Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Tammy Abraham spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Tammy Abraham, the English striker currently plying his trade for AS Roma in Serie A, was recently photographed wearing one of the hardest-to-source references in contemporary watchmaking: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin in black ceramic, reference 15416CE. In a market flooded with Royal Oak stainless steel variants, the 15416CE occupies an entirely different tier.

The reference 15416CE measures 41mm in black ceramic — a material Audemars Piguet machines with extraordinary difficulty due to its brittleness, which contributes directly to its scarcity. Inside runs Calibre 3132, an openworked evolution of the storied ultra-thin Calibre 2121, itself descended from the legendary Jaeger-LeCoultre 920. The movement operates at 19,800 vph, offers approximately 40 hours of power reserve, and is skeletonised to reveal the intricate finishing — a combination of côtes de Genève, bevelling, and hand-chamfering — that makes the dial as much a spectacle as the case. The integrated bracelet, also rendered in black ceramic, extends the monochromatic aesthetic with the same architectural geometry Gerald Genta originally sketched in 1971.

Among serious Royal Oak collectors, the black ceramic openworked models are considered grail-level acquisitions. Audemars Piguet produces them in extremely limited numbers, and authorised dealer allocations are effectively non-existent for new customers. The combination of an exotic case material, an exposed grand complication-adjacent movement, and the Royal Oak's enduring design pedigree makes the 15416CE a genuine unicorn on the secondary market.

Abraham has cultivated a reputation as one of football's more discerning watch collectors, and the 15416CE is a statement that goes well beyond casual luxury spending. This is a watch that requires access, patience, and significant market knowledge to acquire — qualities that signal genuine collector intent rather than simple brand recognition.

With a retail price of approximately $84,300, the 15416CE sounds attainable on paper. In reality, grey-market valuations currently hover around $470,000 — a near 6x multiple that reflects just how impossible this reference is to source at list. For collectors, seeing it on Abraham's wrist is confirmation that the right pieces end up with the right people.