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Drake’s most low-key watch is still the wristwear of a stone-cold baller Drake’s most low-key watch is still the wristwear of a stone-cold baller
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Drake’s most low-key watch is still the wristwear of a stone-cold baller

Nick Kenyon

As you’d expect from a musical superstar, the Drake watch collection is spectacular. From Richard Mille to Patek Philippe, Drake seems to have just about every desirable watch there is. It’s such a good collection in fact, we once compared it to the collection of Jay-Z, who is no horological slouch himself. But what is Drake’s “worst” watch? Well, it’s a little like asking which of The Lord of the Rings films is the worst – they’re all amazing (though if we’re all honest, The Two Towers is least good). But if you had to narrow it down to one piece he’s worn recently that has the least hype around it, it would have to be the Rolex Pearlmaster 39 ref. 86348SABLV.

Drake watch collection
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: Drake poses backstage for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, broadcast on May 23, 2021 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for dcp)

This was a watch that was spotted by the eagle-eyed Nick Gould (@niccoloy), on Drake’s wrist at the Billboard Awards, where he took home “Artist of the Decade”. Just in case we needed any confirmation, Drake has enjoyed a pretty good last ten years.

Image: malivelihood.com

The watch in question, the Rolex Pearlmaster 39 ref. 86348SABLV, while certainly not as widely desirable as his Richard Mille RM 69, or his custom DLC-coated and emerald-set Patek Philippe Nautilus Annual Calendar Ref. 5726 designed by Virgil Abloh, is still an objectively rare watch.

custom Patek Philippe Nautilus
Image: @champagnepapi

The Pearlmaster collection was first launched by Rolex back in 1992 as an extension of the Datejust collection, offering a little more sparkle and sizzle for your wrist. This sparkle has taken many forms over the last few decades, with graduated sapphire bezels, gem-set bracelets and diamond-pave dials just to name a few.

Drake’s watch is on the left, next to another reference from the Pearlmaster collection. Image: @aviandco

The yellow gold Rolex has a beautiful bezel set with 48 baguette-cut sapphires, while the dial is set with 455 diamonds. But don’t forget the bracelet. The bracelet and clasp are set with another 144 diamonds in two rows, just to take the bling factor to the next level.

Image: @niccoloy

While this isn’t Drake’s most desirable watch, it’s still a technical tour de force as a jewellery timepiece, showcasing that just because Rolex is known for their robust steel tool watches, the Crown still knows how to set a stone. Really, really well.