10 blinging watches from Jay-Z’s epic collection: he owns ultra-rare, ‘holy grail’ timepieces by Rolex, Patek Philippe and Richard Mille – and Beyoncé gifted him the priciest Hublot ever made

To commemorate Jigga’s moneyed move into the watch world, let’s take a closer look at some of the most eye-wateringly expensive watches in his collection – all of them worth seven figures or more.

1. Patek Philippe Nautilus “Tiffany” 5711

As a long-time ambassador for Tiffany & Co, Jay-Z was the first celebrity to rock this special edition Nautilus, per Wrist Enthusiast, which Patek Philippe released in the Tiffany’s signature robin’s egg blue in celebration of its long-standing partnership with the jeweller. It’s since been spotted on the wrists of other celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio and LeBron James.

2. Jacob & Co. Caviar Tourbillon World Timer

Alongside the manual-winding tourbillon, the watch face includes three timers that feature the names of major world cities, such as Los Angeles, Geneva and Dubai. Proceeds from the auction benefited the rapper’s charity, Reform Alliance, which helps former inmates transition back to normal life after being released.

3. Richard Mille RM001 Tourbillon

The first edition RM001, Richard Mille’s inaugural timepiece, was one of just 17 released when it first launched in 2001. Though still a young gun at that time, Jay-Z managed to snap up one of these exquisite tourbillons and wore it extensively during the early years of his career, through high-profile photo shoots and glamorous event appearances. Wristcheck lists its market value as US$2.3 million.

4. Richard Mille “The Blueprint” RM056

With so much love for Richard Mille, it’s no surprise that Jay-Z turned to the watchmaker in 2019 for a specially commissioned, one-of-a-kind timepiece inspired by his seminal sixth studio album, The Blueprint, which he released in 2001. (Incidentally, also the same year Richard Mille was founded.) Crafted from solid blocks of blue sapphire – each painstakingly carved to accommodate the flyback split-second tourbillon – it’s one of the maison’s most complex and expensive watches ever produced. Wristcheck values it at US$5.5 million retail.

5. Richard Mille Green Sapphire RM056

6. Hublot “Big Bang”

Another brand that Jay-Z helped popularise is Hublot. In 2011, the Swiss luxury watchmaker received a shoutout in his single “Otis” from the album Watch the Throne; two years later, Jay-Z collaborated with Hublot to release the Shawn Carter by Hublot collection.

7. Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300G

Jay-Z owns a ref. 6300G, the second edition of this ultra-rare model, featuring a white-gold case and two contrasting black and white dials with a hobnail guilloché pattern. It may not be as flashy as some of his other watches, but this piece shows that Jay-Z knows his haute horlogerie and has the clout to acquire one of the most elusive watches on the market.

8. Patek Philippe 2499/101J

In case you couldn’t tell, Jay-Z is a man who loves his Patek Philippe timepieces. He acquired this supremely scarce Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph 2499 – one of the brand’s rarest vintage pieces – in 2023. Notably, this 18-karat yellow gold classic watch has an integrated chain-link bracelet, which was painstakingly restored by the maison at its previous owner’s request after an earlier modification, per Hodinkee. This breathtaking work features round chronograph pushers, a concave bezel, “Dauphine” gold hands, and moon phases. Hodinkee reports that there’s speculation the piece is worth at least US$3 million; Sotheby’s once auctioned one for US$7.7 million.

9. Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman Panda” “Tiffany & Co.” 6263

Last year, Jay-Z was seen wearing a ref. 6263, a stainless steel version of the watch, which was a special collaborative release with Tiffany & Co., featuring their stamp on the dial.

10. Rolex Datejust Perpetual Calendar

Last on this certainly not exhaustive list of Jay-Z’s multimillion-dollar watches is this incredibly unique Rolex Datejust Perpetual Calendar. It’s hard to put a price tag on this one because it’s a true memento of horological history. In the 1980s, before Franck Muller started his own watchmaking business, he modified his gold Rolex Datejust by adding a month and leap year indicator, a date counter, a moon phase and a day indicator, per Wrist Enthusiast. The result is a unique piece, a triumph of imagination that has been called one of the best modified Rolexes of all time. Only the greatest for the GOAT, right?