshore octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet architecture that Gerald Genta's 1993 Offshore brief demanded.

With production capped at 100 pieces globally, the 26622TI occupies rarefied territory even within AP's limited-edition catalogue. Collectors regard flying tourbillon flyback references as apex-level Royal Oak Offfshore pieces — the combination of two independently complex mechanisms in a single movement, executed in-house, represents years of movement development. The reference has consequently attracted serious attention on the secondary market since its release.

Sheikh Joaan's choice is contextually coherent. As a lifelong equestrian and the architect of Qatar's Olympic programme, he gravitates toward performance-oriented complications, and the flyback chronograph's sporting heritage aligns naturally with his professional identity. Gulf royal collectors have long been among AP's most significant clients, and a 100-piece titanium tourbillon flyback is precisely the kind of allocation that reaches that tier first.

At a list price of approximately $258,000, the 26622TI already commands a premium position in AP's catalogue. On the grey market, given the 100-piece limitation and the complexity of the movement, prices have tracked meaningfully above retail, reflecting sustained collector demand for grand complication Royal Oak Offshore references in lightweight metals.