Most Costly Watches In John Mayer’s Assortment

Outside of his accomplishments in music, American singer-songwriter John Mayer is well known for his expensive watch collection, which boasts some of the most luxurious and rarest timepieces in history.

Mayer is a seven-time Grammy Award winner. He started his career in 1999 with the independently released debut EP, Inside Wants Out. His first full-length album was Room for Squares (2001). It was a smash hit and established Mayer as a musician to watch out for.

Over the years, he has released seven more albums to critical and commercial acclaim. These include Heavier Things (2003), Continuum (2006), Battle Studies (2009), Born and Raised (2012), Paradise Valley (2013), The Search for Everything (2017) and Sob Rock (2021). He is also loved for his live performances, particularly for his guitar skills in which he is recognised as one of the best.

At the same time, Mayer rules the world of horology as one of the few bonafide celebrity watch aficionados and collectors. Over the years, he has built a distinct reputation for himself starting from his first “real” watch, a Rolex Explorer II, which he bought with his first paycheque in 2001.

In a 2015 interview with The New York Times (NYT), he said that the value of the watches he owns is “in the tens of millions.” The report said that he stored his collection in bank vaults.

Two years later, CNBC estimated that his watch collection was around 25 per cent of his net worth of USD 40 million. The report said that he owned at least one Patek Philippe watch worth USD 300,000.

Among the several types of watches that John Mayer owns are an IWC Aquatimer Jacques Cousteau, a Rolex Military Submariner Ref.5517, a Patek Philippe Ref.5970G, a Rolex Submariner Ref.5514 for COMEX edition, and multiple Rolex Daytona pieces, including one with an Omani Khanjar logo and another with the official crest of the UAE.

One of his special watches is a white-gold Patek Philippe Ref.5004G with salmon dial and 5004G with luminous hands, which was made on his request.

Expensive watches owned by John Mayer

Rolex Daytona ‘Paul Newman’

Price: USD 4 million (auction)

Paul Newman was one of the best actors of all time. A charismatic face from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Newman often sported a Rolex Daytona watch, which was launched originally in the 1960s and inspired by the racing history of Daytona in Florida.

The suave persona of the Oscar-winning star and the popularity of the watch gave some of the exotic variants from the series the nickname ‘Paul Newman Daytona.’ Reports suggest that the Refs.6239, 6241, 6262, 6263, 6264 or 6265 are usually identified as Rolex Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ class.

John Mayer is a fan of the watches, which are counted as one of the most coveted timepieces of all time. He has more than one Rolex Daytona ‘Paul Newman.’ One of them is an 18k yellow-gold version of Ref.6263 with a “lemon grené” dial. This particular watch is a collector’s delight. A similar model was sold at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction in 2017 for USD 4 million, underlining the demand for the type in the secondary market.

Mayer also has a steel version of the Ref.6263 fitted with a bund strap similar to what Newman’s personal Daytona’s had as well as a Ref.6264, which has a silver dial with bluish-black sub-dials.

The singer has, however, indicated that his interest is now in vintage but non-Paul Newman-type watches.

“I remember seeing prices on the ‘Paul Newman’ Daytonas skyrocket and thinking to myself that it was time to let go of those pieces and focus a little more on the ‘plain Jane,’ non-PN versions. I’m glad I did, for several reasons – not the least of which is that I can wear them without any doubt they’re unquestionably authentic. And this version may be the coolest gold Rolex ever made,” he said on the 2019 Talking Watches series by watch publication HODINKEE.

In June 2023, Rolex released a special Daytona with a Paul Newman-inspired dial to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance motor race.

Set in 18k white gold, the chronograph has a ‘reverse panda’ style layout and sub-counters with distinctive square-shaped markers seen on the prized ‘Paul Newman’ watches. The ‘100’ on the tachymeter scale on the bezel is highlighted in red ceramic as an ode to the 100th anniversary.  The price of this watch at the time of its launch was around USD 54,000. But given the rarity of the production, it is expected to go for much more in the secondary market.

Rolex Daytona Ref. 6269 and Rolex Daytona Ref. 6270

Price: USD 1.8 million (auction for Ref.6269)

John Mayer is one of the handful of people in the world who own the two costliest Rolex Daytona watches ever made.

The Ref.6269 and Ref.6270 are watches made in the 1980s, which are special because they are the only bejewelled Valjoux movement Daytona watches ever made. Both have brilliant gems on them, which were set by hand. This is why some suggest that no two pieces may be exactly identical.

The Ref.6269 has 48 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel. Its dial features 240 brilliant-cut diamonds. Nine brilliant-cut sapphires form its hour markers. It was the first Rolex Daytona watch designed for pure luxury and is one of the rarest ever in watch history.

Ref.6270 was originally made for the Sultan of Oman and has almost a similar look as that of Ref.6269, with baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel and sapphires for hour markers. Its sub-registers, however, have a dark bluish-purple sheen.

The exact number of the two watches and their actual price are not known. However, Christie’s auctioned a 1985-made Ref.6269 in May 2022 for around USD 1.8 million.

Rolex Daytona Rainbow

Price: USD 103,000 (retail price at launch) / USD 600,000 (secondary market)

The Rolex Daytona Rainbow is named so because of its bezel, which has gems that form the colours of a rainbow.

On an episode of Hot Ones in 2018, John Mayer proudly revealed that he has several Rolex Daytona Rainbow wristwatches.

In a conversation on Talking Watches, he said, “The attitude on a rainbow Daytona when they first came out was, ‘Yuck. Who would do that? Who would go so far?’ Something happened that’s brilliant, where the joy of collecting superseded the craziness of the design of these watches.”

The watch came in three different models: yellow gold (Ref.116598RBOW), white gold (Ref.116599RBOW), and Everose gold (Ref.116595RBOW). The first two were released in 2012 while the third came in 2018. At the time of the introduction of the Everose gold model, Rolex discontinued the previous two models.

All the watches have black dials with 56 diamonds on the mid-case and diamond lugs surrounding the dial. The gems on the bezel are in fact 36 multi-coloured sapphires cut in baguette shapes and forming the ‘VIBGYOR’ of the light spectrum. The watch indeed looks like a colourful piece of jewellery on the wrist. The Everose gold model has the hours formed by sapphires in the same rainbow pattern. The yellow gold and white gold models have diamonds as hour markers.

At the time of its launch, the Rolex Daytona Rainbow Everose gold was roughly USD 103,000. Today, the three models have a secondary market demand somewhere in the range of USD 450,000 to USD 600,000.

Among other celebrities who own a Rolex Daytona Rainbow are several musicians and footballers including Post Malone, DJ Khaled, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rolex Daytona ‘John Mayer’

Price: USD 34,650 (retail) / USD 520,000 (secondary market)

The 18K yellow gold Rolex Daytona Ref.116508 has a very interesting story. Launched at the Baselworld watch fair in Basel, Switzerland, in 2016, it is the first Daytona with a distinctive bright green dial. Reports suggest that the reception for the USD 34,650 watch was initially mixed to tepid.

But three years after the launch of the 40mm watch, John Mayer revealed on Talking Watches that he owned the green dial Rolex Daytona and called it a “sleeper hit”. What resulted was a tremendous surge in demand and an incredible level of popularity for the green Daytona. This is how the watch got the nickname Rolex Daytona ‘John Mayer’.

The watch is one of the most prized timepieces in the Daytona series. According to IFL Watches, its secondary market demand is as high as USD 520,000 as of July 2022. Among those who reportedly own the watch are former UFC fighter Conor McGregor and tennis great Roger Federer. There is no confirmation on whether the watch has been permanently discontinued, but some reports claim Rolex stopped making the watch in 2023. 

Patek Philippe Nautilus

Price: USD 35,000 (retail) / USD 441,000 (auction)

The Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref.5711/1A-014 is counted among the rarest Nautilus models. The Geneva-based luxury watchmaker released it at the prestigious Watches & Wonders event in 2021. The company announced at the time that 2021 would be the last year of the stainless steel model of the Nautilus 5711/1A-014.

Its exclusivity is why it is one of the costliest watches in the secondary market. In June 2022, a watch of the same make with a green dial was auctioned for USD 441,000 at Christie’s. It was described by the auction house as “a very rare and highly desirable” watch.

The price realised was more than 10 per cent over the maximum estimated range, attesting to the high demand for the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-014. Reports suggest that a watch of the same model can fetch as much as USD 600,000 in the secondary market.

The watch shares some features with its predecessor, the blue dial Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-10. The green dial version has the classic grooved pattern on the face and a sunray-brushed finish. It has white gold hands and indexes, with a date window positioned at 3 o’clock on a white disc set within a metallic insert. Set in a 40mm stainless steel case, its movement is equipped with a 21k gold rotor.

Mayer’s watch is also one with a green dial, which he showed in a selfie. He is believed to have bought it shortly after its unveiling.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ultra Thin Tourbillon

Price: USD 350,000 (secondary market)

John Mayer owns several Audemars Piguet watches. One of them is the platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ultra Thin Tourbillon Ref.26516PT.

It has a 41mm platinum case and is just 8.85mm thick. The dial is a smoky grey with a “Petite Tapisserie” pattern. The highlight of the watch is its bezel, which has 32 baguette-cut diamonds totalling 3.04 carats on the circle.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie Titanium

Price: USD 321,700 (retail)

The watch was originally launched in 2014 as the Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie. It was followed by a piece with a platinum Jules Audemars case featuring a blue dial. In 2019, Audemars Piguet introduced the Minute Repeater Ref. 26591TI version of the original watch.

The timepiece won the Men’s Complication prize at the Geneva Grand Prix the same year.

Two case types were released for the watch: a platinum one featuring a black dial and a titanium one with a blue ‘Grande Tappisserie’ dial. Mayer owns the blue-dial version.

Only 20 pieces of each type were launched, all of them exclusively at Japanese retailer Yoshida. The watch is known for making a distinctive sound emanating from a soundboard inside the caseback. The soundboard has gongs on it. Openings on the case back allow the sound waves to flow out clearly. This acoustic design is Audemars Piguet’s patented Supersonnerie system.

Audemars Piguet released an upgraded variation – a smoked grey dial set in titanium – of the watch in 2021. The watchmaker released two more versions in 2023, both in black ceramic with one featuring white gold markers and the other with baguette-diamond indices. There is one more version of the watch available, though as a special edition. It has a titanium case with a platinum bezel and a smoked burgundy dial with white gold hour markers.

When Audemars Piguet released the two new versions in 2019, they were priced at USD 321,700 for the titanium blue dial and USD 386,600 for the platinum black dial.

Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar

Price: USD 170,000 (secondary market)

The most unique feature of the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Ref.5270G watch which John Mayer owns is that it can adjust for short and long months as well as the leap days of February automatically once every four years. It is a complex system, but the watch executes the task with incredible accuracy.

The watch has three sub-dials, showing a 30-minute counter, a second dial and a moonphase-and-days dial. Placed between 4 and 5 o’clock is a small leap year indicator window. There is also a day-and-night indicator positioned between 7 and 8 o’clock. At the 12 o’clock position is the day and month counter.

Mayer’s Patek Philippe is a white gold version with a gold face and a gold bracelet, whose secondary market price is estimated at around USD 170,000.

He also has another Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Ref.3970EJ. This version, a vintage model, is in yellow gold. The watch was originally launched in 1986 and remained in production for the next 20 years. The watch can fetch around USD 120,000 or more on the secondary market.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time

Price: USD 42,580 (retail) / USD 150,000 (secondary market)

John Mayer owns a Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Ref.5164A watch. One of the most unique features of the artist’s watch is that it is signed by Tiffany.

The watch comes with a rubber strap – a green one in Mayer’s jewel – instead of the usual bracelets that Patek Philippe is known for. Its dual time movement which is of help to frequent flyers is what has given the watch its name. It has local and home day/night indications in apertures set on either side of the watch.

The Aquanaut was launched in 1997. It has a self-winding mechanical movement and a steel case. The new versions are resistant to both UV and salt water. Though the retail price of the new versions is around USD 40,000, they can easily go up to USD 150,000 on the secondary market depending on the year of make.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon

Price: USD 159,130 (retail price for latest design)

One of the favourite watches of John Mayer is a specific Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon. Though Audemars Piguet has produced several variants of the watch, Mayer particularly loves the gold-on-gold version. This watch has a pink gold case, with a pink gold bezel, a similar colour bracelet and a grid-patterned dial.

Audemars Piguet released a limited-edition set of 100 new Extra-Thin Tourbillons in 2019. The all-black design came with a ceramic case, bracelet and bezel. A matching titanium case back and folding clasp made the watch stand out from its predecessor and look more ultra-modern. The dial face, too, was changed to the ripple look known as “Tapisserie Evolutive.” The retail price of this watch was USD 159,130, which means that the one Mayer has can be of far more value on the secondary market.

IWC Big Pilot

Price: Around USD 15,000 (retail)

The IWC Big Pilot Ref.5002 wristwatch that John Mayer owns has been with him for over a decade. He has been seen sporting it on several occasions.

“It’s a watch I identify with, that people identify with me,” he told NYT in his 2015 interview. “Now, all it does is tell the time and the date, that’s it. But, man, how it does it.”

The IWC Big Pilot was launched in 2002. Its design was inspired by the military navigators IWC produced in 1940.

The watch has an extra-large diameter of 46.2 mm, larger than most other luxury watches. The original 1940s look was retained with new facelifts. The watch was produced in a steel case and two limited-edition platinum versions. In 2006, a “transitional” model with a faster beat movement was introduced.

(Main image: John Mayer/@JohnMayer/Twitter; Featured image: John Mayer/@johnmayer/Instagram)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

– How much is John Mayer’s watch collection worth?

CNBC reported in 2017 that his watch collection is worth around USD 10 million.

– How much is the John Mayer Rolex?

The John Mayer Rolex, or Rolex Daytona ‘John Mayer,’ can sell for over USD 500,000 in the secondary market.

– What watches does John Mayer have?

Among the several types of watches in John Mayer’s collection are an IWC Aquatimer Jacques Cousteau, a Rolex Military Submariner, a Rolex Submariner For COMEX edition, multiple Rolex Daytona pieces, and multiple Patek Philippe watches.

– Is John Mayer a watch collector?

John Mayer is one of the most famous celebrity watch collectors and is renowned in esoteric horology circles for his insightful understanding of the watchmaking industry and his rare watch collection.