Hip-Hop’s Obsession With Watches

Over the Christmas break, the creator behind *Doug’s Watches* kept pausing the 50 Cent–produced Diddy documentary to look up the watches that appeared at key moments.
They weren’t subtle details, but visual cues that quietly signaled power, arrival, success, and belonging.
That curiosity led to a deeper look at how watches—from gold Rolex Day-Dates in early hip hop to iced-out Jacob & Co pieces and later Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, and Cartier—tracked the culture’s evolution.
The video explores how artists like 2Pac, Biggie, Diddy, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem used watches to show where they stood in the world.
Over time, the meaning shifted from proving you belong, to proving you’ve won, to not needing to prove anything at all.
This isn’t about flexing or price tags, but how watches became a visual language within hip hop culture.