Footballer Mesut Özil spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Mesut Özil, one of football's most technically gifted midfielders of his generation, was recently spotted wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph in its distinctive 'Panda' configuration, reference 26170ST — a piece that sits firmly at the intersection of sports-watch heritage and collector credibility.

The Royal Oak Offshore Ref. 26170ST measures 42mm in stainless steel and houses the in-house calibre 3126/3840, a self-winding integrated movement beating at 21,600 vph and delivering approximately 50 hours of power reserve. The chronograph mechanism operates via a column wheel and features a flyback function in certain configurations, though the 26170ST delivers a clean push-piece-activated chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour counters. The defining visual feature — the white 'Grande Tapisserie' dial set against black subdials — gives the watch its Panda designation, a term enthusiasts borrowed from vintage Rodaini and Heuer dial taxonomy. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres.

The Offshore line launched in 1993 under designer Emmanuel Gueit, conceived as a deliberately oversized, sportier derivative of Gerald Genta's original 1972 Royal Oak. At its debut the 42mm case was considered shockingly large; today it reads as considered and proportionate. The 26170ST represents a later evolution of the Offshore chronograph family, refining the earlier references 25721, 25770, and 26020 while retaining the signature octagonal bezel secured by eight exposed hex screws — still the watch's most iconic design cue.

Among collectors, Panda-dial Offshore chronographs consistently outperform plainer iterations on the secondary market. The white dial resists the aging criticism sometimes leveled at dark Offshore references, and the contrast legibility makes it genuinely wearable as a sports instrument rather than purely a fashion statement. It attracts both AP purists and crossover buyers entering the brand from the chronograph side.

Özil has long cultivated a reputation as one of football's more style-conscious figures, regularly appearing alongside high-end timepieces and luxury accessories. The 26170ST, retailing around $16,000 in stainless steel, sits at a relatively accessible entry point within the Offshore chronograph range, though grey-market demand has pushed prices modestly above list in recent periods.