Watch Paparazzi

Actor Alessandro Roia spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Italian actor Alessandro Roia wore a stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "B Series" Ref. 5402 on screen while portraying the character Caron in the film Diabolik — a role that demanded a certain cool, understated menace, and few objects project that quality more effectively than the original Royal Oak.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 5402 is the watch that rewrote the rules of fine watchmaking. Commissioned on the eve of the Basel Fair in 1971, Gérald Genta reportedly completed the design in a single night, drawing inspiration from a diving helmet. The result was a bold octagonal bezel secured by eight exposed hexagonal screws, an integrated bracelet, and an "Tapisserie" guilloche dial — all rendered in polished and brushed stainless steel at a price point that shocked the industry. At launch, steel was considered an unglamorous case material; Audemars Piguet priced the Royal Oak above many gold competitors, a calculated provocation.

The "B Series" designation refers to the second production batch of the original Ref. 5402, following the "A Series" of the inaugural 1,000 pieces. These early examples house the calibre 2121 — a micro-rotor automatic movement jointly developed with Jaeger-LeCoultre (where it is known as the Cal. 920) and Vacheron Constantin. At just 3.05mm thick, the 2121 remains one of the flattest automatic movements ever built and is largely responsible for the Royal Oak's remarkably slim 7mm case profile. The dial measures 39mm — substantial for its era, slender by contemporary standards.

For collectors, early Ref. 5402 examples represent the purest expression of what the Royal Oak was meant to be. "A" and "B" series pieces carry a documentary importance that later references simply cannot replicate: they are the physical evidence of a commercial gamble that ultimately transformed the luxury watch market. Condition, originality of the dial, and bracelet completeness are decisive factors in valuation.

The choice to dress Roia's Caron in a Ref. 5402 rather than a modern Royal Oak reads as a deliberate period and character statement. On the grey market, pristine early Ref. 5402 examples routinely command figures well into six figures, reflecting both their scarcity and their foundational status in watch history.