Model Victoria Lopyreva spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Victoria Lopyreva, best known internationally as an official ambassador for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, was photographed wearing a piece that would stop any serious collector mid-stride: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin Openworked in stainless steel, reference 26518ST, limited to a production run of just 100 examples globally.

The 26518ST is built around Calibre 2924, a manually wound skeletonised movement that Audemars Piguet developed to honour the Royal Oak's defining obsession with thinness. At 6.4mm total case height — extraordinary for a tourbillon complication — the movement achieves its slimness through a flying tourbillon architecture that eliminates the upper bridge, allowing an unobstructed view of the rotating cage at 6 o'clock. The 41mm stainless steel case retains the iconic octagonal bezel with eight hex-head screws, designed by Gérald Genta for the 1972 original, here executed in polished and satin-finished steel that frames the skeletonised dial with characteristic AP precision.

From a collector standpoint, the openworked Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin occupies a distinct tier within the AP universe. It combines two of the manufacture's most celebrated pillars — the Royal Oak's industrial-chic aesthetic and Le Brassus's expertise in grand complications — into a package that is genuinely wearable rather than purely ceremonial. The steel configuration of the 26518ST is particularly coveted: precious metal variants exist, but steel keeps the piece closer to the sport-watch DNA Genta originally envisioned, and the 100-piece limitation makes any example a serious acquisition.

Lopyreva's connection to luxury timepieces is not incidental. As a high-profile public figure who represented Russia's largest sporting event on the world stage, her personal aesthetic vocabulary leans deliberately international and aspirational. Choosing an AP tourbillon — rather than a more obvious fashion statement — suggests direct engagement with the collector market rather than a stylist's shortcut.

At a UK list price of approximately £165,000, the Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin Openworked 26518ST sits firmly in grand complication territory. On the secondary market, limited-production AP tourbillons in steel have demonstrated consistent demand, with grey-market premiums reflecting both the restricted allocation and the growing global appetite for complications that remain legible and wearable in equal measure.