When Dwayne Johnson arrived at the 2026 Met Gala — his first ever appearance at fashion's biggest night — the room noticed everything. The Thom Browne pleated skirt. The physical presence. The confidence of a man utterly comfortable in his own skin. But the horological world noticed one thing above all else: the watch. On his left wrist sat the Jacob & Co. Billionaire III, a timepiece priced at $3.3 million that has since been described as the most expensive watch ever worn on the Met Gala steps.
It was a statement entirely consistent with the man wearing it. The Billionaire III is not a watch for the understated. It is a watch for someone who has earned the right to excess and wears it without apology. In that sense, The Rock and the Billionaire III were made for each other.
Instagram · @therock
Dwayne Johnson shared images of the Jacob & Co. Billionaire III on his Instagram account following the Met Gala — you can view the original post at @therock. The watch generated over 2 million likes and significant media coverage worldwide.
WHAT IS THE JACOB & CO. BILLIONAIRE III?
Jacob & Co. is a New York-based luxury jewellery and watchmaking house founded by Jacob Arabo — known in celebrity circles simply as "Jacob the Jeweller." The brand occupies a unique position in the watch world: unapologetically maximalist, deeply connected to hip-hop and entertainment culture, and technically ambitious in ways that most of its critics fail to acknowledge.
The Billionaire III is the crown jewel of the Jacob & Co. collection. At 54mm in diameter it is considerably larger than the 36-40mm that contemporary watchmaking considers appropriate for a men's wristwatch. The entire case, dial and bracelet are set with 714 white diamonds — 504 of them on the bracelet alone — totalling 129.61 carats. The movement visible through the diamond-set case is itself larger than most complete watches.
At 54mm, even the movement is bigger than most watches. The Billionaire III is not trying to be subtle. It is trying to be seen from across a room — and it succeeds.
WHY THE ROCK AND THIS WATCH MAKE SENSE
Dwayne Johnson's stylist Ilaria Urbinati was direct about the pairing: the Billionaire III works on The Rock precisely because The Rock is one of the very few people on earth who could wear a 54mm watch without it looking absurd. At 6'4" and approximately 250 pounds, Johnson's physical presence transforms what would be a comically oversized piece on a smaller frame into something that actually reads as proportionate.
But beyond the purely physical, there is a cultural logic to the choice. Jacob & Co. has spent three decades building relationships with the world's most successful entertainers — from Jay-Z and Drake to Floyd Mayweather and now Dwayne Johnson. The Billionaire III is not marketed to the traditional watch collector. It is marketed to the individual for whom a $3.3 million timepiece represents the natural expression of extraordinary achievement.
Jacob Arabo himself addressed the moment directly, describing his creation as something made for people who command presence at the highest level. Seeing it on Johnson — at his first Met Gala, in an outfit deliberately designed to challenge conventions — was the brand's most powerful placement in years.
THE WATCH WORLD'S VERDICT
The traditional watch collecting community has a complicated relationship with Jacob & Co. The brand's aesthetic sits far outside the restrained Swiss traditions of Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Söhne or even Rolex. Diamond-set cases, animated movements and celebrity associations are not the hallmarks of what most serious collectors consider great watchmaking.
And yet the Billionaire III contains genuine horological achievement. The movement — visible through the diamond pavé — is a significant mechanical engineering feat. The setting of 714 diamonds across a fully functioning watch mechanism, with the precision required to ensure timekeeping accuracy, is a technical accomplishment that deserves more credit than it typically receives from the enthusiast community.
What the Met Gala moment demonstrated above all else is that luxury watches have crossed from specialist hobby into mainstream cultural conversation. A timepiece on a celebrity wrist now generates the kind of attention previously reserved for haute couture. For the watch industry — and for platforms like Stories To Watch — that is a significant shift.
JACOB & CO. — WHAT COLLECTORS SHOULD KNOW
For collectors approaching Jacob & Co. for the first time, the brand offers more than diamond-set celebrity pieces. Their Astronomia collection — featuring a rotating three-dimensional tourbillon visible through the dial — is one of the most mechanically ambitious watch families in contemporary production. The Astronomia Solar, with its miniature sun rotating on a four-arm carousel, is genuinely extraordinary independent of its price tag.
Secondary market values for Jacob & Co. are volatile and heavily dependent on celebrity association and cultural moment. The Billionaire III will command significant premiums following the Met Gala placement — moments like this historically move markets for the pieces involved.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE — CELEBRITY AND THE WATCH MARKET
The Rock's Met Gala watch is part of a broader cultural moment for horology. Kevin Hart's Netflix roast featured over $7.8 million worth of watches in a single room. Cristiano Ronaldo's collection is valued at over $16 million and generates daily media coverage. Formula One drivers, NBA stars and entertainers are wearing watches that would have been confined to specialist publications five years ago.
This mainstreaming of watch culture represents a genuine opportunity. An entirely new generation of potential collectors is discovering horology through celebrity wrists — and then doing what every curious person does in 2026: searching for more information. Stories To Watch exists to be the destination they find.