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musicianSpotted May 2023

Musician Nigo spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

musician Nigo spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet
Who & what: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 18K White Gold Full Baguette Diamond Set – Reference 26071BC.ZZ.D002CR.01

Nigo, the Tokyo-born designer, musician, and cultural polymath behind BAPE and Human Made, was photographed wearing one of the most extravagant wristwatches in Audemars Piguet's entire catalogue — a full baguette-set Royal Oak Offshore in 18-karat white gold. The sighting comes during what appears to be a creative or brand event, Nigo dressed in a pink sweatshirt and Human Made cap, diamond pendants stacked at his chest, the AP barely visible on his wrist yet unmistakable to any serious collector.

The watch in question is the Royal Oak Offshore reference 26071BC.ZZ.D002CR.01, built on the iconic Gerald Genta-derived octagonal case architecture first introduced for the Offshore in 1993. The 42mm white gold case is entirely pavé-set with 474 baguette-cut diamonds on the case, bezel, and integrated bracelet, while the dial adds a further 116 baguette-cut stones — a grand total of 590 baguette diamonds weighing 47.20 carats. The movement inside is the calibre 3120, AP's in-house 21-jewel automatic with a 60-hour power reserve, beating at 21,600 vph. Critically, baguette setting at this density requires hundreds of hours of hand-finishing by gem-setters; every stone must be individually cut and fitted to its neighbour.

From a collector perspective, full-set Royal Oak Offshores occupy a singular tier. They are not simply jewelled versions of a sports watch — they represent a philosophical extreme, the collision of high horology, haute joaillerie, and the most recognisable sports-watch silhouette of the 20th century. AP discontinued this reference, and examples rarely surface at auction; when they do, they command prices at or above original retail.

Nigo's relationship with ultra-premium watches is well documented. As a figure who helped define the convergence of streetwear and luxury in the late 1990s and 2000s, his choices in fine watchmaking carry genuine cultural weight. Pairing a seven-figure AP with Human Made pendants and a branded cap is a precise, deliberate aesthetic statement — one that mirrors his broader philosophy of elevating vernacular culture through craft.

With a last known retail price of $1,382,000, this Royal Oak Offshore sits among the three or four most expensive watches AP has ever offered commercially. On the secondary market, discontinued full-baguette references in white gold have traded between $900,000 and $1,500,000 depending on condition and provenance. Supply is effectively static — no new examples exist — making each confirmed sighting a meaningful data point for the collector community.

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