Rapper BirdMan spotted wearing a Jacob & Co

At an industry event, rapper and Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman — born Bryan Williams — was photographed raising his wrist to reveal one of the rarest Jacob & Co timepieces in circulation: a fully diamond-pavéd Five Time Zone reference limited to just 12 units globally. The close-range shot leaves little doubt about the watch's identity, with its distinctive four-subdial layout and completely obliterated dial surface confirming the model immediately.

The Jacob & Co Five Time Zone is a mechanical marvel designed around the brand's core proposition: simultaneous display of five independent time zones through four subsidiary dials arranged symmetrically on a central chapter ring, all driven by a proprietary automatic movement. In its standard form the Five Time Zone is already a statement piece, but this baguette diamond edition elevates the concept to something closer to sculptural jewelry than conventional horology. The 18K white gold case — measuring approximately 47mm — is entirely covered in channel-set and pavé baguette-cut diamonds, with no metal surface visible on the bezel, lugs, crown guards, or dial. The count of individual stones runs into the hundreds.

From a collector standpoint, this reference occupies a unique position. Jacob & Co has long served as the bridge between haute horlogerie and high jewelry, and the ultra-limited Five Time Zone diamond edition is the brand's clearest argument that serious watchmaking and couture gem-setting are not mutually exclusive. With only 12 examples produced, secondary market appearances are genuinely rare, and the pieces almost never trade publicly.

Birdman has been one of Jacob & Co's most loyal celebrity ambassadors since the brand's early 2000s rise, famously co-popularizing the 'Jacob watch' as a cultural status symbol in hip-hop alongside Jay-Z. His continued patronage of the brand's most extreme references underscores his role as a genuine collector rather than a passive endorser.

The retail price of approximately £400,000 (circa $500,000 USD at time of issue) makes this one of the most expensive Jacob & Co references ever produced. Given its 12-piece limitation and total diamond coverage, grey market valuation is essentially academic — pieces of this nature transact privately, if at all, and command whatever the market will bear at a given moment.