Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Virgil Van Dijk spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

At the European premiere of The Lion King held at the Odeon Leicester Square, Liverpool FC centre-back Virgil van Dijk arrived in a dark forest-green velvet tuxedo — and on his wrist sat one of Audemars Piguet's most technically ambitious Royal Oak variants: the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked in stainless steel with pink gold applied hour-markers.

The watch is built around the in-house Calibre 3132, a manually skeletonised movement featuring AP's proprietary double balance wheel regulation system. Two balance wheels are linked in series, dramatically reducing positional errors caused by shocks and gravity — a genuine technical innovation rather than decorative engineering. The movement operates at 21,600 vph (3Hz), offers 70 hours of power reserve, and is visible in near-totality through the openworked dial, its rhodium-plated bridges and pink gold highlights contrasting against the dark, architecturally layered movement plate. Case diameter measures 41mm in brushed and polished stainless steel, retaining the iconic octagonal bezel with its eight-screw motif designed by Gérald Genta in 1972.

From a collector standpoint, the Double Balance Wheel Openworked occupies a precise niche: it offers mechanical complexity and visual drama that the standard Royal Oak cannot deliver, yet remains more attainable than AP's tourbillon Royal Oaks. The reference 15407ST is consistently regarded as a gateway piece into serious AP collecting — transparent enough to educate, understated enough to wear without ostentation. In steel with pink gold accents, it threads the line between sportswear and haute horlogerie with rare coherence.

Van Dijk has established himself as one of football's most considered watch collectors. The choice of this piece — not a Chronograph, not a Perpetual Calendar, but a movement-first skeleton — suggests genuine curatorial thought. It reads as the selection of someone who understands what they are wearing, not merely what it costs.

At an official retail price of approximately $90,000 USD, the 15407ST commands a meaningful premium over entry Royal Oak references. On the secondary grey market, strong demand from collectors who missed boutique allocation keeps values firm, typically trading at or above retail — a testament to AP's tightly managed supply and the model's enduring collector appetite.