NBA players and team owners are not ones to shy away from the flashy and the pricey when it comes to watches. It’s no surprise we’re spotting the world’s most expensive stainless steel watch on their wrists. The timepiece in question? A Nautilus 5711 stamped with jeweller Tiffany & Co’s logo with a robin’s egg blue dial.
The first piece from this 170-piece limited run was sold for US$6.5 million at Phillips auction in New York last December, 100 times more than its US$52,635 retail price.
The Nautilus model has long been a favourite among athletes and celebrities. Iterations of the watch have found their way onto the wrists of Russel Westbrook, Allen Iverson and James Harden.
The Tiffany & Co collaboration came shortly after Patek Philippe announced the discontinuation of the Nautilus in stainless steel. The reference marks the 170th anniversary of the Patek Philippe salon inside Tiffany & Co’s Fifth Avenue flagship boutique in New York.
With just 170 pieces available, the world instantly became obsessed with finding out who got their hands on one. Two of the most influential players in the NBA and a music mogul industry have got their hands on the coveted watch.
The LA Laker is an avid watch collector and former ambassador of another NBA favourite, watchmaker Audemars Piguet. James greeted fans over the holidays on Instagram this past December with photos of him wearing the timepiece. Most recently, he was spotted wearing the piece at the 2022 Super Bowl LVI.
James Harden took his Tiffany Patek out for a spin after a home game against the New Jersey Nets. Fans spotted the watch on his wrist in a photo of the Philadelphia 76er at a post-game party with Lil Baby.
The Brooklyn Nets part-owner likely didn’t have to get on the waiting list for this watch; the music mogul and his wife Beyonce appeared in a series of Tiffany & Co advertising campaigns last year. If Jay-Z's new acquisition is any indication, we’ll be seeing collaborations between the couple and the jeweller. He took the watch for a spin at a Hollywood screening of The Harder They Fall, a film he produced for Netflix.
Also spotted wearing the piece is actor and NBA courtside regular Leonardo DiCaprio; he took his Patek out for a spin at a Lakers game in February this year.
