Recently, rapper Moneybagg Yo posted on his Instagram about his lunch with Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington. The Memphis-bred rapper posed in a black T-shirt while Washington wore a black Adidas track jacket and one other gleaming object. The timepiece that the actor sports in the second slide is an Audemars Piguet watch. It included a silver strap with an array of diamonds adorning the crown, strap, and case.
The unlikely pair out to lunch made us wonder more about this watch. The rapper let Washington wear it as part of their “link up” for lunch. The Swiss watch brand was founded in 1875 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet and is still family-owned to this day. Both Audemars and Piguet were watchmakers with their own specialties. Audemars specialized with manufacturing and complex watch movements while Piguet specialized in relegated watch movements. Once the two joined forces, they had their hands full with separate responsibilities.
Now, in 2024, the watch brand is amongst the luxury brands like Rolex with rappers shouting out the brand in songs and even working with them. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Jim Jones, Meek Mill, and a slew of others have rapped about the brand. Travis Scott collaborated with Audemars Piguet in late 2023 on the popular Royal Oak silhouette that was created in 1972 by Gérald Genta.
This silhouette is most likely the one Washington is wearing in Moneybagg Yo’s post as it is the brand’s most popular piece. Back in 2005, Jay-Z also collaborated with the Swiss watch brand for their limited-edition Royal Oak Offshore timepiece. Basketball icon LeBron James became the global ambassador for Audemars Piguet in 2020.
While Denzel may not seem like the type to sport an Audemars Piguet watch on a regular basis, it’s safe to say Moneybagg Yo has good taste. Not everyone knows of the brand’s allure to hip-hop culture and its affinity for luxury, but the Swiss brand seems to be coming into the limelight a bit more than before.