King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud wearing Chopard
Chopard Imperiale Stainless Steel – Reference 388531-3003 | King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
The Chopard 388531-3003 has so far registered one confirmed sighting in our database, but it is a notable one: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the reigning monarch of Saudi Arabia since January 2015. A sitting head of state photographed in the Chopard Imperiale is a meaningful data point precisely because of the restraint it represents. A ruler with effectively unlimited access to the world's most complicated and costly watches chose a stainless steel Chopard — not a bejewelled state-gift piece, not a platinum tourbillon, but a relatively measured 40mm automatic in steel. That choice signals something about how serious collectors and powerful individuals sometimes reach past the obvious statement pieces toward watches that reward closer inspection.
The Chopard 388531-3003 sits in a segment of the market — polished steel automatic dress-sport watches in the 40mm range from established Swiss maisons — that has held its value steadily without generating the speculative frenzy seen around some sport references. Retail pricing for the Imperiale line in steel sits in the mid-four-figure to low-five-figure range depending on configuration and market, and the reference does not typically carry a waitlist in the way that certain rivals do. On the secondary market it trades at or modestly below retail, making it genuinely accessible by Swiss luxury standards, which in turn broadens its appeal across a wide range of buyers who want a credible, COSC-certified Chopard without the premium associated with the brand's jewellery-set or high-complication pieces.
The 388531-3003 is a 40mm stainless steel automatic, COSC-certified, and part of Chopard's Imperiale collection — a line the brand has positioned as its core dressy-but-wearable everyday proposition. King Salman's sighting remains the reference's most prominent public appearance on record.