Inside Badshah’s Obsession With Horology: Rare Watches, Swiss Dreams, And Million-Dollar Craft

For some, luxury is about ownership. For Badshah, it is about understanding. The rapper, long associated with headline-making purchases and a taste for the exceptional, has increasingly revealed a more introspective relationship with wealth: one rooted in craftsmanship, rarity, and time itself.

In a recent interview with Curly Tales, Badshah offered a glimpse into this quieter obsession, sharing that his fascination with watches has grown so deep that he once seriously considered leaving everything behind to study watchmaking in Switzerland.

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Badshah has never shied away from collecting. From a Rs 12.45 crore Rolls-Royce Cullinan to becoming the first Indian to collaborate with Maybach on a limited-edition

eyewear line, his purchases often signal firsts and extremes. His sneaker collection alone reportedly exceeds 500 pairs – many of which he admits he has never worn.

But watches, he says, occupy a different emotional space. “I don’t have a lot, about 10 to 15, but they are really rare and expensive. Also, because of the craftsmanship that has gone into making those watches is extremely fascinating.”

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What sets Badshah apart from the average luxury buyer is not just access, but reverence. In the same interview, he revealed how close he came to stepping away from his career to learn the craft from the ground up. “A few days ago, I was thinking of leaving everything and going to Switzerland to learn watchmaking. I was actually considering. You would be surprised to find out that certain watchmakers make 10 watches a year. All of them are mechanical watches, not quartz. So many have given their lives to making watches, this small thing on your wrist that takes so many man-hours to finish.”

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Among the crown jewels of Badshah’s collection is a piece that encapsulates his admiration for artisanal excellence: the Greubel Forsey GMT Balancier Convexe. “There is a watch from a brand called Gruebel Frosey. It’s called GMT Balancier Convexe. There are a lot of reasons why I love this. It’s handmade and has around 500-700 components. It takes eight months to finish one watch.”

Estimated at around $400,000 (Rs 3.6 crore), the watch features a rotating 3D terrestrial globe, sapphire crystal detailing, and multiple time displays, placing it firmly in the realm of wearable mechanical art.

Alongside this, Badshah owns a Patek Philippe Nautilus, Richard Mille RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough, Hublot Big Bang Original Gold Ceramic, and Richard Mille RM 11-03 Flyback Chronograph. Each signals not just affluence, but alignment with innovation and heritage.

In Badshah’s world, timepieces are no longer accessories. They are stories that are measured not in seconds, but in devotion.