Even if you blinked, there’s no way to have missed the festivities that took place these past few days celebrating the latest Ambani nuptials in India. Rihanna came out of retirement to perform. The amount of billionaires attending–Gates! Zuckerberg! Fink! Mittal!—could sink or swim entire economies during the cocktail reception alone. Family matriarch Nita Ambani’s emerald whopper worn to one of the events, which inside sources confirmed cost in the realm of $30 million, is one of the biggest emeralds the public has ever seen.
This isn’t even the wedding–these are pre-wedding festivities. The actual wedding will take place over the next year in various destinations spread across Europe and India.
The groom, Anant (the youngest of the Ambani children) did play his role in shaping cultural dialogues through these events, though. First, the animal conservation center where it all took place, Vantara, is a 3,000-acre refuge he founded and will soon be open to the public, although he stresses, “It is not a zoo.” Indeed, it’s the way he’s chosen to use his family’s billions to impact change by bringing attention to the mistreatment and exploitation of animals through tourism, circuses, zoos, culture, and illegal hunting. “My goal is to create the world’s largest sanctuary and breeding facility for all species of animals, a wildlife institute dedicated to repopulating and conserving critically endangered species.”
He’s also adding to the high-jewelry narrative for which Indian weddings are known by bringing his watch game to the table. Until now, men only participated in jewelry traditions through brooches and bejeweled buttons on their sherwani, the tunic worn by Indian grooms. Although, Ambani sporting different jaw-dropping timepieces these past few days has cemented the watch as a new, integral part of the Indian wedding. His penchant for luxury pieces also displays the shift in the appetite of Indian men toward watches, further establishing them as a new staple of Indian jewelry culture.
Ambani’s stylist, Shaleena Nathani, one of India’s most respected fashion talents, went through his extensive collection of one-of-a-kind pieces to help Ambani create memorable looks. “He owns some very sought-after pieces–there’s something for every mood and style,” she explains on the phone. “Picking a watch for every outfit was a personal yet collaborative process because we knew it’s not just an accessory we were choosing, it was a statement piece which elevated each outfit into a true look.”
Robb Report was able to exclusively obtain the list of watches he wore to these pre-wedding fêtes, and one thing is for certain, this sampling of timepieces has left us wanting to see the rest of what Ambani has been collecting. But let’s just say, this is a very tantalizing start.
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Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5990
Image Credit: Rohan Shrestha WHY IT’S SPECIALAmbani wore two versions of Patek Philippe’s jeweled Nautilus, one in ruby and diamonds and another in emeralds and diamonds, during pre-wedding festivities. The Ref. 5990 Nautilus was originally created as a traveler’s watch with dual time zone functionality and was meant to be rugged. However, the off-catalog versions that Ambani wore are hardly meant to be roughed around. While it has all the hallmarks of the Nautilus Ref. 5990’s functions, including a chronograph, the bejeweled bracelet and case make this a veritable statement piece.
WHY WE LOVE ITIt says: Of course I travel, but only my Airbus PJ.
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Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300G
Image Credit: Patek Philippe WHY IT’S SPECIALThis watch changed the game for Patek Phillippe because in 2016 it became the most complicated piece created by the watchmaker. It features six patented innovations and 20 complications within the double-face case, including five chiming functions. Even though this is one of the most sophisticated and complicated watches ever created, the watchmaker still wanted the piece to be light enough and small enough to be used daily, which it succeeded in achieving.
WHY WE LOVE ITOnly Patek Phillippe would create one of the world’s rarest watches to “wear every day.”
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Patek Philippe 5303R-010 Minute Repeater Tourbillon
Image Credit: Patek Philippe WHY IT’S SPECIALWhile it seems everything this watchmaker creates is for aficionados, Patek Phillippe states this particular watch was created “explicitly for connoisseurs” and is “an extravaganza for the eyes and ears.” Its first minute-repeater was created in 1845; since then they have become the masters of combining music and time. This watch is another notch in the belt of innovation for them in this department. The hammers and gongs of the repeater mechanism on this timepiece, for the first time for the watchmaker, can be admired without actually having to remove the watch from the wrist. Through its open design sans a conventional dial, the mechanisms of the gongs and hammers are now visible from the face side, which allows the wearer to continually experience and admire one of the hallmarks that sets Patek Philippe apart from the rest.
WHY WE LOVE ITVisible minute repeater? How much more iykyk does it get?
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Patek Philippe 6002R and 6002G Sky Moon Tourbillon
Image Credit: Patek Philippe WHY IT’S SPECIALThe Sky Moon Tourbillon is a sigh-inducing example of the artistry and craftsmanship of Patek Phillippe. Ambani loves this watch so much that he wore both the white-gold and rose-gold models during the festivities. With 12 complications on two dials, it’s an expression of Patek Philippe’s nearly unparalleled expertise in the creation of watches and represents some of the most sophisticated horological features available in mechanical timepieces today. The Sky Moon Tourbillon is a manifestation of several artisans who come together to bring this watch to life; namely, the watchmaker, the engraver, and the enameler. The gold is entirely carved by hand and features detailed ornamental designs of arabesque garlands and elements of the Calatrava cross, all of which take more than 100 hours to engrave. On the front display (the watch has both front and back), there’s a perpetual calendar indication (day, date, and retrograde month displays), mean civil time, moonphase, and leap year cycle. On the flip side, it shows astronomical complications under a starry sapphire sky.
WHY WE LOVE ITIs this even really a watch? A work of art feels more accurate.
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Patek Philippe x Tiffany & Co. Ref. 5711
Image Credit: Patek Philippe WHY IT’S SPECIALWhen all 170 pieces of this watch hit the retail market, they were only available through a smattering of Tiffany & Co. stores in the United States. That meant lifelong collectors of Patek Phillippe from around the world were understandably disappointed when any special advantages they may have had to procure a special piece through the watchmaker were null. Needless to say, there were many upset collectors the world over because of this. When one of these watches came up for auction at Phillip’s in 2021, it was the most expensive Nautilus ever sold at $6.5 million. Although, there is no real technical reason why (although proceeds did go to charity). This watch is without gems or stones, any different features than a Nautilus, and instead allows the robin’s egg blue to do all the talking. This means it’s the sheer affinity for two beloved brands that makes a collector’s heart go aflutter over this piece.
WHY WE LOVE ITSpeaks volumes without saying a word.
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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Rainbow Perpetual Calendar Rose Gold
WHY IT’S SPECIALThe combination of the rose gold bracelet, black dial, and 32 sapphires in the colors of the rainbow results in a heavyweight watch with a classic yet whimsical appeal. It’s hardly the boldest example of the watchmaker’s mastery of gemsetting on a timepiece, however, it’s the restraint in this capacity that gives the watch its allure delicately striking the balance between tradition and creativity; eye-catching and sublime. The patterned ‘Grande Tapisserie’ dial is set with four counters that display the day, date, month, astronomical moon, week of the year, and–of course–knows when it’s a leap year, too. At the end of the day, this is a very pretty watch.
WHY WE LOVE ITRose gold! Rainbows! Royal Oak! Perpetual Calendar! Oh my!
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Richard Mille RM 50-02 ACJ
Image Credit: Richard Mille WHY IT’S SPECIALThis piece is a nod to aviation lovers. A collaboration between Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ)—the arm of Airbus that builds custom planes for exacting customers—and Richard Mille, this piece is a manifestation of the watchmaker’s appreciation of aviation’s commitment to technological advancement. As such, the watch is significantly lighter than most, an homage to aircraft engineering and the constant pursuit of creating lighter, faster, more fuel-efficient jets. The case itself takes on the shape of an ACJ window down to the aircraft window’s multi-layered hull. Within the movement, many of the parts have been made of materials used in building planes. For example, some parts are coated with a special aeronautical coating used to protect an aircraft’s parts from environmental disintegration. Although, die-hard Richard Mille lovers will notice this is the first time the brand has changed the iconic screws around the outer edge of the bezels to Torq set screws, which has head slots that are distinctive and different from the norm.
WHY WE LOVE ITThe colors, the bold arrow-shaped hands, and the extensive skeletonization without compromising details are all reasons to adore this watch. However, it’s the tiny letters HNW on the face that are a gentle reminder to the wearer who they are just in case they forget. (In reality, this is an indicator for the position of the crown—H for setting the hands, N for neutral position, and W for winding the watch—but either way you look at it, you can’t forget that this is a million-dollar timepiece.)
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Richard Mille Piece Unique “Panda” RM 26-01 Tourbillon
Image Credit: Richard Mille WHY IT’S SPECIALThis watch combines artistry, fine jewelry, and fine watchmaking at the highest levels. The components are created with the technology and craftsmanship for which Richard Mille is known, but the panda munching away on bamboo as part of the face makes it as endearing as it is desirable. The bear is a piece of fine jewelry in and of itself, made from 18-karat white gold and set with diamonds and sapphires. The leaves and bark of the bamboo are hand-sculpted from yellow gold and painted by hand, while the baseplate is machined from black Onyx. The black stone is said to absorb negative energy and stabilize emotions bringing balance, inspiration, and protection from negative thoughts. As a limited-edition piece, only 30 were made in 18-karat red gold and white gold.
WHY WE LOVE ITBecause pandas are irresistible. But a diamond panda is divine.
