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Rapper 50 Cent spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Curtis Jackson — rapper, television producer, and serial entrepreneur better known as 50 Cent — was recently photographed wearing one of Audemars Piguet's most extravagant wrist statements: the Royal Oak Chronograph 'Chandelier' in 18-carat pink gold, fully afterset with baguette-cut diamonds, reference 26331ST, carrying an eye-catching price tag of $235,000.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph ref. 26331ST is built around the iconic Gerald Genta-designed octagonal bezel architecture, scaled to a wearable 41mm in pink gold. What elevates the 'Chandelier' designation above a standard Royal Oak is the painstaking afterset diamond work: baguette-cut stones — chosen for their clean rectangular geometry — blanket the case, lugs, integrated bracelet, and dial surround, eliminating virtually every trace of bare metal. The process requires specialist stone-setters to individually fit and secure each baguette, ensuring alignment across curved, articulated surfaces. Powering the piece is Calibre 2385, AP's self-winding column-wheel chronograph movement with a flyback function, oscillating at 21,600 vph with approximately 40 hours of power reserve.

Within the collector community, fully afterset Royal Oaks occupy a distinct niche. Purists occasionally debate diamond-set complications, yet the technical difficulty of covering an integrated-bracelet watch — a design defined by its flowing case-to-bracelet transition — is genuinely formidable. The baguette setting, rather than pavé, signals a higher tier of craftsmanship and intentional aesthetic coherence. These are pieces that AP's high-jewelry ateliers produce in very limited numbers, making the 26331ST a legitimate rarity beyond its sheer monetary value.

For 50 Cent, the choice is consistent with a collecting sensibility that gravitates toward grand complication dials and heavily stone-set cases. Jackson has publicly worn AP Royal Oaks, Richard Mille pieces, and custom-set watches on numerous occasions, treating horology as an extension of his business and cultural brand rather than quiet connoisseurship.

At $235,000 retail, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 'Chandelier' ref. 26331ST sits firmly in AP's high-jewelry tier. Grey-market pricing for comparable fully-set Royal Oak Chronographs tends to track close to or above retail given scarcity, with little discount pressure — buyers in this segment prioritize access over negotiation.