Tonight marks Dwayne Johnson’s first Met Gala, but you’d never know it by looking at him. The actor arrived on the red carpet looking like a regular, in a bold Thom Browne ensemble and a watch as glittery and large as the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball. That timepiece just so happens to be one of the most expensive ever worn on the museum’s steps: a £2.4 million Jacob & Co. Billionaire III.
Johnson’s look was built to challenge the idea of what men with his demigod build can wear, according to his stylist Ilaria Urbinati. The Rock’s timepieces typically play into that idea – just last week, he strapped on a pink-dial Chopard Alpine Eagle, a svelte sport watch with a playful dial. But the Jacob & Co. goes in the opposite direction: With the Billionaire III, Johnson and Urbinati are leaning directly into the Smashing Machine star’s mammoth stature. “It’s literally massive, Urbinati says of the watch, “and I feel like Dwayne is the only person who could pull off that size.”
Theo Wargo
The watch is over the top in every way. The Billionaire III measures in at 54mm – these days, men’s pieces generally clock in between 36 to 40mm.. At 40.05mm wide, even the movement is bigger than most watches! The entire watch is smothered in 714 white diamonds—the bracelet is set with 504 of those! – for a total of 129.61 carats.
The Jacob & Co. Billionaire popping up on the Met Gala red carpet has become a bit of an annual tradition. Think of it as the horological equivalent of Groundhog Day: spotting it means one more year of flexing on your haters. The model first made its way to the event in 2023, when Usher wore a $5 million version of the Billionaire covered in 147.65 carats of rubies. Last year, Maluma wore Jacob & Co.’s special ticker doused in emeralds. With its white diamonds, Johnson’s is certainly the cleanest of the bunch. “The Billionaire III is the crown jewel of Jacob & Co. a true masterpiece, created for those who command presence at the highest level,” said Jacob Arabo, the Jacob in Jacob & Co. “Seeing it on Dwayne Johnson tonight is a powerful expression of what we do best.”
