Flying Seoul-o

Inside Audemars Piguet’s jetset escape with a side of Thermage.

Another diary entry about another press trip? Groundbreaking, I know, but it’s the season. Thom flew to Los Angeles to take in Dior’s art house couture, Ch’lita was on the French Riviera with Burberry, and I jetted off to Seoul with Audemars Piguet.

I know these trips are hardly the norm outside the media bubble—and no, we’re not unpacking that particular ecosystem today, ha—but I haven’t felt so enriched by a trip in a very long time. Maybe it felt even more restorative because I was there alone, wandering around for hours with nowhere particular to be whilst everyone on the other side of the world was fast asleep.

But first, why was I there?

AP flew a group of us out to celebrate its new collaboration with Yoon Ahn and Verbal: a limited-edition Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon 38.5mm titanium watch, capped at just 150 pieces. The watch pairs a black aventurine dial with a vivid red tourbillon cage. But we’ll get to that later. There was a fabulous dinner, an insightful roundtable, and, of course, a star-studded party that stretched deep into the Seoul night.

Not the standing clothes steamer changing my life.

For the duration of my stay, I set up camp at Josun Palace Hotel in Gangnam. Up on the 29th floor, my room was nearly the size of my London flat. A bathtub? Check. A Japanese toilet complete with a blow-dry function? Please. A bed so comfortable I never wanted to get up? Well, yes. Oh, and the option to order the viral Parasite ramen with medium-rare steak 24/7? Very dangerous. Very delicious.

But the real star of the room was the standing clothes-steaming chamber. Yes, you read that correctly. An entire vertical capsule dedicated to de-wrinkling your outfits like some kind of futuristic fashion cryotherapy pod. Picture this: you wake up, pick your look, pop it into said chamber, and go take a shower. Come back and bam, your outfit is ready. Nearly creaseless, and you’re free to go have a good day. I will have this in my house someday. I digress.

Suddenly, I understand watch people.

After settling into the hotel, us journo types and various key players from the AP universe headed to Mr. Ahn’s Craft Makgeolli for dinner. This was actually my second time at the restaurant (shout out Youngjin Kim!), and somehow it was even better than I remembered. There was a full tasting menu situation: mushroom ssam wraps, bulgogi croquettes, roasted red snapper, clam rice bowls, and a roasted mochi dessert I’m still thinking about.

Honestly, one of the nicest parts of these trips is getting to break bread with media from all over the world. It felt especially surreal to be back in Seoul with Diana Tsui from 10 USA, considering we’d trauma-bonded here at almost the exact same time last year.

The following morning, we headed to AP House to hear Yoon and Verbal speak about the new collab. Turns out they’ve both been AP collectors for years. She said she’d never borrow any of his watches. He, meanwhile, admitted to regularly borrowing hers.

What struck me most, though, was how genuinely obsessed they both seemed with the process of watchmaking itself. Verbal described the tourbillon as “the heart of the watch,” which explains the vivid red cage glowing at the centre of the dial. Yoon, meanwhile, said she wanted the piece to feel versatile enough to move “from day to night,” something you could actually live in rather than keep locked away for special occasions.

I tried the watch on. Took a selfie with Yoon.

Beyoncé was right.

Being in Seoul with AP also reminded me of the first time I ever heard about the brand: in Beyoncé’s “Upgrade U,” where Audemars Piguet sits alongside Hermès briefcases, Cartier tie clips, and diamond cream facials. Six-star pent suites!

Party with bestie, Hailey Bieber.

That evening was the extravagant bash, held on the rooftop of a stark concrete building overlooking the old-world architecture of Sejong Village. All day, someone kept texting about running into some sort of famous person. There was Evan Mock, who made it to the function even in crutches. There was Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae. Gstaad Guy because of course. Streetwear legends like Verdy and Heron Preston. Ejae and Ahn Hyo-seop of K-Pop Demon Hunters fame. But the rarest Pokémon of all had to be Hailey Bieber.

Every editor with a phone, myself included, had to get the shot. I tried to be polite and make it quick because there were dumplings to be had—yep, fresh dumplings—and approximately 7 margaritas with my name on them.

The afterparty kicked off in the same building, just down in the basement. At some point, the room started spinning, so me and a couple of other editors piled into our chauffeured van and headed back to the hotel in search of food. Alas, Seoul, at least in the fancy part of town, doesn’t seem especially built for random late-night eats. Or maybe I’m just too much of a chicken-shit tourist to properly go looking for one. I made do with some Korean fried chicken and galbi-tang via room service and called it a night. Honestly? I had a great time.

I still had a couple of days left in Seoul. Enough time to properly explore the city and temporarily convince myself I could move there.

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Food.

• 1Pig—for the BBQ pork heads. Get every cut, if you can. I did.

• Gwanghwamun Gukbap—ok, more pork, but this time, it’s a clean, mellow take on dwaeji gukbap using black pig pork. The mild broth, tender slices of pork, hot steaming rice, and all the banchan you desire.

• Gebang Sikdang—raw marinated crab. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. It’s as tender and creamy as it is fresh. Not fishy in the slightest. Go crazy and get the raw prawns too!

• Friend Chicken in Yongsan—an old school fried chicken spot to get a taste of the real KFC.

• Jayeondo Sogeumppang—if you come to Seoul and not try the famous salt bread, you’re a knob. You can smell these salty, buttery pieces of perfection halfway down the block.

• 현우동 약수직영점—a Japanese udon spot that changed my life with its cold options.

• Hue 135—if you’re feeling particularly fancy.

Fashion.

• Post Archive Faction—hit up their boutique in Dasan-ro for a light and airy take on subversive menswear. I got myself a chic black linen suit for the summer that I’ll wear forever.

• Amomento—I didn’t really know how strong Amomento game was until this trip. Beautifully cut separates. Hailey Bieber popped by the day before to get a leather jacket.

• Jaden Cho—beautiful, ornate womenswear brimming with good taste.

• Umber Postpastb—architectural tailoring with several delicious twists.

• Jiyong kim—the special guest at the next edition of Pitti. Get to know.

Beauty.

• Any product with PDRN.

• Get the Thermage laser treatment. I did…

• Oh, and throw in a RE20 skin booster too. You Only Live Once. Don’t ask how it’s made.