Watch Paparazzi

Golfer Kiradech Aphibarnrat spotted wearing Avantist

PGA Tour professional Kiradech Aphibarnrat has been photographed wearing the watch bearing his own name — a bespoke collaboration with Thai independent watchmaker Avantist that stands among the most technically ambitious athlete co-branded timepieces produced in Southeast Asia. The sighting, captured during a professional portrait session, shows the golfer in a blue checked suit with the vivid green strap and tourmaline bezel clearly visible on his wrist, an unmistakable match to the enlarged product image alongside.

The Avantist x Kiradech Aphibarnrat piece centres on a fully skeletonized manual-winding tourbillon movement, its architecture exposed through a transparent sapphire crystal main plate — a construction technique that demands extraordinary finishing discipline since every component is visible from both dial and caseback. The rose-gold-toned bridges and cages contrast against the open negative spaces, giving the dial a dramatic, almost architectural quality. The case itself is crafted in titanium, keeping the overall weight manageable despite the complex construction within.

The bezel is set with 44 baguette-cut green tourmalines, a gemstone choice that departs from the more conventional emerald or tsavorite seen on comparable high-jewellery complications. Tourmaline in this vivid chrome-green shade is increasingly sought by gem-set watch commissioners for its optical intensity and relative rarity in calibrated baguette form. The green woven textile strap completes a cohesive colour language that clearly references Aphibarnrat's profession on the fairway.

Avantist is a Bangkok-based independent brand that has carved a niche producing highly personalised, low-volume complications for Asian collectors and celebrities. The brand's willingness to build around a client's identity — here embedding Aphibarnrat's name on the dial alongside the Avantist signature — reflects the bespoke atelier model rather than a conventional licensing arrangement. With only nine pieces produced, this collaboration sits firmly in the realm of ultra-limited personal commissions.

At an official retail price of $265,500, the Avantist x Kiradech Aphibarnrat competes directly with established Swiss independents offering tourbillon complications at similar price points. For collectors, the appeal lies less in brand heritage and more in the extreme scarcity, the sapphire plate construction, and the provenance of a genuine athlete co-creation. Grey market data for Avantist remains scarce given volume constraints, but demand within Southeast Asian collector circles for pieces of this specification is demonstrably strong.