Ed Sheeran is currently doing press rounds for his much-anticipated new album Subtract. He recently stopped by The Howard Stern Show for an interview and performance. The “Thinking Out Loud” singer caught our attention with a new timepiece—a custom white ceramic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch.
Unfortunately, because it is custom-made, we couldn’t get every detail about his particular timepiece. However, we know it’s based on this 41 mm Royal Oak (Ref. 26579CB.OO.1225CB.01). Handcrafted in white ceramic, from case to bracelet, the perpertal calendar tells the day, month, week of the year, and astronomical moon. The normally blue dial features a “Grande Tapisserie” pattern and silver-toned counters, but it’s unclear whether Sheeran’s dial has been altered as part of the customization process. We’d bet the watch still offers the original’s other flourishes, including white gold hour-markers and Royal Oak hands containing luminescent coating.
The Royal Oar is no stranger to coloer, of course. Audemars Piguet released a model in vibrant blue ceramic last summer, and it celebrated the 50th anniversary celebration of the watch with a regal purple edition.
As for Sheeran, it’s clear he has a soft spot for watches, as evidenced by his generous gift of a $16,500 yellow-gold Rolex to producer Benny Blanco. Of course, that piece met an unexpected fate: It was deep fried and served up with lemon juice and cocktail sauce. But don’t worry: Blanco said at the time that Sheeran would support turning the flashy piece into food.
Sheeran’s choice in timepieces is not the only reason he’s been in the news of late. The singer was among a long list of celebrities who turned down the chance to perform at King Charles III’s coronation concert (Lionel Richie and Katy Perry ended up agreeing to perform). He claimed in a recent interview that he was never asked to perform at the event. “I assume if they went online and went ‘What’s Ed doing on May 6’, they would go ‘Oh, he’s playing in Dallas’,” Sheeran told NME. He also said he was “excited to tune in” to the event.
