Nothing comes together easily at the Super Bowl. The game is the culmination of two teams' entire seasons, the grass is planted a full 18 months before it’s rolled out in the stadium (and even then doesn’t always work like it should), the million-dollar ad spots are meticulously developed over many months, and the halftime performer’s outfits are often custom-made. For her halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII (which also doubled as a sneaky pregnancy reveal), Rihanna made all of that very clear: she rocked a special Loewe flight suit and made-to-measure leather corset in crimson with matching Salomons, and she paired it all with the perfect watch: a Jacob & Co. Brilliant Skeleton Northern Lights.
It appears that Rihanna’s watch needed to check two boxes Sunday night: it needed to match her all-red-everything outfit – and be breathtakingly over the top. Rihanna found one of the few watches that can do both of those things. The Brilliant Skeleton Northern Lights comes with a transparent red crystal dial, which means the wearer can see the inner workings of the watch underneath. Rihanna’s version of the piece is also fitted with a red strap. Then for the over-the-top part: the bezel alone is set with 251 pavé-set diamonds (adding up to 10.25 carats!). What’s great about J&Co. is that it never misses an opportunity to add a few more diamonds wherever they’ll fit. So the crown on this watch is furnished with 30 additional white diamonds, and the buckle on the strap has 42 more. Maybe there’s a reason Rihanna opened her set with “Bitch Better Have My Money”: her watch, limited to 101 pieces, retails for £58,500.
Jacob Arabo, Jacob & Co.'s founder, calls Rihanna “a goddess," in a statement. "And she's a demanding customer. She only ever goes for the best of what we do.”
Notably, Rihanna has made watches an integral fixture of both pregnancy announcements. The internet melted upon news of her first child with the rapper A$AP Rocky, but one corner in particular freaked out for another reason: for that reveal, Rih wore an excellent and rarely seen (at least at the time) Rolex King Midas, the Crown’s unique-looking bracelet-watch. Now, at least among watch freaks, this Jacob & Co. will be associated with Rihanna’s second pregnancy.
Rihanna is really a master of using watches as jewellery: While most watch collectors tend to let their watch take the spotlight, Rihanna uses pieces like the King Midas and Brilliant Skeleton Northern Lights to accentuate the rest of her looks. Remember when she turned a series of G-Shocks into a bracelet? So tight. She can make even a Patek Philippe Nautilus – usually used as a massive flex – just another piece naturally blending into a Gucci ensemble. People often say that Rihanna really knows how to wear clothes, but she also really knows how to wear watches, too. It’s an underrated talent!
Great watches were all over the Super Bowl. Jay-Z wore Richard Mille’s RM 47 Tourbillon – the one with the figure of a samurai set into the dial. Gordon Ramsay was seen with a vintage Rolex Submariner, while Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had on a beautiful A. Lange & Söhne 1815. People tune into the Super Bowl for all kinds of reasons: to watch the game, see the ads, or simply enjoy the halftime show. Others might also take a special interest in what’s happening on the wrists of the celebrities in attendance. On Sunday, everyone walked away happy.
