Basketball player Russell Westbrook spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Spotted courtside at an NBA game, Russell Westbrook — then playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder — was seen wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Automatic 41mm entirely executed in 18k rose gold. The combination of the warm metal against a deep black Grande Tapisserie dial is one of the most coveted configurations in the Royal Oak catalogue, and Westbrook wore it with the understated confidence of someone who clearly understands the piece.

The reference in question is the 15400OR.OO.1220OR.01, part of the generation that succeeded the legendary 15300 and ran until the 16202 took over in 2021. Cased in 18k rose gold at 41mm across and 9.8mm thin, the watch houses Audemars Piguet's in-house Calibre 3120 — a 60-jewel automatic movement with a 60-hour power reserve, oscillating at 21,600 vph. The movement's 22k gold rotor is visible through the sapphire caseback, offering a finishing quality that justifies the price point. The black 'Grande Tapisserie' dial — AP's term for the iconic hobnail guilloché pattern — absorbs light in a way that makes the rose gold applied indices and hands all the more dramatic.

From a collector's standpoint, the rose gold 15400 with a black dial occupies an interesting position. It is the most legible and arguably most versatile of the rose gold Royal Oak family — neither as flashy as a full-dial colour variant nor as understated as the silver-dialled versions. The 15400 generation is now viewed as a transitional reference; discontinued in favour of the slimmer 16202, it has begun appreciating on the secondary market as collectors recognise its historical significance within AP's lineage.

Westbrook has long been one of the NBA's most watch-literate players, with a collection spanning Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, and Rolex. His choice here is telling — no diamonds, no custom dial. Just one of watchmaking's canonical designs executed in its most luxurious material. It reflects a collector sensibility rather than a purely aesthetic one.

On the grey market, the 15400OR.OO.1220OR.01 has traded comfortably above retail, with recent sales sitting between $55,000 and $65,000 depending on condition and box/papers. As the 16202 increasingly dominates the conversation, the 15400 may prove to be the shrewder long-term hold.