Watch Paparazzi

Actor Salman Khan spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Cameras caught Salman Khan at a crowded Mumbai public appearance with his arm raised, inadvertently giving watch spotters a clean look at the timepiece on his wrist — the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Rubber Clad' in rose gold and ceramic, reference 26400RO.OO.A002CA.01. It is the kind of sighting that reminds collectors why the Offshore continues to dominate celebrity wrist real estate across every entertainment industry on the planet.

Introduced as part of the second-generation Offshore family, the 26400 series marked a significant evolution over the original Jules Audemars-era 25721 design. The ref. 26400RO.OO.A002CA.01 features a 44mm 18k pink gold case that is then partially encased in vulcanized rubber over the lugs — hence the 'Rubber Clad' designation — topped with a black ceramic octagonal bezel secured by eight black-coated titanium screws. The dial is a smoky anthracite grey with large Arabic numerals in a contrasting lighter tone, three chronograph subdials, and gold-toned hands and indices. Power comes from the in-house Calibre 3126/3840, a self-winding movement with column wheel chronograph, 50-hour power reserve, and a 2.75Hz beat rate.

From a collector standpoint, the 'Rubber Clad' references occupy a distinct niche within the broader Royal Oak Offshore catalogue. The fusion of precious metal and industrial rubber was polarizing at launch — purists bristled, while a younger, sportier clientele embraced it immediately. Today the reference is regarded as a thoughtful engineering exercise rather than a mere styling experiment, which has helped it maintain strong secondary market positioning.

Salman Khan's relationship with luxury timepieces is well documented. One of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema, Khan regularly gravitates toward oversized sports-luxury watches that complement his on-screen and off-screen persona. The Offshore's 44mm footprint reads confidently on his wrist, and the rose gold and ceramic palette strikes the balance between understated wealth and unmistakable presence that suits his public image.

At original retail of approximately $25,000, the ref. 26400RO.OO.A002CA.01 sits in the mid-tier of the Offshore rose gold family. On the grey market, clean examples with box and papers have traded between $28,000 and $34,000 in recent years, reflecting steady but unspectacular appreciation — consistent with a reference that serious collectors respect without chasing aggressively.