Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Jay-Z spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Jay-Z was recently spotted on the wrist with what is, by any measurable market metric, one of the most valuable production wristwatches to emerge from the twenty-first century: the Patek Philippe Nautilus reference 5711/1A-018, known informally as 'The First' within the limited edition of 170 pieces produced jointly with Tiffany & Co.

The Nautilus 5711 needs little introduction to serious collectors. Designed by Gérald Genta and introduced in 1976, the ref. 5711 represents the final and most refined expression of that original vision before Patek Philippe retired the reference in 2021. The 5711/1A-018 variant — limited to exactly 170 pieces to commemorate Tiffany & Co.'s 170th anniversary — carries a dial finished in the jeweler's proprietary robin's-egg blue, a shade meaningfully distinct from Patek's standard Nautilus dials, and bears the dual co-branding of both Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. in printed text. The movement inside is the calibre 26-330 S C, a self-winding manufacture ebauche beating at 28,800 vph with a 45-hour power reserve, housed in the signature 40mm stainless steel case with integrated bracelet.

The collector significance of this specific piece is almost without precedent in the modern market. When Phillips auctioned one example in December 2021 — the very first to reach public sale — it hammered at $6.5 million USD against a retail price of approximately $52,000, representing one of the highest multiples ever recorded between list and secondary market price for a contemporary production watch. The dual provenance of Patek Philippe's horological prestige and Tiffany & Co.'s 185-year retail heritage created a cultural object that transcended conventional watch collecting.

Jay-Z's relationship with high horology is well documented. The Roc Nation founder and entrepreneur has been photographed over the years with Royal Oak chronographs, Rolex Daytonas, and various Patek complications, demonstrating a collector sensibility that favors canonical references rather than novelty. Owning 'The First' — the watch designated as the inaugural piece of this run — positions him at the absolute apex of that collecting philosophy.

At retail, the 5711/1A-018 listed at roughly $52,000 USD. On the grey market, individual examples continue to trade well into seven figures, with the most documented auction result sitting at $6.5 million. For a stainless steel sports watch, those numbers remain extraordinary.