Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Robert Lewandowski spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Robert Lewandowski, the Polish striker who rewrote Bayern Munich's scoring records during his time in the Bundesliga, was recently spotted wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph in stainless steel, reference 26331ST — a watch that sits firmly at the serious end of AP's legendary octagonal sports line.

The 26331ST measures 41mm in stainless steel and is immediately recognizable by its integrated bracelet and Gerald Genta's iconic eight-sided bezel secured by eight hexagonal screws, a design that turned 50 in 2022. What separates the chronograph variant from the standard Royal Oak is what lives beneath the dial: the calibre 2385, an in-house integrated column-wheel chronograph movement beating at 21,600 vph with a 40-hour power reserve. AP spent years developing a truly in-house integrated chronograph, and the 2385 — with its lateral clutch and instantaneous column wheel — remains a benchmark for sporting complications. The 26331ST typically features a grey or blue tapisserie dial with contrasting subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock and a date window at 6.

From a collector's standpoint, the Royal Oak Chronograph occupies a respected middle tier within the Royal Oak family. It is technically more accomplished than the three-hand models yet more accessible in perception than the tourbillon or perpetual calendar references. The ref. 26331ST specifically is valued for its clean dial execution and the refinement of the 2385 calibre, which traces lineage back to the legendary Jaeger-LeCoultre 751 but has been substantially developed by AP over successive generations.

Lewandowski, who registered 344 goals in 375 appearances for Bayern Munich before his move to FC Barcelona in 2022, is no stranger to precision under pressure — a quality the Royal Oak Chronograph mirrors in mechanical form. His watch choices tend toward technically substantive timepieces rather than purely status-driven picks, making the 26331ST a coherent fit.

On the market, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 26331ST commands significant premiums over retail on the grey market, driven by AP's continued allocation constraints. With a UK list price of approximately £18,350, grey-market prices in USD have historically traded well above the equivalent retail figure, reflecting persistent demand across both the collector and celebrity crossover audience.