Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Stormzy spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Stormzy, the Croydon-born rapper and cultural figurehead, was recently spotted wearing one of the most talked-about new references in contemporary horology: the Patek Philippe World Time Flyback Chronograph in stainless steel, reference 5935A, fitted with the immediately recognisable warm salmon dial. The sighting places Stormzy firmly among a very small circle of individuals who have managed to secure one of Patek Philippe's most technically complex and commercially scarce new releases.

The 5935A represents a genuine horological milestone. For the first time in Patek Philippe's history, the manufacture has united two of its most celebrated complication families — the world-time mechanism, derived from the legendary Calatrava Pilot Travel Time lineage and originally inspired by Louis Cottier's worldtime system, and the flyback chronograph — within a single movement. The calibre CHR 29-535 PS FUS is a new in-house manufacture movement, beating at 28,800 vph with a power reserve of approximately 65 hours. The case measures 42.6mm in steel, a deliberately sportier proposition than Patek's usual precious metal world-time executions. The salmon dial is achieved through a galvanic process and features applied hour indices and a city disc for all 24 time zones, readable at a glance via a 24-hour day/night ring.

From a collector standpoint, the 5935A is already benchmark material. Stainless steel Patek Philippe complications have historically commanded the strongest grey-market premiums — the 5726A Annual Calendar in steel is a textbook example — and the 5935A, combining two firsts in one reference, is likely to follow the same trajectory. The salmon dial configuration adds further desirability, pulling on the same aesthetic thread as the celebrated 5270P salmon-dialled perpetual calendar.

Stormzy has long demonstrated an informed approach to watches rather than a purely acquisitive one. His wrist has previously hosted serious references from Rolex and AP, but the 5935A represents a step into grand complication territory that few collectors, celebrity or otherwise, have managed to navigate given the extraordinary allocation scarcity.

The official list price sits at £51,430 — approximately $63,870 at current rates — but the 5935A is an authorised dealer allocation watch in the truest sense. On the secondary market, verified examples are already trading at significant premiums, reflecting both the complication's novelty and the enduring strength of steel Patek demand.