Athlete Johannes Klæbo spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Johannes Klæbo, Norway's dominant force in cross-country skiing and a multiple Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, was recently spotted wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph reference 25860ST — a steel sports watch that, much like its owner, earns respect through substance rather than spectacle.

The Royal Oak Chronograph 25860ST belongs to a pivotal chapter in AP's history. Introduced in the late 1990s, it carried forward Gérald Genta's revolutionary 1972 Royal Oak design — the iconic octagonal bezel with exposed hexagonal screws, the integrated brushed and polished steel bracelet, and the distinctive 'Grande Tapisserie' dial — into a full-featured chronograph package. The case measures 39mm in stainless steel, housing the celebrated Calibre 2385. This integrated column-wheel chronograph movement, beating at 19,800 vph, delivered 40 hours of power reserve and offered a date display alongside the elapsed-time function, all with a finishing level that punched well above the segment.

From a collector's standpoint, the 2385-equipped Royal Oak chronographs hold a particular place in the AP canon. The calibre's column-wheel architecture and lateral clutch system gave it a mechanical integrity that later transitional references couldn't always match. The 25860ST specifically — with its steel case, 'petit tapisserie' or 'grande tapisserie' dial variants, and clean integration of sub-registers — is increasingly sought after by collectors who want a period-correct Royal Oak chrono without venturing into the more stratospheric territory of gold references or ultra-rare dial configurations.

Klæbo's choice aligns with an athlete's instinct: the Royal Oak Chronograph is a tool watch at its core, descended from AP's decision to democratize (relatively speaking) a sports watch with genuine mechanical ambition. A man who times split-seconds on the Nordic track for a living clearly appreciates a wrist instrument built around a serious chronograph mechanism.

On the current market, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 25860ST trades robustly in the grey market, with well-preserved examples commanding prices in the $55,000–$65,000 range depending on dial condition, bracelet wear, and box-and-papers status — a meaningful premium over original retail, reflecting the broader Royal Oak collector fever that shows no sign of cooling.