Watch Paparazzi

Basketball player Stephen Curry spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Stephen Curry arrived at the Met Gala — one of fashion's most scrutinised red carpets — wearing what any seasoned collector would clock immediately on the left wrist: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Dual Time in 18-carat rose gold with full pavé diamond setting. Photographed alongside Ayesha Curry, the Warriors point guard chose a timepiece that matches the event's theatrical dress code without sacrificing horological substance.

The reference in question is almost certainly the 26120OR.ZZ.D002CR.01, the 39mm Royal Oak Dual Time on a black crocodile strap — consistent with the image, which shows a black alligator-pattern leather strap, black tapisserie-style dial with dual sub-registers, and a case and bezel overwhelmed by pavé-set diamonds in rose gold. The AP text is legible at 12 o'clock on the dial. The Dual Time complication — displaying home time and local time via a dedicated sub-dial — is driven by Calibre 2329/2846, a self-winding movement with 40-hour power reserve. The 39mm case diameter keeps the watch proportioned for formal wear, a deliberate choice by AP's design team.

From a collector standpoint, the full pavé Royal Oak occupies a specific and unapologetic niche. Critics of diamond-set sports-luxe watches often argue the stone setting compromises the architectural integrity of Gérald Genta's original 1972 design. Defenders counter that AP's in-house setters preserve the octagonal bezel geometry precisely, and the pavé variant remains a legitimate expression of the manufacture's métiers d'art capabilities rather than an outsourced afterthought.

Curry has built a considered watch collection that includes multiple Audemars Piguet references, making him one of the NBA's more credible AP clients rather than a purely marketing-driven ambassador. The choice of the Dual Time — a complication relevant to an athlete constantly crossing time zones — adds a functional dimension to what is undeniably a statement piece.

On the secondary market, full pavé Royal Oak references in rose gold command significant premiums given limited production and high stone-setting labour costs. The 26120OR.ZZ.D002CR.01 trades between $130,000 and $160,000 at auction and through grey-market dealers — well above the already considerable retail figure. The combination of scarce availability and celebrity visibility ensures continued collector demand.