Rihanna Just Wore a $670,000 Watch Around Her Neck

Surprise, surprise: Rihanna just broke the internet again. Sitting front row at Pharrell Williams’ debut Louis Vuitton show in Paris last night, among a starry crowd all dressed to the nines, the newly-minted LV campaign star arguably stole the spotlight with a custom Jacob & Co. watch—worn, stunningly, around her neck. That’s right: around her neck. Rihanna’s power is such that one evening out with a timepiece-turned-choker, and we’re already asking ourselves: Are wrists over? It helped that the watch in question was an absolute jawdropper: an 18-karat-gold Flying Tourbillon, set with 339 baguette diamonds, on a custom alligator-embossed calfskin strap. Inside, the watch features a hand-wound movement and 42-hour power reserve. The price, you ask? A cool $670,000.

This isn’t just a watch available to anyone. The timepiece-choker comes directly from the mind of Rihanna herself, according to Jacob & Co. “In preparation for the fashion event, Rihanna decided she would wear a timepiece in a completely different way,” the brand said in a statement. “She came to Jacob & Co. with the concept, like she had many times before.” Rihanna and Jacob & Co. founder Jacob Arabo went through several options before she ultimately chose this particular timepiece.

Rihanna’s new neckwear is the latest proof of her elite status as a watch collector. She sported another epic Jacob & Co. watch during her Super Bowl performance in February, announced her first pregnancy last year in a rare Rolex King Midas, and has been known to rock everything from Rolex Day-Dates to Cartier Panthères while bopping around LA. But the Flying Tourbillon, one of only 18 in the world, might just be the best piece she’s ever worn.

Rihanna’s blinding neckpiece wasn’t the only showstopper on display in Pont Neuf last night, however. Tyler, the Creator showed out in his beloved Cartier Pebble, while Formula 1’s Pierre Gasly took his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak out for a spin. Louis Vuitton executive Jean Arnault fittingly wore a vintage LV Monterey II model from the 1980s. The rapper Coi Leray stunted in a grandiose custom Butterfly watch by the New York jeweler Joe Avianne. And Pharrell, the man of the hour, took his bow in a Richard Mille UP-01—the world’s thinnest watch, boasting a 1.75mm case—made in collaboration with Ferrari. Even Pusha T, who walked the runway, was stunned. Last night’s show was a monumental moment for fashion, but thanks to the A-list guests in attendance, it was also a serious spotlight for legendary watches. And Rihanna, as per usual, shone bright like a diamond—339 of them, to be exact.