Alright, let’s talk about the Viktor Hovland watch thing. So, I got obsessed, right? Hovland’s been rocking this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the yellow gold one, and I just had to figure out more about it. I mean, that thing is seriously blingy and classy at the same time.
First, I started digging around online. I mean, the obvious stuff – Google Images, watch forums, even some golf sites. Found a bunch of pictures of him wearing it, different angles, you know, trying to get a good look at the details. AP Royal Oaks, they’re not exactly subtle, but I wanted to nail down the specific model.
Then, I hit up some watch blogs and review sites. That’s where I started to get some real info. Turns out it’s the Royal Oak Selfwinding 41mm in yellow gold. Ref. *.1256BA.01 if you want to get super specific. Saw some articles about the movement, the case dimensions, all that jazz.
- Case: Yellow Gold, 41mm
- Movement: AP Caliber 4302
- Dial: Yellow Gold “Grande Tapisserie” pattern
Next step: Price check! Ouch. These things aren’t cheap. Retail’s around the $75,000 mark, but good luck finding one at retail. Grey market prices are even crazier. Let’s just say it’s way out of my budget for now. Maybe someday, after I win the lottery or something.
Okay, so I can’t afford one. Big deal. I decided to see if I could find something similar. Maybe a steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet? Something with a textured dial? Started browsing different brands – Tissot, Seiko, even looked at some Christopher Ward stuff. Trying to find that Royal Oak vibe without the Royal Oak price tag.
Honestly, I didn’t find anything that was a dead ringer. The Royal Oak is just… different. The integrated bracelet, the octagonal bezel with the exposed screws, the way the light plays off the “Grande Tapisserie” dial – it’s just iconic. Everything else felt like a compromise.
So, what did I end up doing? I bought a strap. Yeah, sounds lame, I know. But I figured I could at least change up the look of one of my existing watches. Found a nice textured rubber strap that kind of echoed the look of the Royal Oak dial. It’s not the same, not even close, but it was a small way to scratch that itch.
The whole thing was a bit of a rabbit hole, to be honest. I went from admiring Hovland’s watch on TV to obsessively researching it, to desperately searching for an affordable alternative, to finally settling for a new strap. But hey, at least I learned a lot about watches in the process. And maybe, just maybe, someday I’ll own a Royal Oak. Until then, I’ll keep dreaming and keep rocking my textured rubber strap.
The takeaway? Viktor Hovland has good taste. And watches are expensive.
