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Basketball player LeBron James spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

LeBron James was photographed during his Cleveland Cavaliers tenure wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 'Volcano,' reference 26170ST — a piece that rewards closer inspection far more than its straightforward steel case suggests. For a player whose wrist has hosted everything from bejewelled Rolexes to seven-figure Richard Milles, the choice of a relatively restrained steel Offshore says something deliberate about his eye for the catalogue.

The Royal Oak Offshore 26170ST measures 42mm in stainless steel and houses AP's Calibre 3126/3840, a self-winding integrated column-wheel chronograph movement offering approximately 50 hours of power reserve. The 'Volcano' designation — never an official Audemars Piguet marketing term but universally adopted by the collector community — refers to the deep charcoal grey tapisserie dial punctuated by vivid orange-red sub-register counters, crown, and rubber-inset chronograph pushers. The combination reads dark and molten, justifying the nickname completely. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres, and the case is fitted on AP's signature rubber strap with deployant clasp.

The Offshore line was introduced in 1993 as a deliberately oversized, sportier evolution of Gerald Genta's 1972 Royal Oak. Where the original 39mm Royal Oak felt refined, the Offshore was designed to provoke — and it succeeded, dividing purists while building a devoted following in sport, entertainment, and hip-hop culture through the 2000s and into the 2010s. The 26170ST sits within the classic Offshore generation before the 2021 redesign, which means it carries the thicker, more imposing case architecture that long-time fans consider the definitive form.

LeBron James has cultivated one of the most visible watch collections in professional sport, with Audemars Piguet forming a consistent core alongside Patek Philippe and Richard Mille. His affinity for AP specifically reflects the brand's deep penetration into basketball and rap culture — a relationship the Le Brassus manufacture has leaned into through various ambassador partnerships over the years.

On the secondary market, the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 'Volcano' 26170ST trades at a modest premium over its retail price, reflecting sustained demand for pre-redesign Offshore references among collectors who favour the original proportions. At a UK RRP of approximately £17,000, it represents the steel entry point into AP's Offshore chronograph family — accessible by the brand's standards, and increasingly appreciated as the pre-2021 generation gains retrospective collector status.