Rapper Will.i.am spotted wearing a Gucci

At what appears to be a Gucci press or retail event — the brand's logo visible on the backdrop — will.i.am is photographed wearing the Gucci Smart Watch, the product of a formal collaboration between the Italian luxury house and the musician's wearable-tech company i.am+. The white square case is clearly visible on his wrist, consistent with the device launched under the Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry division circa 2015-2016.

The Gucci Smart Watch, referenced internally as part of the i.am+ 'Dial' ecosystem, featured a square-format touchscreen case in white ceramic or polymer construction, running a proprietary operating system developed by i.am+. It offered cellular connectivity independent of a paired smartphone — a differentiating spec that set it apart from Apple Watch and Android Wear devices of the same era. The form factor was deliberately fashion-forward: boxy, bold, and conceived to sit within a luxury wardrobe rather than a purely athletic context.

From a collector and horological standpoint, the Gucci Smart Watch occupies a curious position. It was never a traditional mechanical timepiece and carries no movement of note, but its status as a genuine luxury-tech crossover — with Gucci's full branding and retail support — gives it cultural significance. Few luxury maisons committed at this level to original smartwatch hardware rather than simply licensing dials. That ambition, however, did not translate into commercial longevity, making surviving examples something of a period artifact.

Will.i.am's involvement went well beyond ambassadorial: he co-founded i.am+ specifically to compete in the wearables space, and the Gucci partnership was the company's highest-profile hardware release. Wearing the device at a Gucci-branded event underscores that the relationship was substantive — creative, commercial, and reputational capital invested on both sides.

On the secondary market, the Gucci Smart Watch trades at modest prices given its obsolete software ecosystem, though mint-boxed examples attract interest from fashion collectors. Its retail price at launch positioned it firmly in the accessible luxury tier, undercutting Swiss mechanical watches at the same Gucci price points while offering connectivity those pieces could not match.