Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Swizz Beats spotted wearing Hublot

Swizz Beats, the Grammy-winning producer and co-founder of Dean Collection, was recently photographed wearing the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Green 'Saxem' ref. 642.JG.0190.RT — one of only 100 examples made, and arguably the most material-forward release in Hublot's Spirit of Big Bang lineage to date.

The watch's defining feature is its case, constructed entirely from 'Saxem' — a proprietary Hublot material developed in collaboration with materials scientists, combining sapphire with rare-earth mineral oxides to create a composite that refracts light as a deep, saturated green. Unlike PVD-coated or ceramic green watches saturating the market, Saxem achieves its coloration intrinsically, at a molecular level. The result is a 42mm tonneau case with a hardness approaching that of conventional sapphire, yet with a chromatic intensity that straight colorless or smoky sapphire cases simply cannot replicate. The movement within is Hublot's Calibre HUB4700, a skeletonized manual-winding manufacture movement with a 120-hour power reserve, running at 21,600 vph, and visible through the fully transparent case on all sides.

The Spirit of Big Bang reference family was introduced in 2016 as a tonneau-shaped riff on the oversized round Big Bang, and it quickly became the more refined, collector-oriented sibling. The Saxem iterations represent the pinnacle of that line — technically complex to produce, extremely low in production numbers, and effectively unwearable to replicate at any lower price point. The green Saxem variant in particular arrived to strong critical reception, benefiting from the broader market enthusiasm for green-dialed and green-cased watches without merely trend-chasing.

Swizz Beats is one of the most consistently visible watch collectors in the music industry. His taste runs toward bold, technically significant pieces — he has worn Richard Mille split-seconds chronographs, Patek Philippe complications, and Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks — making the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Green Saxem a coherent addition rather than an outlier. For someone operating at the intersection of art, music, and luxury, a 100-piece limited Hublot in a proprietary green composite reads as a deliberate statement.

At a list price of $160,000, the ref. 642.JG.0190.RT occupies the upper tier of Hublot's catalogue, competing with complications from traditional maisons. Grey market availability is extremely thin given the 100-piece limitation, and examples that do surface tend to hold close to or above retail — a relative rarity in the current Hublot secondary market, where most references trade at discounts.