Entrepreneur Mohamed Hadid spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Mohamed Hadid, the Palestinian-American real-estate developer best known for high-profile luxury developments and as the patriarch of the Hadid modeling dynasty, was recently spotted wearing one of the most elusive Audemars Piguet references on record: the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph ref. 25721PT, cased in platinum and white gold with brilliant-cut diamond indices. Research by the Watch Paparazzi team has turned up no prior auction appearance or grey-market listing for this specific configuration, placing it firmly in the category of true one-off or extremely limited bespoke production.

The Royal Oak Offshore was introduced in 1993, designed by Emmanuel Gueit under the creative direction of Jacqueline Dimier, as a supersized, sportier interpretation of Gérald Genta's iconic 1972 Royal Oak. The 'Offshore' moniker signaled a deliberate departure from convention: at 42mm, it dwarfed virtually every luxury sports watch of its era and provoked critics who called it excessive. Collectors, however, quickly embraced it, dubbing it 'The Beast' — a nickname that stuck and, with time, became a badge of honor. The ref. 25721 family houses the calibre 2226/2840, a column-wheel chronograph movement with a 40-hour power reserve, delivering the mechanical credibility the case design demands.

From a collector standpoint, platinum Royal Oak Offshore references from the first generation are already scarce in any configuration. A version pairing a platinum case with white gold sub-components and factory-set brilliant-cut diamond indices occupies a tier above standard precious-metal variants. The absence of any public auction record is significant: it suggests either a direct bespoke commission through AP's special-order program or an extremely limited boutique edition never offered publicly. Either provenance makes the 25721PT an object of serious collector interest.

Hadid's affinity for statement timepieces aligns with his broader aesthetic — his developments, including the Opus in Beverly Hills, are characterized by architectural maximalism. Wearing a watch that collectors cannot catalogue is, in that context, entirely consistent.

On the broader market, first-generation Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs in precious metals command strong premiums. Standard gold references trade well into five figures, while platinum examples with diamond dials have fetched north of $80,000 at auction when they appear. A bespoke platinum-and-white-gold variant with diamond indices, never previously documented, would command a premium that is genuinely difficult to quantify — and that uncertainty itself is part of what makes this sighting so compelling.