Watch Paparazzi

Actor Larenz Tate spotted wearing Jacob & Co

Larenz Tate, best known for his roles in Menace II Society, Love Jones, and Power Book II: Ghost, was recently spotted on a television set wearing one of the most technically audacious wristwatches currently in production: the Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon in its Carbon Pattern titanium configuration. The sighting places a genuine six-figure haute horlogerie statement piece in an accessible daytime broadcast context — exactly the kind of contrast that makes celebrity watch-spotting compelling.

The Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon — reference BU200.21.AE.AB.ABRUA or a close variant within the Chiron family — is built around the proprietary Jacob & Co. JCAM37 manual-winding movement. Its centerpiece is a fully three-dimensional representation of a Bugatti W16 engine, with reciprocating pistons that actually cycle as the movement runs. The tourbillon cage sits at six o'clock, while blued titanium indices and open gear trains fill the remainder of the skeletonized dial. Case dimensions run approximately 54mm × 44mm in titanium, with a red vulcanized rubber strap completing the Bugatti motorsport aesthetic.

The 'Carbon Pattern' or 'Fleur de Carbone' finishing on this particular variant subjects the titanium case to a high-precision laser-etching process that produces a waffled, prismatic surface texture. Under varying light, the case shifts between deep purple, electric blue, and near-black — a visual effect that photographs exceptionally well and distinguishes this edition from the standard ceramic or sapphire Chiron variants. It is among the more wearable Chiron executions despite the case's substantial footprint.

From a collector standpoint, the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon occupies an unusual niche: it is simultaneously a licensed automotive collaboration piece and a legitimate high-complications watch with a functioning engine complication. Jacob & Co. produces these in extremely limited numbers, and secondary market examples in pristine condition rarely appear. The watch's reputation sits closer to objet d'art than traditional horology among serious collectors, though its movement finishing is creditable by any standard.

At a retail price of $450,000 (approximately £360,000), the Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon Carbon Pattern is not an impulse purchase. Tate's decision to wear it casually on television — rather than reserve it for red carpet appearances — signals genuine affinity with the piece rather than styled placement, lending the sighting added credibility.