Watch Paparazzi

Boxer Conor Benn spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Ahead of his September 4th bout, English professional boxer Conor Benn was photographed wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Open Worked in 18K white gold, reference 15407BC — a watch that commands as much attention as the fighter wearing it.

The 15407BC sits within Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Extra-Thin Skeleton family, housing the hand-wound calibre 2910, a movement developed in collaboration with Roger Dubuis. Beating at 21,600 vph with a 65-hour power reserve, the movement is fully skeletonized and finished to haute horlogerie standards, with every bridge and plate chamfered and decorated through a painstaking manual process. The 41mm white gold case carries the hallmark octagonal bezel with eight hexagonal screws — Gerald Genta's 1972 blueprint executed in one of its most elaborate modern forms.

What elevates the 15407BC beyond a standard skeleton Royal Oak is the frosted gold treatment applied to the case and bracelet. Developed by Florentine jeweler Caroline Scheufele of Chopard, the technique uses a diamond-tipped tool to hammer thousands of microscopic indentations into the gold surface, producing a soft, crystalline sparkle that diffuses light rather than reflecting it directly. The result is a texture that reads entirely differently from polished or brushed finishing — warmer, more tactile, and genuinely unique in haute horlogerie.

Conor Benn, son of British boxing icon Nigel Benn, has built both a formidable ring record and a reputation for serious watch collecting. Choosing the 15407BC signals a collector who understands complications beyond the dial — this is a watch for someone who appreciates movement architecture as much as surface aesthetics.

On the market, the 15407BC tells an equally compelling story. With an official list price of approximately $92,800, the grey market has pushed current valuations toward $305,000 — a premium exceeding 200% over retail. Demand for frosted gold Royal Oaks consistently outpaces supply, and the open-worked variant in white gold remains one of the most coveted references among serious AP collectors worldwide. Benn's choice reflects both taste and genuine horological knowledge.