Watch Paparazzi

Rapper BirdMan spotted wearing Hublot

BirdMan — born Bryan Williams — has been photographed wearing the Hublot King Power Split Second Gold Pavé, reference 709.OX.1780.RX.1704, a piece that sits near the top of the King Power family's complexity hierarchy. For a rapper whose wrist game has consistently mirrored his net worth, the choice of a split-seconds chronograph in full pavé trim is entirely on brand.

The King Power Split Second ref. 709.OX.1780.RX.1704 is built around a 48mm case crafted in Hublot's proprietary King Gold — an 18-karat rose gold alloy with platinum micro-particles added for enhanced hardness and scratch resistance. The case is set with 411 diamonds totaling approximately 3.5 carats across the bezel and case sides. Water resistance is rated to 100 meters, a practical nod given the case's substantial proportions. Powering the watch is the HUB4245 caliber, a COSC-certified automatic movement with a split-seconds chronograph — a true rattrapante mechanism that allows the wearer to time intermediate intervals without interrupting the main chronograph sweep. The movement offers approximately 42 hours of power reserve and beats at 28,800 vph.

The King Power collection, launched in 2007 and discontinued around 2013, has grown considerably in collector esteem since production ended. The split-seconds complication within the line was produced in limited numbers, making references like the 709.OX.1780.RX.1704 genuinely scarce on the secondary market. Diamond-set King Power pieces in King Gold occupy the upper echelon of the range, combining precious materials with a serious horological complication — a combination that grey-market demand continues to reward.

BirdMan's relationship with Hublot is well documented. The New Orleans-born rapper has worn the brand extensively since the late 2000s, when the King Power was central to Hublot's aggressive push into hip-hop culture. His sighting in this particular reference reinforces a pattern: Williams gravitates toward pieces where complications and high jewelry intersect, rather than treating them as mutually exclusive categories.

At a UK retail price of approximately £41,000 — translating to roughly $52,000 USD at time of launch — the King Power Split Second Gold Pavé ref. 709.OX.1780.RX.1704 was never an entry-level proposition. On the grey market today, comparable examples in strong condition trade at a premium given the model's discontinuation and the relative scarcity of rattrapante-equipped King Power variants.