You would expect a musician to be building their collection of musical instruments. But today’s leading artists are more bent towards building a stylish collection of luxury watches!
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A timepiece, after all, does reflect personal taste. And these celebrities are here for it. It could be a rare Bulgari watch almost worth a million dollars. Or a Chopard model covered with 16.15 carats of diamonds. These celebrities own some of the finest luxury watches in the world.
Limited edition collections
Jay-Z
American rapper Shawn Corey Carter aka Jay-Z’s music lyrics openly profess his love for luxury watches – from Audemars Piguet to Rolex. Almost every brand he owns gets a humble mention. As the years roll on, Jay-Z’s watch collection keeps growing. Several masterpieces have been added, from the likes of Patek Phillippe, Hublot, Franck Muller and Richard Mille.
The hip-hop star has also collaborated with luxury watch brands to craft limited-edition timepieces, namely the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 10th Anniversary ‘Jay Z’ Edition watch and the Shawn Carter by Hublot collection.
His passion for luxury watches runs so deep that he actually gifted his fellow rapper friends the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116508 in rose gold worth $40,000 as an invitation to a charity gala benefiting his Shawn Carter Foundation! We can see where his generosity comes from. His wife Beyoncé gifted him a Hublot Big Bang (worth $5 million) for his birthday several years ago. That makes his collection all the more glamorous.
John Mayer
American singer-songwriter John Mayer has a solid reputation as a classy tastemaker within the luxury watch community. His extensive collection features the entire gamut from rare pieces to collector’s favourites including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and IWC.
Mayer’s impressive repertoire, especially of Rolex watches, includes rare and vintage versions of Daytona Chronographs (References like 6263-65 and 116508-09), Submariners References (like Comex 5514 and 6200), and GMT Master II timepieces. The rainbow bezel Cosmograph Daytona reflects his colourful personality and surely adds an eclectic touch!
Some other iconic pieces include the Patek Philippe Travel Time Aquanaut Reference 5004G Perpetual Calendar Split-Seconds Chronograph, and the Reference 5971 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph.
Rihanna
Chopard, Bulgari, Rolex, Patek Philippe … Rihanna’s collection of luxury watches is as glamorous as her personality. Her favourite timepieces have also made their way into her music videos. In the famous “Take a Bow” video, she wears a Piaget Polo watch in yellow gold.
Adding to the envy-inducing collection are the stylish Rolex Lady Datejust, Rolex Daytona President, and the Patek Philippe Nautilus timepieces. The Barbadian singer has also collaborated with Chopard to create the “Rihanna Loves Chopard’” high jewellery collection featuring a dazzling diamond set watch.
Drake
Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham is another musician-cum-luxury-watch-enthusiast with an awe-inspiring collection. Audemars Piguet, Hublot, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Jacob & Co and Richard Mille feature top in his list.
Some noteworthy timepieces include the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Hublot Big Bang in rose gold, Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar in white gold. Then there’s the Rolex Day Date by Chrome Hearts, the Jacob & Co Astronomia Casino, and the Richard Mille RM Erotic Tourbillon watch that’s worth a whopping $750,000!
Among others are the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in rose gold, and Royal Oak Tourbillon in rose gold. There’s also the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Diamond Set Edition and Forged Carbon Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph.
Coming to his Rolex collection, there’s the Rolex Daytona Chronographs in everose gold as well as white gold, GMT Master II, Sky Dweller, Yacht Master II, and DayDate II watches.
Nick Jonas
American singer-songwriter Nick Jonas’ extensive collection of luxury watches heavily borrows inspiration from his older Jonas brothers’ picks. He and Kevin both have the Rolex GMT-Master II Reference 116718LN in yellow gold, as well as the Rolex Submariner in 18k yellow gold.
He’s also been spotted sporting the Chopard L.U.C Lunar One Grande Date in pink gold, and the Richard Mille RM 11-01 Roberto Mancini in red gold. He also wears the Richard Mille RM 011 NTPT Lotus Carbon F1 Team Chronograph watch.
At the 2020 Golden Globes, Jonas took his wristwear game ten notches higher. Talk about a statement-maker. Jonas wore a rare Bulgari Octo L’Originale Full Blue Baguette Diamonds watch covered in 1,172 diamonds with more than 50 carats. Okay, but what about the price? Are you sitting down? A shocking $928,000!
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Shweta Gandhi is a fashion and lifestyle journalist based in Toronto. She has covered fashion and sustainability extensively for Vogue India and ELLE India, attending international fashion weeks from the front row.
She has interviewed innumerable designers and celebrities including Maria Grazia Chiuri, Tamara Ralph, Nick Bateman, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Manish Malhotra, Ranveer Singh among others. In her free time, she writes on new-age spirituality on her website svetarotreading.com.
