When Tom Brady’s Netflix special rolled out in May, watch enthusiasts couldn’t help but notice the sleek, swanky timepiece on his wrist. The quarterback sported a custom-made Audemars Piguet Royal Oak for his big night at ‘The Roast of Tom Brady,’ which, interestingly, came into existence without any planning whatsoever.
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Brady’s passion for watches is no secret, with the retired NFL star having collated a watch collection worth millions over his 23-year NFL career. So when he got an exciting offer from a friend and former CEO of AP, the former quarterback was bound to accept!
François-Henry Bennahmias reached out, expressing that he and AP designer Michael Friedman wanted to create a special piece just for Brady.
“My friend [François-Henry Bennahmias] texted me out of the blue and said, ‘I want to create something for you,” shared Brady via the Sotheby’s. “Why don’t you work with my friend and designer at Audemars Piguet, Michael Friedman, and figure out what you want to come up with?’”
And the rest, as they say, is history. After that call, the designers focused on the dial of this custom piece, with Bennahmias envisioning a diamond bezel to make it truly unique. Brady, however, was unsure about the idea in the beginning, therefore, the former CEO convinced his friend to jump on board.
What was next? Within days of purchasing the watch, Brady wore the timeless timepiece to his Netflix special, and it soon became the talk of the town.
“At the time, I was like, ‘We’re not doing that,'” Brady relayed. “He convinced me to do it, and I wore it for the Netflix roast, which was such a fun event.”
The Royal Oak is estimated to be worth somewhere between $400,000 and $800,000. Flaunting a salmon-colored dial, the timepiece’s standout feature is the lack of traditional hour indices.
Instead, baguette diamonds that spell out the quarterback’s name are used as hour markers, while blue gemstones read ‘VII’ in the middle, referencing Brady’s seven Super Bowl wins. The rotor also didn’t lack details, featuring an etching of the former quarterback’s signature.
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Earlier this month, Brady announced that he would be putting his watch collection, including this breathtaking Audemars Piguet, up for auction, much to the surprise of fans. The auction listings include several high-end watches and memorabilia from the quarterback’s time in the league.
