Watch Paparazzi

Singer Rihanna spotted wearing Jacob & Co

When Rihanna floated above State Farm Stadium on a suspended platform during the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in February 2023, the world noticed two things: the baby bump confirming her second pregnancy, and the flash of a diamond-set timepiece against her all-red latex outfit. That watch was the Jacob & Co Brilliant Skeleton Northern Lights, a limited edition of 101 pieces that sits at the intersection of haute joaillerie and legitimate watchmaking.

The Brilliant Skeleton Northern Lights is built around a manually-wound skeletonized movement — Jacob & Co's calibre JCAM37 — which strips away every non-essential component to expose the gear train, balance wheel, and mainspring barrel in full view. The dial side is finished with a vivid red mineral crystal, tinted to cast a chromatic warmth over the movement beneath. The case is white gold, and the double bezel is pavé-set with 323 round-cut white diamonds totalling approximately 3.76 carats. The piece sits on a matching red alligator leather strap, a detail Rihanna clearly appreciated when coordinating her stage wardrobe.

From a collector's standpoint, the Brilliant Skeleton line occupies a specific niche within Jacob & Co's catalogue — it is among the brand's more horologically credible offerings, prioritizing movement architecture over the brand's more extravagant tourbillon complications. The Northern Lights colorway, with its jewelled bezel and saturated dial, appeals strongly to fashion-forward collectors who treat the wrist as a design surface. The 101-piece limitation adds genuine scarcity without rendering it unobtainable.

Rihanna's relationship with luxury watches is well documented. The Barbadian singer and Fenty founder has been spotted wearing Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, and Audemars Piguet across various public appearances. Choosing a Jacob & Co for the most-watched musical performance in American television history — and doing so with deliberate colour coordination — signals considered intent rather than casual accessorizing.

At a list price of $72,000, the Brilliant Skeleton Northern Lights occupies the lower tier of Jacob & Co's high-complication range. Grey market movement has been relatively stable, with pre-owned examples trading close to retail given the limited production run. Rihanna's Super Bowl visibility will inevitably apply upward pressure to secondary market pricing for this specific reference.