Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Stormzy spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Stormzy was photographed celebrating his birthday wearing one of Audemars Piguet's most visually arresting references: the Royal Oak Openworked Frosted Gold in 18kt white gold, reference 15407BC. The sighting confirms the South London rapper's appetite for genuinely rare horology rather than off-the-shelf luxury.

The Royal Oak 15407BC is built around Calibre 3132, a 26-jewel self-winding movement with a 60-hour power reserve, rendered entirely skeletonized so every rotor, bridge, and gear train is visible through both the dial side and the sapphire caseback. At 41mm in diameter and 9.8mm thick, the case proportions are classic Gerald Genta — the octagonal bezel secured by eight hex screws unmistakably referencing the original 1972 design — but the execution here is anything but classic. The 'frosted gold' surface treatment, developed in partnership with Florentine jeweller Carolina Bucci, involves striking the white gold with a diamond-tipped burnishing tool to create a micro-hammered texture that produces a soft, diffused brilliance quite unlike conventional polishing.

First introduced as a 40th-anniversary collaboration in 2016 on yellow gold, the frosted finish proved immediately popular with collectors and was subsequently extended across multiple references and metals. The white gold openworked variant — combining skeletonization with the Bucci treatment — represents the technique at its most complex, demanding hours of additional hand-finishing on components that are already intricate by watchmaking standards. It sits within the Royal Oak Extra-Thin family lineage but commands its own distinct collector following.

Stormzy has long been associated with high-end timepieces, and his choice of the 15407BC for a birthday milestone is consistent with a collector sensibility rather than pure street-level flexing. The watch rewards close inspection — exactly the kind of piece that gains respect among enthusiasts the more time you spend with it.

On the market, the Royal Oak Openworked Frosted 15407BC carries a UK list price of £80,500. Grey-market premiums on white gold openworked Royal Oaks remain modest compared to steel sports models, but availability through authorised dealers is limited and waitlists persist. Expect secondary-market values to trade at or slightly above retail depending on condition and provenance.