Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Dave spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

British rapper Dave stepped into the spotlight promoting his new single wearing a timepiece that commands attention even before you clock the diamonds. On his wrist sat the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Open-Worked in 18K rose gold, reference 15412OR, factory-set with 32 baguette-cut diamonds around the bezel — a watch that reportedly came as a gift from Stormzy, making the sighting as much a statement of friendship between two defining voices in UK rap as it is a flex of horological taste.

The 15412OR is built around the manually wound calibre 2954, a movement that represents one of AP's most architecturally ambitious executions of the open-worked Royal Oak concept. Running at 21,600 vph with a 70-hour power reserve, the movement's headline feature is its twin balance wheels coupled by a differential mechanism. The principle is straightforward in theory, complex in execution: two oscillators average out positional errors, producing a more stable rate than a single-wheel system. In the skeletonised format, the movement's bridges, wheels, and that paired regulating organ are fully exposed through the iconic 41mm case, with the rose gold tonneau structure lending warmth to what can read as cold mechanics.

Collectors regard the 15412OR as one of the more technically substantive entries in AP's open-worked Royal Oak family. Unlike purely decorative skeletonised pieces, the double balance wheel complication justifies the visual complexity with genuine mechanical purpose. The baguette diamond bezel configuration on this reference — 32 stones set in meticulous channel-style geometry — is a factory option that amplifies desirability without compromising the watch's engineering credibility.

Dave, born David Orobosa Omoregie, has built a reputation on precision and intentionality — qualities that map interestingly onto AP's approach with this movement. The Stormzy connection adds cultural weight: two artists at the top of British music exchanging one of the watch world's more considered high-complications.

At a retail list price of approximately $127,000, the 15412OR was already a serious acquisition. The current grey market tells a different story entirely, with examples trading at or above $450,000 — reflecting both AP's constrained production volumes and the sustained collector appetite for open-worked Royal Oaks in precious metal configurations.