Basketball player LeBron James spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Paris provided the backdrop for one of the more compelling watch sightings of the sporting calendar, when LeBron James arrived to watch Liverpool face Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Final wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin Openworked in 18K rose gold, reference 26521OR — a piece that sits comfortably among the most complex and visually arresting watches in the entire Royal Oak lineage.

The 26521OR is built around AP's Calibre 2924, a hand-wound extra-thin tourbillon movement measuring just 3.95mm in height. The movement is fully openworked, exposing the tourbillon cage, bridges, and gear train through both the dial side and the exhibition caseback. The 41mm rose gold case retains the iconic Gerald Genta-designed octagonal bezel, but here the eight-sided frame is set with 32 baguette-cut blue sapphires — a factory configuration that demands exacting gem-setting work and adds considerable production complexity over the standard steel or plain gold variants. Water resistance is rated to 50 metres, appropriate for a dress-sport piece of this calibre.

Within the collector community, the baguette-sapphire version of the Royal Oak Tourbillon occupies a specific and coveted niche. It merges AP's sports-watch DNA with genuine high jewellery craft, a combination that appeals to collectors who want mechanical substance alongside visual drama. The openworked tourbillon movement, visible at all angles, ensures the piece reads as a serious horological object rather than a simple gem-set fashion watch. Production numbers are extremely limited, and examples surface infrequently on the secondary market.

LeBron James has long been one of the most watched wrists in professional sport. His collection spans Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, and Audemars Piguet, and he has been photographed with Royal Oak references on multiple occasions. Choosing the 26521OR for an occasion as high-profile as a Champions League Final — an event attended by global royalty, heads of state, and entertainment figures — signals considered intent rather than coincidence.

On the market, the gap between list and grey-market pricing on this reference is substantial. The official retail price sits at approximately $185,000, while current secondary market valuations place the 26521OR closer to $550,000 — a premium reflecting both scarcity and the sustained global demand for complication-level Royal Oak references in precious metal configurations.