Watch Paparazzi

Singer Nicky Jam spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Nicky Jam was recently photographed taking a selfie inside his Rolls-Royce, his left wrist prominently displaying a rose gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak that few collectors would mistake for anything ordinary. The skeletonized dial, visible even in the casual wrist shot, identifies this immediately as one of AP's most mechanically interesting Royal Oak variants — the Double Balance Wheel Openworked, reference 15407OR.OO.1220OR.01.

Launched at SIHH 2016, the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked is powered by the in-house Calibre 3132, a self-winding movement beating at 28,800 vph with a power reserve of approximately 60 hours. Its defining feature is a twin balance wheel system — two oscillators working in concert to average out positional rate deviations, dramatically improving chronometric precision without requiring a tourbillon. The movement is then architecturally skeletonized, leaving the gilded bridges, ruby jewels, and twin balances fully exposed through the dial side. In 18K rose gold, the Calibre 3132's warm-toned components achieve a visual coherence that the stainless steel version, despite its popularity, cannot quite replicate.

The 41mm case follows the classic Royal Oak architecture Gerald Genta sketched overnight in 1972 — octagonal bezel secured by eight hexagonal screws, integrated bracelet with brushed and polished alternating surfaces, and the signature tapisserie pattern replaced here by the movement itself. Rose gold applied hour-markers at the chapter ring maintain legibility without interrupting the mechanical theatre beneath.

From a collector standpoint, the Double Balance Wheel Openworked in full rose gold occupies a compelling niche. It offers genuine horological substance — a patented dual-oscillator complication — within a case that reads as a luxury sport watch rather than a dress piece. That duality makes it unusually versatile and consistently liquid on the secondary market.

Nicky Jam, the Puerto Rican-American reggaeton artist behind global hits like 'X' and 'El Perdón,' has cultivated a watch collection that leans toward high-complications in precious metals. The AP Royal Oak, retailed at $88,750 and now trading at approximately $120,000–$130,000 in the current grey market, fits squarely within that aesthetic — technically serious, visually dramatic, and unmistakably expensive.