What went down on Paris’s Pont Neuf this week for Pharrell Williams’s debut Louis Vuitton show is likely to be etched on many people’s minds for a while. Not only did Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford show that footballers are Frow material now, but Dave walked and there was that special Pharrell x Jay-Z karaoke session that almost sent Rihanna into early labour.
Amid the melee, damn there were some epic watches on show – and fittingly none had more bragging rights than Pharrell’s record-breaker. Here, the best watch spots of the week.
Pharrell Williams – Richard Mille RM Up-01 Ferrari
Pharrell is a rare beast, an innovative multi-hyphenate who knows no boundaries yet constantly transcends cultural ones. As a certified watch nerd, the wrist candy he would arm himself with for arguably the biggest night of his career was always going to be well considered. Known for having quite the collection of bonkers Richard Mille horology, he remained true to his favourite brand to mark his debut LV collection, and unsurprisingly his choice could not have been better suited to the occasion.
“How on Earth did you do that?” is a question just as relevant to ask the ‘Happy’ singer when it comes to bringing an all-out party atmos to the oldest bridge in Paris, as it is of Timothy Malachard, marketing director of Richard Mille, in relation to the wafer thinness of the RM Up-01 Ferrari.
When describing the record-breaking RM Up-01 Ferrari collab, which is 1.75mm thin and costs €1.75m (you do the maths), Malachard said “You cannot put a price on first.” Put simply, a watch like this has never been crafted before – a point that fits like a LV glove with Pharrell’s new vision for the biggest, and best luxury fashion house in the world.
The singer’s influence and the mechanisms of the RM Up-01 Ferrari defy all logic – both are truly one a kind.
Taylor Zakhar Perez – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 41mm
With Barbie playing the lead role, a hot guy summer is on the cards. It’s certainly the vibe Red, White and Royal Blue heartthrob Taylor Zakhar Perez was going for as he emerged practically topless from his ride en route to the Prada show. Didn’t want to crease his jacket, did he? We say practically, because he was wearing a watch, so wasn’t completely naked up top – an AP Royal Oak Selfwinding no less. While the Chronograph version essentially won Succession (Tom Wambsgans wore one), this one is less a power play and more an example of refined, stealth hunk – kinda like Zakhar Perez.
Micheal Ward – Rolex DateJust 41mm
One of the most likeable British actors in the game these days, Ward rocked up at Pharrell’s big LV party/show wearing one of the most likeable watches in the game – a Rollie DateJust. Whatever your aesthetic preferences are in life, in isolation you simply can’t not appreciate the smooth beauty of this watch’s fluted bezel. The classic blue dial and the 41mm size makes it something of a crowd pleaser – something the Top Boy actor is perennially guilty of being too.
Tyler, the Creator – Cartier Pebble
Tyler, the Creator will be remembered in history for many things – his lyricism, his stage presence, his music, his hats and his penchant for teeny, tiny watches that either look, or are, vintage. And the more unusual the shape of a watch, the more likely it’ll be spotted on Tyler’s wrist. Case in point, this yellow gold Cartier Pebble he rolled out this week, which was released last year and Americans like to call ‘the baseball’. Its off-kilter design is exactly what presses Tyler’s watch nerd buttons. We are particularly wooed by the rounded corners and the angles the Roman numeral indices are sat at. First released in 1973, apparently only 150 of this revisit were made.
Rihanna – Jacob and Co 30-ct Brilliant Flying Tourbillon
What part of your body gets more exposure – neck or wrist? Generally speaking, it’s your neck. So if you have a watch worth more than half a mill to flaunt, it makes far more sense to whack it around your neck, right? Seems that was the logic Rihanna used this week when she broke the internet (again) by wearing a custom Jacob and Co masterpiece as a choker while boppin’ the night away at the LV show with bump no.2, hubby A$AP Rocky and a million iPhone in her face. Once you are past being dazzled by the 30 carats of baguette-cut white diamonds (FYI there are another 338 brilliant-cut ones set onto the movement), it’s stating the obvious but the neck flex does make it almost impossible for Riri to tell the time himself. Luckily anyone in her vicinity can easily give her a heads up – you know, so she knows when to get back for the babysitter.
Maluma – Cartier Tank Must
When you’re wearing something as loud as an oversized, multi-coloured check shorts suit, you could go down the route of an equally outlandish watch statement – à la Jacob and Co – but the better option is to ground your out-there look with something unfussy and classic. Colombian singer Maluma is never shy of wearing colour but when it comes to his watch flexes, they are usually pretty refined. Recently, he’s been spotted wearing a Cartier Tank Must, which at just under £3k, is actually pretty affordable. Powered by a quartz movement so you’re never have to worry about winding up the watch yourself, there’s just a hour and an minute hand so you’re not always on a countdown to something, and that black lacquer dial is gorgeous.