Watch Paparazzi

Model Victoria Lopyreva spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Victoria Lopyreva, the Russian model and face of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, was photographed wearing one of Audemars Piguet's most architecturally extreme creations: the Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon in titanium, reference 26560IO. The sighting places serious horological hardware on a wrist better known for red carpets and sporting ceremonies — and it holds up under scrutiny.

The Royal Oak Concept line was introduced in 2002 as AP's laboratory for avant-garde complications, deliberately freed from the design constraints of the mainline Royal Oak. The ref. 26560IO represents a mature evolution of that philosophy. It measures 44mm in grade 5 titanium — lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and dramatically dark in finishing — and runs to a depth of 14.65mm. The case retains the iconic octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet DNA of Gérald Genta's original 1972 Royal Oak, but the dial is replaced entirely by an openworked movement architecture that exposes every functional component.

At the heart of the watch is the manually wound Calibre 2954, beating at 21,600 vph with a 72-hour power reserve. The movement delivers a flying tourbillon — positioned prominently at 6 o'clock — alongside a GMT function that tracks a second time zone via a dedicated 24-hour indicator. The "IO" suffix in the reference denotes the specific case and strap configuration, here rendered in titanium with a rubber strap integration. Legibility is intentionally secondary to technical theatre; this is a movement you read as much as you wear.

For collectors, the Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon occupies a specific and respected niche: it is mechanically credible rather than merely decorative, produced in limited numbers, and represents genuine in-house manufacture at the highest level of complexity AP publicly offers in this case architecture. Grey market activity on the Concept family has remained stable, reflecting both its niche appeal and the difficulty of acquiring examples through authorised channels.

Lopyreva's connection to AP feels considered rather than incidental. As an official World Cup ambassador she commanded global visibility in 2018, and the 26560IO — UK list price approximately £165,500 — is precisely the kind of statement piece that functions in that arena. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon ref. 26560IO on her wrist is a legitimate watch choice, not a stylist's afterthought.