8 Famous Musicians Who Collect Watches, From Eric Clapton to Jay-Z
Some musicians positively love to spend lots of money on watches. From the famed beboppers of the mid-20th century to 1970s rock gods, modern rappers and singer-songwriters, these musicians often wear their watches into the spotlight, effectively spreading the horological gospel farther and farther afield.
Maybe you’re thinking that celebrity watch collecting is something relatively new, but it has been going on under the radar for decades. Turn back the clock to 1948, and you’ll find bandleader Duke Ellington in Geneva purchasing a Patek Philippe ref. 1563 split-seconds chronograph. Duke was also known to wear a Cartier Tank à Guichet. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and you might also find trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie with a Patek Philippe ref. 1463 strapped to his wrist while performing at The Newport Jazz Festival. Dizz also owned a first-generation Rolex GMT-Master. And what about “Slowhand” himself, Mr. Eric Clapton? In the 1990s, he was already accumulating rare, world-class Rolexes well before it was fashionable to do so.
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What is the connection, you may wonder, between musicians and watches? One a pedestrian level, some of the collecting proclivity is purely Jonesian (of the “keeping-up-with” varietal); one sees other well-to-do creators spending lots of money on shiny things and imitates. Perhaps a well-traveled individual making art in a faraway locale needs a new watch, sees a beautiful one in a shop window, purchases it, and wears it for years. This man, several generations hence, is seen as a “collector.”
There may be more philosophical reasons that speak to the connection between music and timekeeping, however. Music, of course, is built upon a sense of rhythm, a sense of time itself. Without time, there is no organized music—just a smattering of sound, like an improvised poem, pieced together rubato and devoid of rhythmic constraint. In order to be an effective musician, however, one must master the art of timekeeping. Indeed, one must effectively become a watch.
However you look at it, As they collect and keep time, the watches we see on their wrists—and the very idea of wearing a watch—takes hold in the minds of younger generations. For those of us who love watches and watchmaking, this is an exciting development.
Below are some of the most prominent watch collectors in the world. From vintage finds with incredible provenance to modern masterpieces in strange materials, these watches are proof positive of the enduring appeal of the humble wristwatch and its strong bond with musicians everywhere.
Adam Clayton of U2
The bassist for U2 has been a collector since the early 1990s, when he first wandered into an antique store in recently reunified Berlin and came across some horological treasures.
H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Centre Seconds Limited Edition #1 of 3 Ref. 3200-1201
Measuring 42.8mm, this sporty Moser is completely devoid of name or logo on the dial, making it unique amongst the boutique brand’s offerings. Of course, it features Moser’s signature fumé dial, while the Calibre HMC 200 automatic movement provides 72 hours of power reserve. Clayton’s personal watch was auctioned at the Watch & Act! 2020 World Watch Auction in Aid of the Australian Wildfire Crisis.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Squadra Chronograph
Clayton told The Irish Times that he bought this one ahead of U2’s 360 Tour in order to match the technology and engineering present in the band’s stage setup. (The 360 Tour famously included an enormous, claw-like lighting rig above the stage.) The Squadra Chronograph adds a triple-register chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour counters to the Reverso’s famed reversible case.
Eric Singer of KISS
Kiss’s drummer has an extensive collection of both modern and vintage pieces, many of which he bought while on tour. Several feature fascinating backstories — the stuff true collectors love.
1920s Patek Philippe Pocket Watch
This open-faced, solid-gold Patek pocket watch has to be one of the most compelling pieces owned by any musician. Presented to Hawaiian opera singer Tandy MacKenzie in 1922, it’s inscribed from the members of the Molokai leper colony, for whom the world-famous tenor had agreed to sing, in defiance of societal norms. Beautiful and imbued with incredible provenance, it’s accompanied by its original box, warranty, and other ephemera.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Fondation”
A limited edition from 1997, this blue-dialed Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is more than meets the eye: Below the 12 o’clock marker is the word “Fondation,” indicating that it was part of a limited series of 250 pieces made to benefit Time for the Trees—proceeds from its original sale would’ve gone to the charity. Powered by the Calibre 2225 automatic movement, it has a specially engraved gold winding rotor.
John Mayer
The singer-songwriter-guitarist is one of the most visible watch enthusiasts in the world, adding everything from Patek Philippe pièces unique to decidedly affordable G-Shocks to his collection.
Rolex Daytona Ref. 116508
After he waxed poetic about it on Hodinkee’s Talking Watches (Part II) in 2019, this yellow gold Cosmograph Daytona with green dial became known in collectors’ circles as the “John Mayer.” Launched in 2016, its color combination makes it a bit of an oddball reference—but good luck finding one on the secondary market for less than $75,000. Mayer bought it on Christmas of that year, dubbing it the “Christmas” dial.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5004
Mayer’s is no ordinary ref. 5004G—which is itself no “ordinary” watch—but a pièce unique ordered by Mayer from the maison. Housed in a platinum case, it features a salmon dial with luminous hands—so that Mayer can read them on stage—which is a configuration that does not otherwise exist. It’s also engraved with his initials and features both perpetual calendar and split-seconds chronograph complications.
Ed Sheeran
Influenced by his friend John Mayer, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has become a noted watch collector in his own right. (He even has his own G-Shock model.)
G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 Subtract by Ed Sheeran for Hodinkee
Inspired by the artwork for Sheeran’s album “Subtract,” this ref. 6900 features a bright yellow resin case with black watercolor splotches—plus a dial adorned with an abstract design of Sheeran’s face done up in green, blue, orange, and red. Colorful and a bit wild, it’s still a wonderfully useful timepiece, boasting 200m of water resistance, a bevy of alarms and timers, and a price tag ($185) that will make collectors smile.
Roger W. Smith Series 5 Open Dial Pièce Unique
What could be more quintessentially English than a pièce unique designed by Roger Smith, the pioneering British watchmaker who apprenticed under George Daniels? Sheeran owns a couple of one-off Roger Smith watches, but his open-worked Series 5 plays close to the original at 40 mm, in yellow gold, and featuring insane mechanical prowess common in Smith’s timepieces, such as a George Daniel’s Co-Axial escapement and a free-sprung Quadrajust balance wheel. Sheeran had two of these made for his-and-hers before his marriage. Her’s was 38 mm.
Eric Clapton
“Slowhand” is perhaps the O.G. modern watch collector. Indeed, it was the guitarist and singer’s fondness for rare Rolexes that sparked much of John Mayer’s enthusiasm for the same.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239 “The Crazy Doc”
Feast your eyes on what may be the sole example of a ref. 6239 Daytona in yellow gold to feature a pulsations dial. (While most chronographs feature tachymeter or telemeter scales, certain examples have pulsation scales instead, which are meant to measure a patient’s heart rate.) This particular watch’s dial was likely the result of a special request, and was acquired by Clapton in the ‘90s. It hammered for close to $2M at auction in 2022.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6263 “Albino”
Also purchased by Clapton in the late 1990s, this wildly rare ref. 6263 Daytona features what has come to be known as an “albino” dial — one in which the chronograph’s totalizers are the same silver color as the dial, rather than contrasting black. One of just four known examples of such a dial, it also hammered in a 2022 Phillips auction for nearly $2M — proof of the extreme collectability of tiny dial tweaks, and of Slowhand’s enduring popularity.
Jay-Z
HOV’s collection is unparalleled, with incredibly rare watches and stunningly expensive modern masterpieces. Some of the best are customized watches that don’t exist anywhere else.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar MOP Dial
There are Royal Oaks; then there are Royal Oaks with perpetual calendars; then there are Royal Oaks with perpetual calendars and mother of pearl dials. Then there are Royal Oaks with perpetual calendars and mother of pearl dials and diamond-set indices. This one was sold to Jay via Tony Kavak from Stockholm, who hooked him up via Jay’s go-to dealer, Alex Todd.
Rolex Pièce Unique
Ever seen a gold Rolex Datejust with a perpetual calendar? No? That’s because they don’t exist. In the 1980s, before he launched his own eponymous brand, watchmaker Franck Muller modified a precious-metal Datejust with a moonphase-equipped perpetual calendar. The watch subsequently made its way to the collection of Alex Todd, Jay’s go-to jeweler, and thence to HOV himself. We positively dare you to find a cooler Rolex.
Drake
The Canadian rapper has a large and far-ranging collection that includes gem-set Pateks, special Rolexes, and complicated pieces from Jacob & Co. (He especially seems to love Rolex.)
Jacob and Co. Astronomia Casino
The Astronomic Casino from “Jacob the Jeweler” is a mind-boggling piece of horological design — it actually contains a working roulette wheel with 37 pockets and a ceramic ball! Other than this, it contains a double-axis flying tourbillon, a spinning “moon” shaped from diamond, an Earth globe, and a rotating dial. Its movement, which contains nearly 400 parts, uses a patented differential to spin the orbital dial such that it’s always upright and visible.
Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5276 Customized by Virgil Abloh
This stunning take on the Nautilus was conceived of by none other than the late Virgil Abloh and realized by MAD Paris, watch customizers to the stars. It takes an otherwise “run-of-the-mill” annual calendar and blackens the case, then sets it with a seemingly innumerable amount of emeralds. The resulting watch is utterly wild, somewhat sinister, and completely unique — indeed, Drake has the only one.
Aly and AJ
Californian-born musical duo (and sisters) Aly and AJ Michalka are noted collectors, having spoken to HODINKEE about their horological journey in a 2019 episode of “Talking Watches.”
Patek Philippe ref. 404J
This cool, rectangular Patek in yellow gold with matching, applied Arabic indices was once awarded to a pilot for a world record flight in 1935 — the longest in a seaplane — from France to Senegal. With its precious-metal case, dressy aspect, and hand-wound movement, this ref. 404J wouldn’t seem the ideal candidate for a performance timekeeper, but AJ frequently wears it onstage — proof of the enduring appeal of its historical provenance as well as its excellent design.
Autodromo Intereuropa
Worlds away from the dressy ref. 404J above is this steel-cased Autodromo Intereuropa, a manually-wound, relatively affordable piece released in 2019. Now discontinued, it was worn by Aly in a road trip-themed music video and has since earned a piece in her permanent collection. Measuring 39mm and featuring a handsome Nassu Green dial, it’s inspired by the Coppa Intereuropa race held at Monza, Italy, from 1949-1964.
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