Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Rio Ferdinand spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Rio Ferdinand has never been subtle about his passion for high-end horology, but his latest sighting raises the bar considerably. The former England captain and Manchester United centre-back was spotted wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Ref. 25980AI — a watch that occupies a genuinely rarefied corner of the AP catalogue and of the broader collector market.

The Royal Oak Concept 25980AI is constructed from Alacrite-CW1, a cobalt-chromium alloy better known from aerospace engineering than watchmaking. The material offers exceptional hardness, corrosion resistance, and a distinctive cool-grey lustre that sets it apart from the titanium and ceramic cases more commonly seen in high-complication sports watches. Audemars Piguet deployed it here as a statement of technical intent. The movement is a hand-wound calibre featuring a flying tourbillon, with the skeletonised architecture and angular geometry that define the Concept sub-line — launched in 2002 as AP's platform for pushing construction and material boundaries beyond what the Royal Oak Offshore alone could accommodate.

From a collector's standpoint, the 25980AI is significant on multiple levels. Production was capped at 150 pieces globally, making it one of the more restrictive limited editions AP has issued under the Royal Oak Concept banner. The combination of an exotic alloy case, flying tourbillon, and skeleton dial in a 44mm octagonal case appeals directly to collectors who want mechanical complexity married to avant-garde design — a different profile from the investment-grade 5402 or 15202, but no less desirable within its own collector community.

Ferdinand has built one of the most credible watch collections in professional sport, regularly photographed with pieces from Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, and Audemars Piguet. His choice of the 25980AI suggests genuine engagement with AP's technical catalogue rather than simply its trophy pieces — this is not a watch that announces itself to a casual audience.

The Royal Oak Concept Ref. 25980AI carried a UK list price of approximately £195,000 at retail. On the secondary market, ultra-limited AP Concept references with exotic case materials and tourbillon complications have historically held value well, with grey-market pricing frequently exceeding retail given the constrained supply and the ongoing global demand pressure on the AP allocation system.