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Boxer Anthony Joshua spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

In the weeks leading up to his high-stakes rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, Anthony Joshua was spotted on the wrist with one of Audemars Piguet's most technically loaded newcomers: the Code 11:59 Self-Winding Tourbillon in 18K pink gold, reference 26396OR. The sighting placed a watch retailing at approximately £100,000 on the wrist of a fighter with everything to prove after his shock defeat earlier that year.

The Code 11:59 collection debuted at SIHH 2019 as Audemars Piguet's most significant case design since the Royal Oak of 1972. The 26396OR sits at the apex of the lineup, measuring 41mm in 18K pink gold with a double-curved sapphire crystal that required entirely new manufacturing tooling to produce. Inside beats Calibre 2953, an in-house self-winding movement with a peripheral rotor, flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock, and a generous 65-hour power reserve. The dial is offered in a warm salmon-toned version that plays naturally against the pink gold case, framed by the collection's characteristic octagonal bezel with integrated lugs.

Collector reception to the Code 11:59 at launch was polarised — purists questioned whether it could ever rival the Royal Oak's design legacy — but the tourbillon variants attracted serious attention on their own merits. The 26396OR represents genuine haute horlogerie: a hand-finished flying tourbillon with bevelled bridges, executed entirely in-house, at a price point that places it firmly in grand complication territory. Over time, the tourbillon references have found a more appreciative audience than the entry-level Code 11:59 pieces.

Joshua has long demonstrated a preference for high-complication Swiss watches befitting his status as one of boxing's biggest commercial draws. Choosing the Code 11:59 Tourbillon — fresh off the Geneva salon circuit — in the lead-up to one of the most watched fights of 2019 underlined both his personal taste and his proximity to luxury brand culture.

At retail, the Audemars Piguet Code 11:59 Tourbillon ref. 26396OR carried a UK list price of £100,000 at launch. On the secondary market, pink gold tourbillon complications of this specification have held value steadily, with grey-market prices tracking close to or modestly above retail depending on configuration and provenance.