Watch Paparazzi

Television presenter Alessandro Cattelan spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Alessandro Cattelan, veteran Italian television host and one of the faces of Sky Italia and Prime Video, was recently spotted wearing a stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph ref. 26331ST, fitted with the brand's signature blue dial and applied hour markers — a combination that sits comfortably at the intersection of sportswear and haute horlogerie.

The Royal Oak Chronograph ref. 26331ST houses Calibre 2385, a column-wheel integrated chronograph movement beating at 21,600 vph with a 40-hour power reserve. The 41mm stainless steel case retains the Royal Oak's defining tapisserie dial, this time rendered in a deep blue that shifts under light, framed by the eight-screw brushed and polished bezel first sketched by Gérald Genta in a single legendary night in 1971. Chronograph functions — 30-minute and 12-hour counters — are positioned at 3 and 6 o'clock respectively, maintaining dial symmetry without sacrificing legibility.

Historically, the Royal Oak Chronograph arrived surprisingly late to the collection. While the Royal Oak launched in 1972 and the offshore spin-off debuted with chronograph functionality in 1993, the standard Royal Oak did not receive its own integrated chronograph until 1997–1998. Collectors have long speculated this gap reflected the genuine engineering challenge of mounting pushers discreetly into Genta's octagonal case architecture — a challenge that similarly delayed chronograph variants of the Patek Philippe Nautilus and IWC Ingenieur.

Cattelan is no stranger to quality dressing — his television persona has always leaned toward sharp tailoring with a modern edge, and the 26331ST fits that register precisely. It reads as a serious watch without demanding attention, which is arguably what separates a Royal Oak from most of its competition in the integrated-bracelet sports-luxury segment.

On the secondary market, the stainless steel Royal Oak Chronograph with blue dial consistently commands a premium above retail, driven by sustained global demand and constrained supply from Audemars Piguet. The 26331ST remains one of the more attainable entry points into the Royal Oak chronograph family, yet retains strong value, making it as sound a choice financially as it is aesthetically.