Watch Paparazzi

Influencer Corey Gamble spotted wearing Patek Philippe

At the Wearable Art Gala, Corey Gamble arrived wearing what may be the single most technically ambitious wristwatch money can buy on the open market: the Patek Philippe ref. 5531R World Time Minute Repeater in 18-karat rose gold. The event, co-founded by Beyoncé and Jay-Z as a celebration of creative expression, proved an appropriate backdrop for a timepiece that sits at the intersection of haute horlogerie and fine art.

The Patek Philippe 5531R measures 40.2mm in rose gold and houses the calibre R 27 HU, an in-house manual-winding movement that layers two of watchmaking's most demanding complications. The world time module — derived from the legendary Louis Cottier mechanism — synchronises 24 cities and their corresponding time zones via a single pusher at 10 o'clock. The minute repeater, activated by a slide on the case band, chimes hours, quarter hours, and minutes on two gongs with the tonal clarity Patek Philippe has refined across more than 180 years. Achieving reliable acoustic performance while incorporating the world time disk beneath the dial demanded years of development from the Geneva manufacture.

The dial is where the 5531R transcends complication and enters collector legend. Each centre disc is executed in cloisonné enamel by a specialist artisan — a process in which fine gold wires partition miniature cells, each individually filled with vitreous enamel and fired multiple times. The 5531R's theme depicts a panoramic Geneva lakeside landscape, and because enamel work is irrepressibly hand-crafted, no two dials are identical. A 24-hour ring in 18-karat gold frames the scene, doubling as the world time indicator.

Corey Gamble, long recognised among watch observers for gravitating toward statement-level complications, chose the 5531R for one of Hollywood's most photographed charity evenings. His presence in the Kardashian-Jenner world guarantees the image circulates widely, giving the reference rare public visibility — Patek Philippe produces the 5531R in extremely limited numbers and almost never advertises it.

At an official retail price of approximately $580,000, the 5531R is already exclusive by any standard. On the secondary market, however, authenticated examples regularly command figures approaching $2,000,000, reflecting both the scarcity of production and the irreplaceable nature of each individual enamel dial. For collectors, the 5531R is not simply a purchase — it is an acquisition.