Rapper Pras Michel spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Pras Michel, the Haitian-American rapper best known as a founding member of the Fugees, was recently spotted on the wrist with one of the most rarefied pieces in Audemars Piguet's entire catalogue: the Tradition Tourbillon Minute Repeater Chronograph in titanium, reference 26564IC, limited to a mere 10 examples globally.

The ref. 26564IC is built around Calibre 2936, a manually wound movement of extraordinary complexity that integrates three of watchmaking's most coveted grand complications simultaneously. The flying tourbillon rotates on a one-minute cycle and is positioned at 6 o'clock, while the column-wheel-controlled chronograph with vertical clutch operates independently of the acoustic complication. The minute repeater — the centerpiece of the watch — strikes the hours, quarter-hours, and minutes on demand via a slide on the case band, producing a sound refined by AP's acoustic engineers through careful case geometry. The titanium case measures 44mm and was chosen precisely for its resonance properties, allowing the repeater's gongs to project with greater clarity than gold or steel.

The Tradition collection occupies a specific and deliberate position within the Audemars Piguet universe. Launched to showcase the manufacture's historic movement-making expertise away from the Royal Oak's sporty aesthetic, Tradition references carry architectural dials — often skeletonized or partially open — that read more like horological instruments than dress watches. Reference 26564IC sits at the absolute apex of that lineage. With a production run of 10 pieces, it is not merely a limited edition but an allocation-level artifact, the kind of watch that reaches clients through long-standing relationships with AP's private client division rather than any public sale.

Pras Michel has long maintained a profile as a serious collector with a taste for technical and avant-garde horology, consistent with someone who wears a watch retailing at approximately £380,000 not as a status symbol but as a statement of genuine connoisseurship. His choice of the titanium variant over a precious-metal configuration underscores an appreciation for the acoustic and mechanical logic behind the piece.

On the grey market, examples of the 26564IC are essentially theoretical — no meaningful secondary market exists given the 10-piece production limit and the profile of buyers who typically acquire them. Retail pricing is confirmed at £380,000 in the UK, placing the USD equivalent above $480,000 at current rates. If one ever surfaces at auction, competitive bidding would likely push the hammer price well beyond list.