Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Rick Ross spotted wearing Jacob & Co

Rick Ross chose his wrist real estate carefully on the day he dropped 'Richer Than I Ever Been.' Photographed alongside a guest at what appears to be a Miami event, the Maybach Music Group founder and serial watch collector had the Jacob & Co Billionaire III locked to his wrist — one of the most diamond-saturated horological objects in existence, and a piece that functions as both a legitimate mechanical achievement and an unambiguous declaration of wealth.

The Billionaire III builds on the Billionaire lineage Jacob & Co introduced to the ultra-high-end market as a direct challenge to traditional Swiss maisons. The third generation of the model features 604 emerald-cut white diamonds with a combined approximate weight of 260 carats, set across the cushion-shaped case, lugs, and integrated bracelet. No metal surface is left exposed. The case measures approximately 47mm and the architecture is unmistakably Jacob & Co — oversized, theatrical, and engineered to dominate a room before you say a word.

At the centre of the spectacle sits Jacob & Co's proprietary JCAM09 manually-wound skeletonized calibre, visible through the open lattice dial. The movement features a flying tourbillon and is finished to a standard that justifies the complication claim independent of the diamond setting. Blue-tinted bridges and hands provide the only colour relief against the white diamond field — a deliberate contrast visible even in the reference image.

For collectors, the Billionaire series occupies a singular position. It is not a watch that competes with Patek Philippe or A. Lange on finishing tradition or historical pedigree — it competes on spectacle, exclusivity, and the sheer ambition of execution. Production numbers are extremely limited, and pieces rarely surface on the secondary market. When they do, pricing is negotiated privately.

Rick Ross has one of the most documented watch collections in hip-hop, with confirmed pieces spanning Richard Mille, Audemars Piguet, and Rolex. The Billionaire III is the apex predator of that collection — a $3 million watch worn on an album release day, which is either the greatest press move in rap or simply Tuesday for William Leonard Roberts II.