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Basketball player Ben Simmons spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

At the 2022 US Open Tennis Championships at Flushing Meadows, Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons arrived wearing one of Audemars Piguet's most significant recent releases: the Royal Oak Chronograph in 18k rose gold with a khaki green dial, reference 26240OR. The setting — tennis's most attended Grand Slam — provided an apt backdrop for a watch that marks a milestone in one of horology's defining design stories.

The Royal Oak Chronograph 26240OR sits at the heart of AP's 50th anniversary celebrations for the iconic octagonal sports watch first designed by Gérald Genta in 1972. The 41mm rose gold case houses Calibre 4401, AP's in-house integrated flyback chronograph movement offering a column-wheel mechanism, horizontal clutch, and a 70-hour power reserve — a considerable technical step forward from earlier Royal Oak chronograph calibres. The khaki green dial features AP's signature Grande Tapisserie pattern, executed here with remarkable depth, complemented by matching green-toned chronograph counters at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock and applied white gold hour markers with white gold hands.

What separates the 26240OR anniversary editions from the standard production 26240 references is the caseback. The sapphire crystal reveals a commemorative 22k gold oscillating weight engraved with "50 Years 1972–2022," making these pieces inherently dateable and collectible. AP produced these anniversary references across multiple dial colors and case metals throughout 2022, but the rose gold and khaki green pairing has drawn particular collector attention for its tonal cohesion and warmth.

Simmons has established himself as one of the NBA's more discerning watch collectors, with a preference for AP that mirrors a broader trend among professional athletes who treat the Royal Oak as a cornerstone of any serious collection. Wearing the 26240OR at a major sporting event rather than a league game signals deliberate off-court styling — the watch works precisely because it is formal enough for the US Open's clubhouse environment while remaining unmistakably sporty.

At an official retail price of $52,600, the Royal Oak Chronograph 26240OR in rose gold sits firmly in upper-tier AP territory. On the secondary market, demand for anniversary-specific references with the commemorative rotor continues to outpace supply, with grey-market prices trading meaningfully above retail — a pattern consistent across the broader 50th anniversary Royal Oak family.