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Basketball player Carmelo Anthony spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Carmelo Anthony has long operated at the intersection of professional basketball and high horology, and this sighting — captured during his New York Knicks era — underlines that reputation unambiguously. On his wrist sits an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept in forged carbon, one of the most technically complex and visually aggressive references the Le Brassus manufacture has ever produced. The skeletonized dial, exposed movement architecture, and all-black carbon case make it instantly recognizable even at wrist distance.

The Royal Oak Concept line was introduced in 2002 as AP's laboratory for experimental complications and materials, deliberately breaking from the Gerald Genta-designed original. The carbon variant seen here houses the Calibre 2933, a manual-winding movement featuring a flying tourbillon at six o'clock paired with a column-wheel chronograph — both visible through the openworked dial. The forged carbon case measures 44mm and is notable for its multi-piece construction, with the characteristic Royal Oak octagonal bezel now rendered in the same carbon composite, secured by eight H-shaped screws. The movement operates at 21,600 vph with approximately 168 hours of power reserve.

From a collector standpoint, the Royal Oak Concept Carbon occupies a distinct niche: it carries the Royal Oak iconography but pushes materials and movement finishing into territory closer to Richard Mille or Hublot than traditional Swiss haute horlogerie. That said, the movement finishing on the Calibre 2933 — visible through the sapphire caseback — is executed to AP's typical exacting standard, including beveling, anglage, and perlage on interior surfaces.

Anthony's watch sensibility has always leaned toward high-complication, visually dramatic pieces. His collection, documented across multiple sightings, spans Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, and premium AP references. Choosing the Royal Oak Concept Carbon over the more ubiquitous Royal Oak or Royal Oak Offshore signals a collector's awareness of the line's technical ambition rather than mere brand recognition.

On the secondary market, the Royal Oak Concept Carbon trades at a significant premium, reflecting both limited production numbers and sustained demand from collectors attracted to its fusion of complications and advanced materials. At a UK RRP in the region of £200,000, this is not an impulse purchase — it is a deliberate statement from one of the NBA's most watch-literate players.