Watch Paparazzi

Mixed martial artist Conor McGregor spotted wearing Jacob & Co

Conor McGregor was photographed backstage at what appears to be a media or promotional event, wearing a striking Jacob & Co Epic X in 18K rose gold on a fully integrated rose gold bracelet, accented with a vivid green inner ring. The sighting places one of the most theatrically engineered watches in contemporary independent watchmaking squarely on the wrist of MMA's most commercially visible athlete.

The Jacob & Co Epic X is built around a manually wound calibre featuring a flying triple-axis tourbillon — a complication that rotates on three independent axes to theoretically cancel gravitational error from every orientation. The movement architecture is entirely skeletonized, with the tourbillon cage suspended at centre dial and the gear trains left deliberately exposed. The green inner chapter ring on this specific configuration contrasts sharply against the rose gold dial furniture, creating a colour palette Jacob & Co has associated with premium sports and fighter collaborations.

The case measures 44mm and adopts the brand's signature angular, multi-faceted case shape — a design language the Maison has maintained across its Epic collection since its introduction. The full rose gold bracelet, integrated flush with the case, is a rarer and more expensive configuration than the rubber strap variants, adding both weight and formal presence to a watch that was already architecturally dominant.

From a collector's standpoint, the Epic X occupies a legitimate position in independent haute horlogerie. Jacob & Co, founded by Jacob Arabo in New York, has evolved from its celebrity jewellery roots into a credible producer of grand complications — the Astronomia and Epic X families are regularly cited alongside MB&F and HYT as genuinely inventive mechanical objects, not merely expensive fashion pieces.

McGregor's relationship with luxury watches is well documented, with a collection spanning Richard Mille, Rolex, and Patek Philippe. His choice of the Epic X here is consistent with his preference for technically complex, visually confrontational pieces. At a list price of $110,000 and with grey market demand firm on the rose gold variant, this is a watch that speaks to both the collector and the showman in equal measure.