Watch Paparazzi

Basketball player LeBron James spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

LeBron James was photographed wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Black Ceramic, reference 15416CE, adding another serious entry to a collection that has long established the Lakers star as one of sport's most knowledgeable watch enthusiasts. The sighting underscores a consistent pattern: James gravitates toward pieces that reward closer inspection rather than relying on name recognition alone.

The 15416CE is built around a 41mm black ceramic case — the same octagonal Royal Oak silhouette Gerald Genta sketched overnight in 1971, now rendered in one of the hardest materials AP works with. Ceramic at this scale, with the precision finishing the Royal Oak demands across its alternating brushed and polished surfaces, represents a significant manufacturing challenge. The case houses Calibre 3132, a self-winding skeletonized movement with a 60-hour power reserve. With the dial entirely removed in favor of open-worked bridges and plates, the movement is exposed on both sides, framed by that iconic eight-bolt bezel in matching black ceramic. The effect is architectural — structured negative space rather than decoration for its own sake.

Among collectors, the black ceramic Royal Oak Openworked occupies a specific and coveted position. It combines two of the most sought-after Royal Oak attributes — the skeleton execution and the full ceramic construction — in a single reference. Ceramic Royal Oaks have historically been harder to source than their steel counterparts, and the openworked variants carry an additional premium in terms of both manufacture complexity and desirability. The 15416CE is not a watch that turns up regularly on the secondary market in unworn condition.

James has worn AP Royal Oaks across multiple references over the years, but the 15416CE signals a collector who understands what separates a technically ambitious piece from a merely expensive one. At a UK list price of £73,200, this is not an impulse purchase even at his income level — it is a deliberate choice.

On the grey market, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Black Ceramic ref. 15416CE trades significantly above retail, reflecting both restricted production and sustained demand. Buyers prepared to wait for authorized dealer allocation face a lengthy process; those unwilling to wait pay accordingly.