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Musician DJ Khaled spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

DJ Khaled was spotted in Paris having just acquired one of the most visually arresting limited editions Audemars Piguet has produced in recent memory: the Royal Oak Concept 'Black Panther' Flying Tourbillon, reference 26620IO. The pickup, shared across social media with characteristic enthusiasm, adds another trophy piece to a collection that has long been a barometer of what the watch world's most visible collectors are chasing.

The Royal Oak Concept 26620IO is limited to 250 numbered examples and was unveiled as part of AP's ongoing Marvel collaboration. The case measures 42mm and is constructed from grade 5 titanium paired with black ceramic, finished with the angular, multi-faceted architecture that defines the Concept line. At its heart sits Calibre 2965, a hand-wound flying tourbillon movement beating at 21,600 vph with a 72-hour power reserve. The dial is where the watch earns its name: a three-dimensional Black Panther figure crouches at 9 o'clock, rotating in synchrony with the tourbillon cage — a micro-sculpture requiring individual hand-finishing that accounts for a significant portion of the movement's production complexity.

Within collector circles, the Royal Oak Concept series has always occupied a distinct position — these are not dress watches or straightforward sports references, but deliberate exercises in pushing AP's manufacture capabilities toward the theatrical. The Black Panther edition, however, transcends the usual Concept audience. Its Marvel connection drew an entirely new demographic of buyers while simultaneously satisfying seasoned tourbillon collectors, a combination that compressed the available allocation almost instantly upon release and sent secondary market premiums to levels unusual even by AP Concept standards.

DJ Khaled has established himself as one of the most consistent high-profile Audemars Piguet collectors in the entertainment industry, regularly wearing and acquiring Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore references across a range of complications and materials. His Paris acquisition of the 26620IO is consistent with that pattern — limited, complication-forward, and culturally resonant.

At an official retail price of $170,000, the Royal Oak Concept 'Black Panther' Flying Tourbillon was already positioned at the serious end of the AP catalogue. On the grey market, the reference is currently commanding figures in the $477,000 range — a near-tripling of list price that reflects both the 250-piece limitation and sustained demand from collectors who missed the original allocation.