Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Arjen Robben spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Arjen Robben, the Dutch winger who spent the peak years of his career terrorizing defenses for Bayern Munich, was photographed wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Michael Schumacher' reference 26568OM — a limited edition that sits at the crossroads of haute horlogerie and motorsport history. The sighting underscores the Royal Oak Offshore's enduring grip on the professional athlete market, decades after Gérald Genta's original 1993 design first redefined the luxury sports watch category.

The ref. 26568OM presents a 44mm case built from two of watchmaking's most performance-oriented materials: forged carbon for the bezel and caseback, and Grade 5 titanium for the middle case. The combination keeps weight minimal while delivering exceptional hardness. Dial architecture follows the classic Offshore 'Mega Tapisserie' pattern, here rendered in anthracite with red accents — a direct nod to Schumacher's Ferrari livery era. Powering the watch is the Calibre 3126/3840, a self-winding movement with column-wheel chronograph, 50-hour power reserve, and a frequency of 21,600 vph. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres.

From a collector standpoint, the 26568OM occupies serious ground. Production was capped at 500 numbered pieces globally, making individual examples genuinely scarce in the secondary market. Schumacher-edition Offshores have historically retained strong desirability among both watch collectors and motorsport enthusiasts — a dual audience that sustains grey-market premiums well above list. The red ceramic crown and pushers, combined with the carbon/titanium construction, give the piece a technical identity that ages better than many athlete-edition novelties.

Robben's choice is coherent. The 44mm Offshore wears like a statement on a footballer's wrist without veering into ostentation — its dark palette and matte surfaces read as purposeful rather than flashy. Athletes who understand watchmaking tend to gravitate toward the Offshore for exactly this reason: it carries AP's full manufacturing credibility in a format built for physical endurance.

At a UK list price of £52,500, the Royal Oak Offshore 'Michael Schumacher' ref. 26568OM was never an entry-level proposition. On the grey market, limited-production Offshore special editions from this era consistently trade at or above retail, particularly when associated with a figure of Schumacher's cultural weight. For collectors tracking availability, patience and network access remain the primary currencies.