As soon as I got my first ever luxury watch, a Panerai Luminor Chronograph Daylight, a warm smile lit up on my face because I knew that it would significantly improve my fashion sense and help me become a little more popular. But then, I thought to myself, “Why are watches so popular anyway?”. This question has been in the back of my mind for a while now, but I have finally gotten around to answering this question with my own research.
Watches are popular because they play an essential role in fashion and time-telling. In addition, celebrities, musicians, social media influencers, and artists wearing sought-after timepieces have increased the popularity of watches as a whole.
Read on to view the full article where I break down why watches are so popular, how music and celebrities have improved the popularity of watches, and my thoughts about the popularity of watches.
So What Has Made Watches So Popular?
At the end of the day, the majority of people wear watches because they’re popular. However, it begs the burning question “What are the factors that make watches so popular nowadays? What influences the popularity of watches?”
The main reason why watches are so popular is that they play a pivotal role in fashion and time-telling. Watches have the potential to make an outfit much more stylish, they are efficient at time-telling and providing useful functions, and they also have a long, rich, and interesting backstory, which is what makes them so popular.
On top of that, an abundance of A-list celebrities wears some of the most impressive timepieces from big-name brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, and more. Celebrities wearing watches in public and on social media have greatly influenced the public eye and have boosted the popularity of watches.
Lastly, musicians (more specifically in the rap industry) mention and name-drop some of the most recognizable watch brands in existence, which has also increased the popularity of watches significantly.
How Does The Fashionability of Watch Make Them Popular?
One of the primary reasons that watches are so popular is because they’re highly fashionable and they have a long history.
Watches have the ability to make an outfit much more stylish and fashionable. Wearing a timepiece that complements an outfit can be very charming, attractive, and eye-catching.
I personally experienced this the first time I wore my luxury watch to a wedding, which was a Panerai Luminor Chronograph Daylight. As soon as I put the watch on my left wrist and paired it with a dazzling suit, I got so many compliments from my family and friends about my appearance, and it sparked long conversations about watches.
From that day forward, I realized how fashionable and popular watches really are, and I always try to wear my nice timepieces as much as possible so I can feel confident whenever I wear them out. Not only does it give me a confidence boost, but I also feel like my outfits are completely enhanced.
But wait hold on – there are plenty more benefits of wearing a luxury watch. If you have ever wondered about the other benefits that wearing a luxury watch provides, I have written an extensive blog post just for you. In the post, I mention 9 benefits of wearing a luxury watch, and you can check out the post by clicking here.
Another reason why watches are so fashionable is because of their long backstory. The first wristwatch was made in 1868, and ever since then, new designs, features, and brands have manufactured innovative and timeless watches that will always be in style.
Because of this, the popularity of watches has grown exponentially and will continue to grow since watch brands continue to make fantastic timepieces. As long as popular watch brands come out with new, limited, high quality, and expensive watches, then people will keep buying them for sure.
How Have Musicians made Watches Popular?
Musicians have made watches more popular by name-dropping watch brands in songs, which has improved the popularity of watches significantly. Music is one of the most popular forms of entertainment, and musicians have spread the popularity of watches to their fans by mentioning big-name watch brands.
In a 2019 interview with Teddy Baldassarre and Kevin O’Leary, 2 indisputably amazing watch enthusiasts that I am big fans of, they transitioned into a topic that discussed the rise in popularity of watches. As they were talking, Teddy Baldassarre says,
“What I would contribute it to is social media and, believe it or not, I think the rapper mentions. Pop-culture relevant brands are the ones that are succeeding right now.”
-Teddy Baldassarre
After Teddy said this, Kevin O’Leary replied to him, “I totally agree with you. Musicians play a big role for sure.” This example shows how much rappers and musicians are a foothold in making watches popular. Powerhouse watch enthusiasts like these believe that musicians have a massive impact on the watch industry.
Personally, I totally agree with Teddy Baldassarre and Kevin O’Leary. Since so many people listen to rap, it can seem obvious why listeners can find luxury watches popular and sought after: their favorite artists are promoting watches
I will leave a link to the full YouTube interview if you want to watch it. It’s very interesting, entertaining, and thought-provoking if you ask me: https://youtu.be/KPnPPd2O_0w
As I did my research for how musicians increased the popularity of watches, I realized that there are plenty of song lyrics, especially in hip-hop and rap, that mention the best of the best watch brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, and more. These song lyrics like these have made watches extremely sought after.
To show how much musicians have influenced the watch industry, I will break down some of the most popular song lyrics that mention luxury watch brands.
The first song lyric about watches that I want to mention was Jay-Z’s verse on “Otis” off of Watch The Throne:
“New watch alert, Hublot’s. Or the big face Rollie, I got 2 of those.”
-Jay-Z
In “Otis”, Jay-Z name drops two of the most popular watch brands in the world, which are Hublot and Rolex. Jay-Z, in this verse, flexes the luxurious and sought-after timepieces that he has in one of the most popular songs off of “Watch The Throne”. Jay-z is considered one of the greatest rappers ever and this line is one of the most iconic rap lyrics that has helped watches keep and increase their popularity.
Since Jay-Z is such a watch connoisseur, I want to look at another one of his song lyrics that mentions Patek Philippe. In the song “Top Off” produced by DJ Khalid, Jay-Z says in his verse:
“No jewels in this Patek Philippe. It’s complicated, three million a piece.”
Jay-Z
In this song lyric, Jay-Z obviously mentions one of the most popular watch brands in the world, but he tells everyone that he is a real watch enthusiast who doesn’t flood their watches in diamonds just so he can be flashy. Rather, he owns a Grand Complications Patek Philippe that is masterfully crafted
Song lyrics like this have influenced more people to appreciate the high-quality craftsmanship inside of the watch instead of worrying about how many diamonds are on it, which I greatly respect. Similar to Jay-Z, I believe that the point of wearing watches should be the immense amount of effort put into the movement and design.
Lastly, I want to look at a lyric by J. Cole on “Love Yourz” from his album 2014 Forest Hills Drive. In the song, he says:
“Think being broke was better. Now I don’t mean that phrase with no disrespect
To all my n****s out there living in debt
Cashing minimal checks
Turn on the TV see a n***a Rolex
And fantasize about a life with no stress.”
– J. Cole
“Love Yourz” by J. Cole could very well be in his top ten list of songs, and his lyrics about Rolex are moving. He mentions the most popular watch brand ever, Rolex, and he says that there are people out there who want a Rolex so bad to get a happy life. As I’ve scrolled through reviews of this song, I noticed that others relate to his Rolex bar so much because it’s relatable.
These are just a few examples of some of the most popular song lyrics that mention watches. There are hundreds of other songs by big-name artists that mention watches, which has directly impacted the increased popularity of watches.
How Have Celebrities made Watches Popular?
Celebrities have made watches popular by wearing expensive and highly recognizable watches, which has influenced the public and increased the popularity of watches globally. If it weren’t for celebrities wearing timepieces, watches would not be nearly as popular as they are today.
Think of your favorite celebrity: they probably own an exquisite timepiece (or several) that they wear often. My favorite celebrity at the moment is Drake, and he has an absolutely amazing watch collection that consists of Patek Philippe, Rolex, and many more high-class brands. This is just one example of a celebrity that wears watches, and there are plenty of other well-known celebrities that wear watches.
Recently, I have been doing Google searches about different celebrities’ watch collections, and my mind has been absolutely blown by how expensive some of the collections are. Some famous celebrities have watch collections worth millions of dollars, and so many watch enthusiasts and fans rave about their unique collections. For example:
- Jay-Z’s watch collection = $25,000,000
- Ed Sheeran’s watch collection = $6,000,000
- Kanye West’s watch collection = $1,000,000
As you can see, some of the overall value numbers of these celebrities’ watch collections are crazy, which just shows how some celebrities are watch enthusiasts and have influenced their followers to make watches popular. This goes to show that celebrities have made watches so popular.
Because of social media and photography nowadays, celebrities and artists can be seen wearing watches all over the internet. When fans and followers of these celebrities see this, they start to think that watches are cool.
I personally experienced this when I saw several photos of Kanye West wearing his watches. The first time I saw Kanye wearing a Vacheron Constantin “Overseas” on social media, I was amazed at how beautiful the watch was and I felt like I was falling in love with watches all over again. The timepiece really stood out to me and I started doing more research about it on Google.
My Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, remember that watches are popular because they’re highly fashionable, worn by many well-known celebrities, mentioned by musicians in certain songs, shared all over social media, and they have a deep and rich history. If it were not for these aspects and features of watches, then they would most certainly not be as popular as they are today.
If you are looking to buy a watch from a popular brand, I will provide you the link to my top watch picks page. I mention what to look for in a watch, some of the best and most popular watch brands to consider, and I also provide information about servicing and maintenance. Click here to visit the page.
In my personal opinion, I believe that the popularity of watches will only increase as time goes on. As long as rappers, artists, and celebrities wear watches and promote them, the popularity of watches will increase because of their massive influence on the public eye. And honestly, I do not think that watches will lose popularity or become obsolete in the future since they play such a massive role in today’s culture and society.