Being a big fan of Jay-Z and Kanye West, along with the world of horology, I’ve often noted what models these two fashion icons choose to wear. Both men are often seen wearing a variety of high-end pieces, with Jay-Z being well known as an Audemars Piguet fan. Being a huge trend setter, Jay-Z’s various mentions of Audemars in his music, as well as many photos with him wearing the brand, has made Jay-Z an unofficial ambassador. In 2006, Audemars even thanked Jay-Z by releasing a Jay-Z signature Royal Oak to celebrate his ten years as a recording artist, with portions of the sales donated to his S. Carter Scholarship fund.
Jay-Z spotted with a Carbon Royal Oak
With the release of the highly anticipated collaboration between Jay-Z and Kanye, Watch the Throne, released last Monday, they released their first music video Thursday afternoon, which ignited across Facebook and Twitter. Directed by the legendary Spike Jones, it features Jay-Z and Kanye joyriding in a chopped-up, convertible, flame-throwing Maybach, with several models in the back. Kanye appears in classic Kanye style, red pants included, with Jay-Z dressed casual, which is rare these days. Their fashion choices, along with the destruction of the Maybach, are already being highly discussed throughout the blogosphere. And don’t worry about the $300k ride going to waste, the now-custom Maybach is being auctioned to support the Horn of Africa crisis.
Of course what I want to go into are the soon-to-be-sold-out watches featured, with Jay-Z sporting a Hublot Classic Fusion and Kanye with a Rolex Daytona. Check out the video, with the details below:
Jay-Z with a Hublot Classic Fusion in red gold with rubber strap.
Jay-Z picked a truly contemporary classic with his Hublot, featuring rose gold with Hublot’s signature rubber strap. Almost all Hublot talk revolves around their famous Big Bang model, which stood against traditional swiss design and taste with its oversized face and being quite often over-dressed. The “Classic Fusion” model is Hublot’s classic take on their own Big Bang. It keeps a bigger face, with a 38, 42 or 45mm avaialble, but strips the Big Bang down to the essentials for a crisp, clean look. Thinner than a Big Bang, it also has a much clearer face, with only the date and chronograph offered While many of Hublot ambassadors represent the Big Bang, I couldn’t see an Audemars fan like Jay-Z wearing one. The Classic Fusion was a tasteful but very modern choice.
Visit our new selection of 2011 Hublot watches, including new Classic Fusion models.
Kanye West with a Rolex Daytona Cosmograph in yellow gold with leather strap.
Kanye chose one of the larger face Rolex models, which they note at the beginning of the song. The Daytona Cosmograph takes its name from the famous race and shares its racing heritage since the 1960s. It features a chronograph and tachymeter for capturing your lap times, perfect for the theme of the video. For Kanye’s watch, Rolex should have added a special movement to measure the amount of fun they were having doing donuts in that Maybach. It was an interesting choice for Kanye, I would have guessed he’d pick a more modern or unconventional design. Rolex is forever popular, but not with the younger crowd. With Kanye flashing his, I can only see it sparking interest in a new generation.
Visit our collection of Rolex Daytona watches.
The huge exposure from these trendsetters will definitely translate to increased sales for both brands. The “Otis” music video on youtube has already hit two million views in two days, with sales of Watch the Throne expected to sell over half a million in its first week, already reaching #1 in 23 countries. Hublot was quick to share their excitement on Facebook and Twitter. Rolex, if you haven’t noticed, is one of the very few major brands not on Facebook and Twitter, so I’ve caught no reaction from their end. We’ll have to wait and see if either of these brands offers a custom watch to the current kings of hip hop. But with Jay-Z earning $37 million and Kanye $16 million in just the last year, hitting first and third place on Forbes 2011 Hip Hop cash kings list, I’m sure we’ll see them sporting all kinds of high-end timepieces in the near future.
