Inside Jay Chou’s watch collection: the King of Mandopop and Dior ambassador is also the face of Tudor along with David Beckham and Lady Gaga … but his Rolexes are something special

Sep 24 , 2024

King of Mandopop and Dior ambassador Jay Chou is also the face of Tudor along with David Beckham and Lady Gaga … but his Rolexes are something special. Photo: @tudorwatch/Instagram

His birthday surprise, a Tudor Black Bay Chrono Pink, was created as a tribute to football team Inter Miami, co-owned by football legend and fellow Tudor ambassador David Beckham

An avid collector of pop art and toys, Chou is also the owner of holy grail Rolex watches, including the famous Rainbow Daytona and a yellow gold Daytona dating back to 1968

When Dior recently named Jay Chou global ambassador of its menswear line, the social media announcement was accompanied by photos of the Taiwanese singer-songwriter in a custom suit created by none other than the fashion house’s creative director, Kim Jones.

Naturally, fans can look forward to Dior collaborating with the Mandopop star on his stage costumes. But before Chou teamed up with Dior, he was the long-time face of another global luxury brand – Tudor. His collaboration with the watchmaker as its global ambassador also influenced his collecting habits over the years.

Jay Chou, pictured in December 2023, in a custom Dior suit designed by Kim Jones. Photo: @dior/Instagram

Among the ranks of Tudor’s global ambassadors are football legend David Beckham and pop icon Lady Gaga – and like them, Chou embodies the house’s “Born to Dare” philosophy, breaking boundaries and records as one of the most prolific recording artists in Asia for more than two decades.

David Beckham, Jay Chou and Lady Gaga are all Tudor global ambassadors. Photo: @jaychou/Instagram

In an interview with CNN, Chou revealed that he has spent most of his concert earnings on art pieces. His passion for art also led him to curate auctions in collaboration with both Christie’s and Sotheby’s. While he favours everything from pop art and toys like Bearbricks to legends of contemporary art like Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat, his watch collection seems to have a narrower focus.

“Since I last curated a fine art auction, I’ve realised that furthering talented artists and great artworks has already become my life mission,” Jay Chou told his followers in April 2023. Photo: @jaychou/Instagram

Here are some of his notable timepieces.

Tudor 1926

Considering Jay Chou’s long association with the brand, it’s not surprising that his watch collection is dominated by Tudor models. Photo: @tudorwatch/Instagram

Chou’s collaboration with Tudor has seen him sporting pieces from the brand almost exclusively. In 2018, when the ambassadorship was first announced, he was the face of the Tudor 1926. Unlike collections like the Black Bay and Pelagos that have become synonymous with the Tudor name over the past several years, the 1926 is a more subdued timepiece with a classic design that hovers between classic dress watch and casual bracelet timepiece.