Left: Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Ceramica. Right: Usher at the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards © Mark Von Holden/REX/Shutterstock
Despite owning a watch which depicts his face in 1,106 glittering diamonds on the dial, R&B singer Usher insists he’s no fan of bling when it comes to horology. To be fair, the – ahem – unique piece was actually a gift from his friend Damon Dash: after the big reveal, the watch then spent some time at the Natural History Museum before being returned to Usher’s jewellery drawer, where it still resides (no doubt at the bottom).
Usher’s Tiret watch cost an incredible $250,000
Usher’s watch collection, despite numbering over 40 pieces, is a tad more understated. He always travels with at least four, and they’re not all high-end either – Cartier, Rolex, Seiko and G-Shock are some of his preferred travelling buddies. His first watch was a Rolex – because it represented success, he reasoned – but he has since branched out, now counting a Cartier Santos, numerous Breitlings, a Panerai Luminor, an Audemars Piguet Juan Pablo Montoya (one of 50) and a gold Cartier Pasha as some of his favourites.
Usher wearing his Panerai Luminor alongside Justin Bieber
He has his eye on a few more, letting it be known he’s still chasing the elusive all-black Audemars with oxidised metal. He may admire these pieces for their impeccable craftsmanship, because it’s certainly not for telling the time. “Not one of my watches has the right time,” he has admitted, a little shamefully, in the past. “Not one! I’m serious. I have to ask someone if I want to know what time it is. To me, they’re like trinkets. I wear them as such.” Nice hobby – if you can get it.
