Football manager Slaven Bilic spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

On the opening day of UEFA Euro 2016, West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic stepped in front of the ITV cameras not just as a pundit, but — for watch spotters — as an inadvertent ambassador for one of Audemars Piguet's more technically ambitious Offshore iterations. On his wrist sat the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Reference 26400SO.OO.A002CA.01, a piece that rewards closer inspection far beyond its imposing 44mm silhouette.

The 26400SO occupies a specific niche within the Offshore family. Where most variants in the 26400 generation use steel or rose gold throughout, the SO designation signals a sandblasted steel case paired with a black ceramic bezel and caseback — a combination that reduces reflectivity, adds scratch resistance, and gives the watch a purposefully stealthy aesthetic. The dial on the A002CA.01 configuration is rendered in black with a carbon-style texture, complemented by a black rubber and folded-titanium bracelet. Power comes from the Calibre 3126/3840, a self-winding integrated movement offering column-wheel chronograph control, a 40-hour power reserve, and a date display at 3 o'clock — workmanlike and dependable inside a case built for attention.

The Royal Oak Offshore itself was born in 1993, designed by Emmanuel Gueit as an amplified, sportier riff on Gérald Genta's original 1972 Royal Oak. Where the first-generation Offshore drew controversy for its bulk, the line has since become one of AP's most commercially vital and collector-beloved families. The steel-and-ceramic variant of the 26400 generation is regarded as a strong everyday proposition — rugged enough to wear freely, rare enough to merit a second look.

Bilic is well documented as a watch enthusiast, and the 26400SO fits his profile: a former professional footballer turned cerebral manager, comfortable in both a dugout and a television studio. The Euro 2016 platform, broadcast to millions across the UK, provided the kind of inadvertent watch exposure that no marketing budget easily replicates.

On the secondary market, the 26400SO holds its value reliably. Originally retailing at approximately £23,500 in the UK at time of sighting, grey-market pricing has settled in a range that reflects continued demand for steel AP sports chronographs with ceramic detailing — a segment that has only strengthened since 2016.