Iconic Music Artists Wearing Their Heart On Their Wrist
7 min read
The watchmaking industry is nothing short of an artform and correlation with music assures that. Apart from composing designs and harmonizing historical references with modern technology, the music industry’s leading artists have an amplified love for watches and have created collections of the most extravagant watches to match their wavelength. That was a lot of music puns!
Extraordinary watch brand collaborations, crazy extensive watch collections and features in songs— the love affair between music artists and their watches is a song worth singing to.
Lady Gaga X Tudor
The supernova of pop music and the flamboyant brand, Lady Gaga, and Tudor’s collaboration seemed like a ‘Bad Romance’ to many in the beginning. However, their artistic approaches and status-quo-crushing visions made them a perfect match.
Lady Gaga featured in Tudor’s ‘Born To Dare’ campaign with two watches that describe the two sides of the brand to her being: her rebellious bravado and her theatrical style and charisma.
The bold 41mm Heritage Black Bay is outfitted with a burgundy bezel, a winding crown, rose gold hands, and a domed black dial. The timeless timepiece has a 70-hour power reserve, is equipped with the MT5602 Manufacture Caliber, and is available in a steel bracelet, aged leather strap, or a fabric strap.
The second watch unravels the elegant side of Gaga's raw energy with the 31 mm steel Glamour Date. The bling timepiece’s dial is lined with opaline diamonds and has a polish-finished diamond-set double bezel, a self-winding movement, and a yellow gold and steel bracelet.
Pharrell Williams X Richard Mille
The ‘Happy’ singer, Pharrell Williams, and Richard Mille have been friends since the watch brand’s feature in his song with Gwen Stefani, ‘Can I have like that’ sparked their beaming relationship.
They collaborated on RM 52-05 Manual Winding Tourbillon Pharrell Williams. This timepiece goes above and beyond, aligning with Pharell’s endearment for space and the way it tells time.
The baseplate supports the manual winding movement of the design and is made of grade 5 titanium, analogous to a space shuttle. It is possible to see the titanium bridges that resemble rocket launch platforms through it. It has large, blue aventurine glass inserts that depict space and the universe's boundaries with all of its stars.
The astronaut helmet dial illustrates an imaginary view of Earth far in the distance and features the grand-feu-enamel, curved and gold visor engraved to mimic the texture on Mars. The diamonds and black sapphires on their sides represent projectors and cameras. The composed intricacy and attention to detail bring the timepiece to life.
Apart from creating watches that are nothing short of art, Richard Mille is a favorite among rappers. From Jay Z and Beyonce’s ‘APESHIT’, Drake’s RM 38-01 Bubba Watson mentioned in ‘Nonstop’ to Pusha T’s ‘Come Back Baby,’ and of course Pharrell’s ‘Numbers’.
David Guetta X Tag Heuer
The global EDM sensation is a proud ambassador of Tag Heuer; the brand has also teamed up with Martin Garrix earlier.
Guetta's watch features in Tag Heuer’s Formula 1 collection and it is tapered exactly to his needs. The DJ’s work includes skipping across cities all over the world which makes travel and jet lag his best mates. His watch, the TAG Heuer Formula 1 - David Guetta, is equipped with a GMT function and the perfect black and blue clubbing colors. The watch has a 24-hour display with black for the nighttime hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. and blue for the daylight hours between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. A blue hand denotes the second time zone, and the 7 Twin-Time automatic calibers are housed in a black titanium carbide-treated casing. The hour markers on the dial and the hands. The black calf-skin wristband cuff is broad and fits well with the club aesthetic.
Jay-Z X Audemars Piguet
Well-known rapper and famously watch aficionado, Jay Z partnered with Audemars Piguet to commemorate his 10th anniversary in the music industry with The Royal Oak Offshore Jay-Z 10th Anniversary Limited Edition.
The watch dial's number 10 is encrusted in diamonds, giving it a breathtakingly stunning appearance and bringing attention to the starstruck anniversary it was designed for. The royal navy blue crocodile strap on the platinum variant matches the watch's beauty and charm.
"Royal Oak Offshore Jay-Z 10th Anniversary" is inscribed at top of the watch, "Limited Edition" is etched around the bottom, and Jay-Z's signature is centered on the rear, which is what makes this watch so truly special edition.
The sense of natural affinity between the two sparked their relationship, introducing the rapper to the world of watches beyond dials and jewels and the brand to gain some street-cred. Their relationship is seen through a few of Jay-Z’s lyrics, most influentially in his and Kanye’s ‘Watch The Throne’ album.
Rihanna X Chopard
The diva of the music industry and the high-end swiss watch maker’s relationship is well-known. Rihanna and Chopard have partnered twice to create stunning collections of jewelry and a spectacular watch studded with diamonds.
The ‘Rihanna Loves Chopard’ collection was released in May 2017 during the Cannes festival and it consisted of many elegant and beautiful pieces. The limited-edition range, co-designed by Rihanna and Chopard’s Caroline Scheufele, was introduced in two parts; the first was a ‘high jewelry’ collection made from priceless gems and diamonds, including the 30.76 carat Rihanna loves Chopard diamond watch. She was spotted wearing these on the Grammy carpet and Met Gala carpet in 2017. The watch is iridescent of her personality and ‘shine bright like a diamond’ spirit.
The love story and the chemistry between the music and watch industry is one singer has written lyrics about. Who would have thought that a time would come when music artists sing about timepieces and wear their hearts on their wrists?
