Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Marcus Rashford spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Marcus Rashford, Manchester United and England international forward, was recently spotted wearing a stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak reference 15400ST with a black dial — one of the cleaner, more understated configurations of a watch that rarely goes unnoticed on the wrist of a Premier League footballer.

The Royal Oak 15400ST was introduced by Audemars Piguet in 2012 as the fourth generation of the Royal Oak line, replacing the 14790ST and stretching the case diameter to 41mm — a meaningful update for collectors who felt the outgoing 36mm and 39mm variants had aged in proportion. The 8.1mm-thick case in stainless steel houses the AP Calibre 3120, a 280-component automatic movement beating at 21,600vph with a 60-hour power reserve. The black dial — officially described as black with a Grande Tapisserie pattern — shifts subtly under different lighting conditions, giving the watch visual depth that photographs rarely do justice.

The 15400ST holds a specific place in Royal Oak collecting. It bridges the gap between the vintage-leaning smaller references and the contemporary 15500ST that replaced it in 2019. The 15500ST brought a thinner profile and a new movement, the Calibre 4302, but the 15400ST retains a loyal following among collectors who prefer the slightly rounder case angles and the established Calibre 3120. Discontinued examples in stainless steel on the secondary market have not depreciated — if anything, the reference has firmed in value since production ended.

Rashford is among a generation of elite footballers for whom serious watchmaking has become a genuine personal interest rather than a stylist decision. AP's Royal Oak has long been a fixture in professional football circles, but the 15400ST specifically signals a degree of collector awareness — it is not the most visible or most expensive Royal Oak, but it is arguably the most considered choice within the family.

At UK list the Royal Oak 15400ST was priced at approximately £15,000 before its discontinuation, translating to roughly $19,000 USD at the time. On the grey market, surviving stainless steel examples with black dials now trade at a meaningful premium over original retail, reflecting both the reference's discontinued status and sustained demand for entry-level Royal Oak steel references.