Justin Bieber joins the itty bitty watch committee with his ceramic Audemars Piguet
Justin Bieber proves size doesn't matter when it's a 2023 34mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in white ceramic
JUSTIN BIEBER ISN’T EXACTLY WHO I would associate with the words subtle or understated but then again, people can change. But one thing that has remained is his propensity to surprise us. Jumbo hoodies and oversized fashion may still be his sticking point, but it seems Bieber has jumped on the tiny watch trend.
While attending the League x Blem basketball games last week, Bieber turned up wearing a distinctly petite timepiece: a 34mm Royal Oak selfwinding in white ceramic complete with rose gold accents. Cute, compact and some might argue even feminine. But not anymore.
It would’ve been unthinkable for a male megastar – even one known to play fashion like Bieber has – to rock such a dainty timepiece a decade ago. But as collectors shrank their expectations these last few years (and their wrists), watch brands known for their grunt (like Audemars Piguet has been) listened. The Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm first debuted in 2020. Bieber’s edition, which was released in 2023, retains the signature octagonal bezel, integrated bracelet, Grande Tapisserie dial, and slim automatic Calibre 5800 movement, just in miniature form.
Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm in white ceramic
What makes the white ceramic version particularly noteworthy is its technical daring: white ceramic is harder to produce than the more common black ceramic, demanding satin finish and brushed chamfers on material nine times harder than steel. The dial is silvered with rose-gold hour markers and hands, lumed for legibility. And inside beats the calibre 5800 – thin, automatic, 50-hour power reserve – visible beneath a smack of silver Tapisserie.
Priced around AUD $81,000 and limited to only a few pieces (198, to be exact), it’s hardly a budget accessory, even for the likes of Bieber. Still, the image of Justin Bieber, an undeniable pop colossus, opting for an elegant, whisper-small watch in white ceramic is perhaps the most newsworthy statement of all: subtle, unexpected, and almost absurd in its restraint.
It’s not the first time that he’s been spotted wearing it either – there’s plenty of archive shots where you can see its distinctly discrete silhouette on his wrist. But like most things that become a zeitgeist, the fact we only noticed it now comes down to a perfect storm of details: the event itself, the rock WAG fashion of his wife Hayley on the night, his own skate-heavy wardrobe.
It’s a lovely reminder that in watchmaking – like ego – size isn’t everything. Sometimes, less really is more… especially when you’re still worth more than, well, most human beings.
Related:
