Basketball player Kyrie Irving spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving was spotted last night wearing an extraordinarily rare Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon in 18k rose gold, a timepiece that represents the pinnacle of independent watchmaking craftsmanship merged with haute horlogerie complexity.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Ref. 26730OR houses the Calibre 2953 automatic movement, featuring a flying tourbillon mounted on a single bridge and visible through the sapphire caseback. The 43mm rose gold case measures 12.5mm in thickness and maintains the Royal Oak's signature octagonal bezel with integrated 18k rose gold bracelet and safety folding clasp. Water resistance reaches 100 metres, adequate for a watch of this calibre and positioning. The dial on Irving's example showcases tiger eye stone—a semi-precious material rarely employed in haute horlogerie—paired with baguette-cut diamond hour markers that catch light with precision and elegance across the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions.

The Ref. 26730OR remained in limited production across multiple years, with factory records suggesting fewer than twenty examples were ever manufactured in this specific configuration with the tiger eye dial and full diamond set. Collectors distinguish this reference from the standard 26730ST steel version and the 26730PT platinum variant, each commanding vastly different secondary market valuations. The baguette diamond specification elevates this piece into ultra-rare territory, with some sources claiming only five examples exist worldwide in this exact combination.

Kyrie Irving's choice reflects a growing trend among elite athletes toward independent manufacture timepieces that transcend typical sports watch aesthetics. The Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon sits at the intersection of technical innovation and artistic restraint—a departure from the gold sports watches favored during the 2010s toward more refined, movement-forward collecting.

Retail pricing for the Ref. 26730OR typically ranged between $420,000 and $480,000 USD at launch, though secondary market examples with this specific dial configuration and diamond specification command substantially higher premiums. Current grey-market valuations for comparable examples approach $600,000, reflecting sustained demand among collectors for limited Audemars Piguet Royal Oak variants with precious metal cases and bespoke specifications.