Michael Jordan owns more cool watches than the National Watch and Clock Museum. Now it looks like he's added another one to his collection: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked.
MJ attended the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony wearing the RO around his wrist. (This was technically a few weeks ago, but MJ is wearing a skeletonized Royal Oak—now that we've seen it, we have to say something about that.) Both MJ and the Royal Oak are appropriate participants in Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, considering both are among the greatest of all time in their respective categories.
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The Royal Oak is, of course, the luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet that Audemars Piguet released in 1972. Designed by Gérald Genta, the world's most famous and respected watch designer, this model was intended to function as “a never-before-seen sports watch in steel,” according to the briefing by then AP executive director George Golay. Genta created a watch that lived up to that description and has since inspired an entire genre of models with an integrated bracelet. Today, luxury sports watches like the Royal Oak are a category of their own, boasting eye-watering prices, thin, automatic movements, and their own special design language.
The openworked double balance is a Fine Watchmaking Play with the Royal Oak. Housed in a 41mm stainless steel case with the collection's famous integrated bracelet, it features a rose gold-tone inner bezel and openwork movement, as well as rose gold-tone bezel screws that – in the words of The Dude – “really tied the space together.” Not only does the Ref. 15407ST.OO.1220ST.02 manage to make two-tone look cool again, but it has something else to offer: namely, the double balance wheel. This design, which adds a second balance wheel to the movement's balance stem, increases chronometric accuracy without Adding a second gear train and differential components that would otherwise reduce the power reserve.
These double balance wheels are contained within Audemars Piguet's Caliber 3132 automatic movement, which powers the watch and is visible both through the dial and through a sapphire crystal set into the caseback. Measuring just 4.4mm high, this 245-component movement offers 45 hours of power reserve and makes for a watch that is just 9.9mm thick. At $76,400, you might not really, you know, sporty in there – although we wouldn't put it past MJ. After all, this is a guy who wore a three-axis tourbillon worth $2 million to his NASCAR team's victory celebration. Maybe the Double Balance Wheel Openworked is his weekend ride?
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Tom Brady's Patek Philippe Aquanaut
When I chatted with David Beckham before an Inter Miami game in Fort Lauderdale, a Patek Philippe Aquanaut was clearly visible on Tom Brady's wrist. But this was no ordinary time-only version of the famous luxury sports watch – instead, Brady appeared to be wearing the Ref. 5968G, a chronograph version with a flyback function. Housed in a 42.2mm white gold case, the automatic caliber CH 28-520 C/522 simplifies the typical two- or three-register chronograph layout by offering just a central chronograph seconds hand and a sundial-shaped 60-minute counter above 6 o'clock. The embossed khaki green dial and matching green composite strap give it a sporty look – but us nerds know this is a serious piece of tech.
Jacopo Raule
Angelina Jolie's Cartier Tank
When Angelina Jolie appeared at the 81st Venice International Film Festival a few days ago, she did us a favor by wearing her watch with the dial facing inward, making it easily recognizable as a Cartier Tank Louis as she waved at the camera. While not the very first Tank ever developed—that would be the square regular—the Louis is commonly considered the prototypical Tank model, and the model that springs to mind when you say the word “Tank” in a room full of people who don’t think about watches at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Jolie’s Cartier, which features a yellow gold case and black lacquered dial, is powered by a hand-wound movement. The blue sapphire cabochon crown, a trademark of the Tank collection, is of course present and accounted for.
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Naomi Osaka's TAG Heuer Aquaracer
Naomi Osaka wore TAG's sporty and match-ready Aquaracers as she defeated Latvia's Jelena Ostapenki in the women's singles on the second day of the US Open this week. The 36mm steel watch – a sporty diver's watch with 300m of water resistance – is naturally perfect for a sweaty round of tennis, although many players prefer not to wear a watch during play, especially a heavier steel model. Osaka appeared to swap out the matching steel bracelet for a white rubber strap. The turquoise wave-pattern dial on her watch, with diamond-set indexes and an enlarged date window at 6 o'clock, adds some pizzazz to an otherwise largely functional design.
Jean-Luc Catuffe
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Seals Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
Also in attendance at the US Open this week was Seal, who was spotted in the stands with a Daytona peeking out from a rolled-up sleeve. Part of the current Rolex catalogue, the Ref. 126506 has a solid platinum case, as visually evident by the combination of an ice blue dial and a maroon Cerachrom bezel with a tachymeter scale in white and a platinum PVD coating. Take a close look at the chronograph subdials and you'll notice they're also finished in brown, which matches the bezel well and balances the design. Featuring Chromalight lume and the brand's chronometer-certified 4131 movement, this is a thoroughly modern take on the chronograph – although at nearly 300 grams, it's probably not a watch you'd want to play tennis with.
