Watch Paparazzi

Singer Pharrell William spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Pharrell Williams was recently spotted wearing one of the most technically singular timepieces Audemars Piguet has ever released — the Royal Oak Offshore Concept Tourbillon in Alacrite, reference 25980AI.OO.D003SU.01, a watch that stops conversations among serious collectors the moment it appears on a wrist.

Introduced as part of AP's Concept watch series in the mid-2000s, the Royal Oak Offshore Concept CW1 was conceived as a laboratory on the wrist rather than a conventional luxury product. The case material alone sets it apart: Alacrite 602 is a cobalt-chromium superalloy developed for aerospace applications, prized for its extreme hardness, corrosion resistance, and near-hypoallergenic properties. It machines differently from titanium or steel, and working with it demanded entirely new tooling at AP's Le Brassus manufacture. The result is a 44mm case of distinctly industrial character, paired with a skeleton dial that exposes the flying tourbillon movement in near-total transparency.

The calibre within the reference 25980AI.OO.D003SU.01 is a manually wound flying tourbillon, architecturally stripped of every gram of unnecessary material. Bridges and plates are openworked to the structural minimum, and the movement is finished with a deliberate technical aesthetic rather than traditional Geneva stripes or beveling — consistent with AP's Concept philosophy that form should follow engineering logic. The rubber strap with deployant clasp reinforces the sports-laboratory character of the piece.

Limited to 150 examples globally, the Royal Oak Offshore Concept CW1 has never been a watch for the casual AP buyer. It sits above the standard Offshore tourbillon range in both complexity and rarity, and secondary market appearances are genuinely infrequent. Collectors who focus on AP's more experimental references treat Concept pieces as a distinct category — closer to Richard Mille territory in terms of material innovation, yet carrying the full weight of AP's horological heritage.

Pharrell Williams has worn AP references ranging from bejeweled Royal Oak Offshore chronographs to rare limited editions, consistently demonstrating genuine knowledge of the brand's deeper catalogue rather than surface-level luxury acquisition. Spotting the Alacrite Concept CW1 on his wrist confirms he is operating at the collector level where technical rarity matters as much as aesthetic impact. With a UK RRP of approximately £155,000, this is not a watch that arrives in any boutique window.