Watch Paparazzi

Singer Nick Jonas spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

The Met Gala is not a room where details go unnoticed, and Nick Jonas made a deliberate statement on the wrist this year. Arriving at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for fashion's most theatrical evening, the singer and actor was photographed wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak reference 26315ST — a choice that sits comfortably at the intersection of establishment taste and genuine horological credibility.

The Royal Oak 26315ST is a 41mm stainless steel integrated-bracelet sports watch housing the Calibre 3120, Audemars Piguet's in-house automatic movement featuring a 60-hour power reserve and a 21,600 vph beat rate. The tapisserie dial — that finely textured petit squares pattern first introduced on the original 1972 A-series — remains one of the most recognizable surfaces in watchmaking. The case and integrated bracelet are finished with the characteristic alternating brushed and polished surfaces that require hours of hand-finishing per piece, a craft detail that distinguishes the Royal Oak from its imitators at any price point.

Gérald Genta designed the original Royal Oak on a single overnight session in 1972, producing what became the archetype of the luxury sports watch — a category that now defines the high-end market. The 26315ST sits within the contemporary Royal Oak lineup as a clean, no-complications expression of that original vision, which collectors tend to value precisely because it lets the case architecture and dial texture do all the talking. Ref. 26315ST has developed a loyal following among buyers who want the Royal Oak experience without the waiting-list theatrics sometimes attached to limited or complicated variants.

Jonas has been building a recognizable watch wardrobe over the past several years, gravitating toward pieces with genuine horological pedigree rather than pure status signaling. Choosing the Royal Oak for the Met Gala — an event where luxury accessories are read and catalogued in real time — suggests a considered, confident relationship with the category.

At an official retail price of $32,600, the Royal Oak 26315ST is already a significant acquisition. On the grey market, however, demand pushes current valuations to approximately $48,000 — a premium that reflects both persistent supply constraints from Audemars Piguet and the enduring desirability of the stainless steel Royal Oak as a collector's cornerstone piece.