John Mayer Wears the Hot Watch Brand of the Moment

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The unbiased watch model takeover has reached a fever pitch during the last month. It started a few weeks in the past, at an public sale devoted fully to the beloved watchmaker F.P. Journe, the place a number of items moved for over $1 million. It continued this week, when the primary watch to hit public sale from Rexhep Rexhepi—the watchmaker rumored to have thousands of folks on the waitlist to personal one in every of his items—offered for a last value of $924,000, almost triple the preliminary estimate. However the newest occasion may be the one with essentially the most energy to convey independents absolutely into the mainstream: This month, John Mayer was noticed on tour carrying F.P. Journe’s Èlègante in titanium. 

We’ve totally documented Mayer’s affect within the watch world. Just about all newish, diehard collectors point out his Speaking Watches movies as a part of their downward spiral into full-blown watch obsession. (Ronny Chieng just mentioned it to me earlier this month!) Sellers purchase up any Audemars Piguet Royal Oak references he wears. A single sighting on Mayer’s wrist will shoot up the worth of an underloved Rolex Daytona mannequin. Now, naturally, Mayer is a part of the wave bringing unbiased watchmakers to the forefront. 

Throw a winding software in Geneva and also you’re more likely to smack a profitable watchmaker main their very own firm to glory. However few are hotter than Journe is true now. Within the eyes of the model’s tremendous collectors, no another efficiently imbues conventional watchmaking with trendy taste. Mayer’s Èlègante was initially conceived as a ladies’s watch. “It was a request for purchasers’ wives, who needed a lady’s watch and never a smaller males’s watch,” Journe told Hodinkee when the watch debuted in 2015. Two years later, it was the husbands who had been making the requests for the Èlègante. Journe obliged with this 48 millimeter model of the mannequin. 

Will Ferrell’s Zenith Defy Revival 

“I met Will Ferrell and helped him channel his inside Ricky Bobby with a brand new Zenith Defy A3691!” wrote Lorel Monroy of Feldmar Watches, who goes by @watch_momma_ on Instagram, just a few weeks ago. The caption sat beneath a photograph of her and Ferrell grinning with the brand new Defy, which debuted a number of months in the past at LVMH Watch Week (It was one of my favorites from the mini-show.) Ferrell apparently had massive plans for the watch: he rocked it on the pink carpet at Cannes this week. 

The Weeknd’s Rolex Daytona “Jack-O-Lantern” 

The Weeknd is on a watch sizzling streak. He wore a “ladies” Piaget to the Cannes premiere of his new HBO present The Idol, then adopted that up the following day with a “secret launch” Rolex—that means a mannequin that was by no means put within the model’s catalog or proven to the general public. No massive deal whenever you’re the Weeknd. This model of the Daytona is ready with a hoop of orange sapphires across the bezel. Due to its orange-and-black configuration, its referred to as the “Jack-O-Lantern” amongst collectors. Enjoyable! 

Tyler Herro’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 

Basketball author (and frequent GQ contributor) Alex Wong tweeted one of the funniest lines I’ve seen through the NBA playoffs to this point: “each tyler herro outfit seems like he’s daring adam silver to convey again the gown code.” On condition that the gown code was carried out by former late NBA commissioner David Stern to keep Allen Iverson from getting fits off, I’m going to imagine Wong meant that as a praise. Since getting injured within the first spherical, Herro has, for my part, been killing it on the sidelines this postseason. Coming to assistance from his matches is his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak—the look ahead to gamers aspiring to NBA superstardom. 

Kyle Kuzma’s Patek Philippe Nautilus

One other week, one other dude with the super-grail Tiffany-blue Nautilus. There are solely 170 of those on this planet, and I really feel like we’re getting near recognizing each single one in every of them. The hype for this watch has not died down since its unique launch in December 2020. It offered at auction earlier this month for two,223,000 Swiss francs (roughly $2,456,600)—a completely ludicrous determine for a contemporary chrome steel sport watch.