Athlete Jonathon Joseph spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

England and Bath Rugby centre Jonathon Joseph was recently photographed wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Automatic 41mm in stainless steel, reference 15400ST.OO.1220ST — one of the most iconic sports luxury watches in the modern canon and a perennial fixture on the wrists of elite athletes worldwide.

Introduced in 2012, the ref. 15400ST succeeded the long-running 15300ST as AP's core 41mm Royal Oak offering. It houses the Calibre 3120, a wholly in-house automatic movement beating at 21,600 vph with a 60-hour power reserve, 280 components, and a 22-carat gold rotor. The characteristic tapisserie dial — a fine hobnail guilloche pattern unique to the Royal Oak — remains one of the most technically demanding dials in production watchmaking. Water resistance is rated to 50 metres, and the integrated stainless steel bracelet, finished with AP's signature alternating brushed and polished surfaces, remains a benchmark of bracelet craftsmanship.

The Royal Oak's origins trace to Gerald Genta's overnight sketch in 1972, when Audemars Piguet needed a bold answer to the quartz crisis. The 15400ST is widely regarded by collectors as the model that consolidated the modern Royal Oak identity before the 15500ST arrived in 2019. Its availability in both blue and silver-toned dials makes it one of the more versatile references in the Royal Oak catalogue, and clean examples in full set condition remain firmly in demand on the secondary market.

Joseph, a British and Irish Lions tourist and one of England's most decorated backs of the last decade, joins a long line of professional rugby players drawn to the Royal Oak's combination of robustness and prestige. The watch scales well against an athletic wrist and carries a quiet authority that resonates in professional sport environments.

The 15400ST has been discontinued in favour of the current 15500ST, which introduced a new movement and slightly revised dial. That transition has, predictably, firmed up secondary market values for the outgoing reference. Expect to pay a meaningful premium above original retail for a well-preserved example in complete set condition.