“I don’t got the bright watch, I got the right watch.”

Jay-Z – 30 Something

Rap and flashy jewelry are like rock ‘n’ roll and demolished hotel rooms: a bit of attention is simply part of the scene. The representatives of this genre, who are not exactly known for their introversion, are always eager to show off what they got. Standing out in the midst of all that bling-bling is certainly not an easy task, but one rapper truly stands alone – or at least his watches do. His status as the richest rapper in the world certainly supports the passions of Shawn Corey Carter, aka Jay-Z, who owns one of the most impressive watch collections in the rap world – indeed, the celebrity world in general. And as a virtuoso of the rhyme, he can’t help but reference Audemars, Patek and Rolex in seemingly every other song. But these names aren’t merely smoke and mirrors. The man lives (and wears) what he raps. True to the motto:

“If you grew up with holes in your zapatos
You’d celebrate the minute you was having dough”

Jay-Z – 99 Problems

How to impress even P. Diddy: Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300G

“Plain Patek, been had it
Flooded when I got it from Khaled”

Jay-Z / DJ Khaled – Shining

When P. Diddy throws a party, especially a milestone birthday party, the rule is: no fussing, just flossing! At least that was what Jay-Z seemed to have had in mind when he strapped a fabulous Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300G around his wrist to celebrate Father Diddy’s 50th. During the obligatory snapshot in the Vanity Fair photo booth, it was patently no accident that Jay-Z’s hand moved towards his face right at the right moment, offering a clear view of the masterpiece from Geneva. Only six pieces of the reference 6300G, with hand-guilloched “Clous de Paris” decoration and 20 (!) Complications, were made, changing hands at a cool $ 2.2 million apiece.

The watch for business: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept

“Damn you fadin’ hov, how you gave ’em that?
Audemars Piguet, with the alligator strap”

Jay-Z – Show you how

In addition to his music, Jay-Z owes his considerable fortune to his highly successful business deals. When signing a contract with Roger Goodell and the NFL in 2019, the rapper certainly looked relaxed wearing his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Carbon. On the alligator leather strap, naturally!

For decades, Jay-Z has honored the Le Brassus luxury brand, manufacturer of the legendary Royal Oak, in his songs. And to be sure, all of these shout-outs have had a massive effect. Audemars watches are now among the most sought-after accessories for rappers like Kanye West, Lil Wayne and many others.

The Fusion by Shawn Carter and Hublot

“New watch alert, Hublot’s
Or the big face Rollie I got two of those”

Jay Z – Otis

Jay-Z being such a successful businessman, and such an ardent watch connoisseur, collaborations with the industry were sure to happen.  In 2013 the rap mogul worked with Hublot in designing two limited models based on the Classic Fusion. The Shawn Carter logo was cut into the dial, leaving the movement partially exposed. The watch was made in ceramic (250 pieces) and yellow gold (100 pieces) and was priced at $17,900 and $33,900 respectively.  The timepieces were sold exclusively through the “A New York Holiday” pop-up store – no surprise there, considering that exclusivity and luxury are all-out hallmarks of Jay-Z’s business empire, which also includes champagne and cognac brands.

A VIP bracelet in rose gold: The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Invitation”

“Ball so hard, got a broke clock, Rollies that don’t tick tock
Audemars that’s losing time, hidden behind all these big rocks”

Jay-Z – Ni***s in Paris

When his long, storied romance with luxury watches first began Jay-Z was really into Rolex, but as time moved on so did he, opening his heart, and his wallet, more and more to Audemars Piguet. But even if the tiaraed tickers appear less and less on his wrist, Jay-Z still finds some sensible use for them: as VIP bracelets for a gala benefiting his Shawn Carter Foundation.

Celebrities were amazed on opening their parcels: A bottle of Ace of Spades champagne from Jay-Z’s own Armand de Brignac vintner and – wait for it – a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116508 in rose gold, given by way of invitation to the charity event. A smart move: suddenly nobody had an excuse for being late.

Things were already heating up in Tokyo at the end of 2018. The turmoil was the result of a proposed legislation, stipulating that foreign workers will be allowed to immigrate to Japan, an idea put forth as a means to counteract the country’s rapid demographic changes.

This in a country which, during the Edo period (1603–1868), had completely shut itself off from the outside world for more than 250 years, and still today has one of the lowest proportions of foreigners at around 2%. It’s no wonder that the proposal caused people such unease!

But a picture posted on a recent Reddit thread reveals not only a melee of furious Japanese, but some interesting watches as well. Thanks to the magic of the internet, the five potential timepieces were quickly identified, although some of these speculations were, at best, a bit tenuous. Before we proceed, let’s have a look at the picture in question:

Watch number 1: Grand Seiko Snowflake?

A winter watch to counteract all of those hot heads: Grand Seiko’s ever popular SBGA211 aka “Snowflake”. This watch is relatively easy to recognize and seems obvious when you consider where the picture was taken.

Likelihood: 5/5.

Watch number 2: Hermès Clipper?

Now it gets tougher. Is it perhaps the Hermès Clipper CP1.910?
This speculation is supported by the “H-Link” bracelet – as also seen on, for example, a Sinn 556 – as well as the dark dial and bezel.  The numerals and the placement of the sub-dials also seem right.

Likelihood: 4/5.

Watch number 3: Casio Edifice?

The next watch is at best a well-educated guess. The internet community has consensed on the Casio Edifice EFR. We, however, are not completely convinced, and the picture is far from conclusive, but by all means have a look for yourself.

Likelihood: 2/5.

Watch number 4: Swatch Skin?

The fourth watch is almost certainly a Swatch Skin, possibly in the reference SFK361. The black strap, the clear case and the low profile of the watch all say Skin.

Likelihood: 4/5.

Watch number 5: Casio Edifice

The last tonneau-shaped watch is again a tough nut to crack. At first glance the delicate bracelet and the subdials do seem to suggest the Edifice, but there are scads of other watches which also fit this description. It does seem, though, that the Casio Edifice EFA 120D 1AV has been agreed upon, even if we still don’t completely see the resemblance.

Likelihood: 2/5.

A young watch enthusiast’s story

Some passions are known to remain in the family. In the Biver family, this passion – although obsession might be the better word – definitely goes by the name of “watches”. There’s probably no need to further elaborate on Jean-Claude Biver’s legacy, and if there is, make sure to check out our Baselworld interview.

Although the luminary stepped back from his duties at LVMH’s watch division in 2018, his family’s watch story is far from coming to an end. Someone is already impatiently waiting to leave his very own mark in the watch industry. 

Pierre Biver has already caught the watch virus at the young age of 19. Nonetheless, he has an impressive watch knowledge, which he owes not least to his work at Phillips. It was none other than this traditional English auction house that, together with Aurel Bacs, auctioned Paul Newman’s Daytona for a whopping $17.8 million in October 2017.

We meet Pierre in Berlin for an interview, where he grants some personal insights into his life. With him: Three watches of exceptional personal value.

Hi Pierre, cool you dropped by in Berlin. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi, thank you for having me. Sure, I am 19 years old, born and raised in Switzerland, living in London where I currently work for Phillips’ watch department. I’ve been around watches all my life but I only recently discovered a passion for them, I like to believe genetics played a role in this! My father is very passionate about horology as well and he has worked in the industry for many years now. 

My interest in watches started in High School. Once finished, I decided to take a gap year and luckily, I managed to intern for the watch department at Phillips in London, which to this day has been the most interesting and eye-opening experience. I do have a preference for vintage timepieces but still find some modern watches fantastic. I think that’s about it? Oh, I also LOVE playing Backgammon. 

Watches have probably always been an omni-present element in your life. Do you remember your first encounter with them?

They have indeed. I can’t tell you if it is the first encounter but the earliest I can recall must have been when I was 6 or 7 years old. Back then I had terrible sleep, I used to wake up very early, it was quite convenient during the week because I got to have more cartoon time before school but on weekends only my father was awake around 6am. 

I used to wait in his office for my mother to wake up whilst he was working. His office was always quiet messy and I would always play with his stuff, in particular with an old Blancpain Box in which he kept his Rolexes, mostly GMT’s and Submariner, and I couldn’t stop trying to figure out what these rotating bezels were for and why some were bi-colour and others were graduated. 

Are there any watch brands you appreciate in particular? If yes, why?

I am an unconditional Rolex lover, I am slowly but surely getting into Patek Philippe and the Royal Oak is probably one my all-time favourites. But that is not very different from most people. 

A brand that I am getting really excited about lately is F.P. Journe. I think François-Paul has created very innovative and unique aesthetics, as well as being one of the most important 21st century watchmaker. In addition to that he proposes an interesting catalogue, in terms of complications and style as well as in terms of prices. All in all, I really think F.P. Journe has something very unique to offer and once you buy in, it is hard to ever let go.

As a millennial yourself, what should watch brands do to reach out to younger generations more effectively?

I think brands could benefit from reaching out in a more educative way to millennials, nothing beats a quirky explanation on why a watch is and has become the watch it is. For me, understanding the product makes a real difference in the same way that not understanding it at all can be a selling point. In my opinion, which again is somewhat biased, I think brands should try to sell the quality products before using all means necessary to get clients to just buy in the brand. There should be no compromise on quality.

Your best friend is about to purchase a new watch. What’s your number one piece of advice you’d give him?

Quality. Buy the watch not the price and be sure to actually enjoy it.

Thanks Pierre.

For even more watches, make sure to check out Pierre’s Instagram profile.