Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Virgil Abloh spotted wearing Jacob & Co

Courtside at an NBA game, Virgil Abloh was photographed wearing one of the more distinctive pieces in his personal collection: a custom, one-of-a-kind Jacob & Co Five Time Zone executed entirely in black PVD-coated stainless steel and set with 119 black diamonds. For a man whose design philosophy centered on deconstructing luxury codes, the choice of a blacked-out Jacob & Co is entirely coherent — maximalist in construction, minimalist in palette.

The Five Time Zone is the reference that built Jacob & Co's reputation. Introduced in the early 2000s, it features five independent sub-dials arranged symmetrically on an oversized 47mm case, each displaying a different world time zone via its own dedicated movement module. The case architecture is bold and architectural — wide lugs, a prominent crown, and a dial layout that reads almost like a graphic design composition rather than a conventional watch face. On this custom variant, the bezel is set with a continuous row of round black diamonds, and the dial's zone-dividing lines are similarly diamond-set, creating a tone-on-tone effect that requires direct light to fully appreciate the stone work.

From a collector's standpoint, piece-unique Jacob & Co commissions occupy a peculiar niche. The brand has long catered to bespoke clientele, and fully blacked-out diamond configurations are among the more requested custom directions. With 119 black diamonds factory-set — meaning stones set at the Jacob & Co atelier rather than aftermarket — the watch carries certification of originality that grey-market modified pieces lack. Black diamonds, technically carbonado, are opaque and absorb light rather than reflecting it, which is precisely why this watch reads as a shadow on the wrist rather than a flash.

Abloh's relationship with luxury watchmaking was consistent with his broader approach to material culture: he engaged with established codes and subtly recontextualized them. A Jacob & Co Five Time Zone is already a statement piece; rendered in all-black with bespoke diamond work, it becomes a wearable design object that aligns with the Off-White aesthetic of familiar silhouettes made strange.

As a piece unique, no standard retail or grey-market price applies. Comparable factory-diamond Five Time Zone references in standard configuration retail from approximately $18,000 to $35,000 USD, but bespoke commissions of this specification would comfortably exceed $50,000 to $80,000 USD depending on stone quality and total carat weight.