Rapper Rick Ross spotted wearing a Hublot

During a 2012 birthday celebration, Dr. Dre handed Rick Ross a Hublot King Power Split Second Gold Pavé — ref. 709.OX.1780.RX.1704 — live on stage with DJ Khaled present, turning a horological gift into a public spectacle that quickly circulated across watch and hip-hop media alike.

The King Power Split Second is one of Hublot's most mechanically serious references from the King Power era. The 709.OX.1780.RX.1704 houses calibre HUB4245, an in-house automatic rattrapante chronograph movement featuring a split-seconds complication — a mechanism that requires two superimposed chronograph hands and a dedicated isolating clutch, allowing intermediate lap times to be captured without stopping the primary elapsed-time hand. The 48mm case is crafted in Hublot's proprietary King Gold, an 18-karat rose gold alloy developed in-house for improved scratch resistance, and the bezel, lugs, and dial are set with a dense pavé of white brilliant-cut diamonds. Power reserve sits at approximately 42 hours.

The King Power collection, launched in the mid-2000s, represented Hublot's push toward larger, more masculine case architectures as the oversized watch trend peaked. The split-seconds variant occupied the top tier of that lineup, and the fully jewelled King Gold execution was produced in strictly limited numbers, reinforcing its status among collectors who follow Hublot's more complicated references. It remains one of the brand's most recognisable pieces from the Ricardo Guadalupe era.

Rick Ross has long been one of rap's most visible watch collectors, gravitating toward bold, large-format pieces that mirror his public persona — Hublot, AP Royal Oaks, and custom-set references feature regularly across his social media. Receiving a watch of this calibre from Dr. Dre, one of the industry's most influential figures, on a public stage alongside DJ Khaled, added a layer of cultural theatre that amplified both the moment and the timepiece's profile.

On the secondary market, heavily pavé-set King Power references trade inconsistently given the niche nature of diamond-set sport watches, but examples in strong condition with original documentation have changed hands in the $30,000–$45,000 range depending on configuration and provenance. The retail list price at time of release was approximately £41,000 in the UK market.