Watch Paparazzi

Singer J Balvin spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

J Balvin was recently photographed sitting in a car, his tattooed wrist catching the light just enough to reveal one of the most technically complex pieces in the Royal Oak family: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked in black ceramic, reference 26579CE.O0. It's a fitting choice for an artist who has consistently pushed beyond genre boundaries — this watch does exactly the same within its category.

Introduced in 2019, the 26579CE represents the convergence of two of AP's most demanding craft disciplines: ceramic case manufacturing and dial-side skeletonization. The 41mm case is crafted from black ceramic, a material notorious for its hardness and the precision machining it demands. Inside beats the Calibre 5134, a manually-wound skeletonized movement offering hours, minutes, perpetual calendar with day, date, month, leap year indicator, and a moonphase display set against a lacquered blue disc that mimics a night sky. The movement requires no date correction until March 1, 2100.

The perpetual calendar lineage at Audemars Piguet stretches back to 1983, when the brand debuted ref. 5554 — the first Royal Oak to carry the complication. The 26579CE honors that legacy while radically reimagining it: the smoked external zone on the counters, rose gold applied hour-markers, and skeletonized bridges create a visual depth that printed dials simply cannot replicate. The contrast between the matte black ceramic and warm rose gold is a deliberate design tension AP executes with discipline.

For collectors, black ceramic Royal Oaks occupy a specific niche — they are rarer than steel equivalents, more technically demanding to produce, and carry a visual drama that resonates with a younger, style-conscious audience. The perpetual calendar openworked variant in this material sits at the apex of that niche, with production numbers kept intentionally low.

J Balvin has long positioned himself at the intersection of streetwear culture and haute horlogerie, and the 26579CE is consistent with that identity. With a retail price of $176,220 and a grey market that has driven values north of $425,000, this Royal Oak is not merely a status piece — it is a genuine collector's asset on the wrist of one of Latin music's most influential figures.