Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Konan spotted wearing Hauve

Konan, one half of the UK rap duo Krept & Konan, was photographed checking his phone while wearing a watch he had a direct hand in designing — the Play Dirty x Hauve Carnaby, a 300-piece limited collaboration between his Play Dirty lifestyle imprint and Hauve, a London-leaning watch brand. The sighting underscores a growing trend among British artists treating watches not merely as status accessories but as brand extensions.

The Carnaby presents a bold, sport-forward aesthetic in a fully blacked-out execution. The cushion-shaped case is finished in gunmetal PVD coating, paired with a black rubber strap featuring subtle ribbed texture. The dial is anthracite grey, featuring a multi-register layout with a day-of-week subdial at roughly 9 o'clock and a 24-hour indicator subdial near 6 o'clock — functional complications that elevate it beyond a purely fashion-oriented piece. The 'PD' logo at 12 o'clock and the Hauve crown emblem reinforce the co-branding clearly. The knurled crown on the right flank adds a tactile, tool-watch reference to the design language.

Hauve operates in the accessible luxury segment, producing quartz-driven timepieces with design ambitions that punch above their price point. The Carnaby reference name itself nods to London's Carnaby Street, a historic epicentre of UK streetwear and counterculture — a deliberate geographical and cultural anchor for the collaboration. With only 300 units produced, the piece has the structural hallmarks of a legitimate limited edition rather than a marketing gimmick.

For Konan, wearing this watch is an act of brand reinforcement. Play Dirty has expanded steadily beyond music into fashion and lifestyle, and a numbered watch collaboration is a credible step in that direction. The Trapstar hoodie visible in the same frame grounds the sighting firmly in UK streetwear culture, where Krept & Konan remain central figures.

At a UK list price of £165, the Play Dirty x Hauve Carnaby is accessible to the fanbase it targets. Grey market movement is minimal given the modest retail, but numbered pieces in original condition will carry a modest collector premium as the edition ages. For watch enthusiasts, the significance here is cultural rather than horological — but that is precisely the point.