There is maybe no watch collector more influential than John Mayer. His Talking Watches got a whole generation hooked on timepieces and everyone he meets ends up with the bug. “I think it’s the same story for most male singer-songwriters,” Ed Sheeran told GQ when asked how he got his start in collecting. “They basically get to know John Mayer.” So it’s always important to keep up with what’s on the musician’s wrist, especially when it’s as unexpected—at least to casual observers—as it was this week.
Because despite oodles of rare vintage Rolexes, piles of world-class AP.s, and a rotation without a single dud in it, Mayer chose a modern tool watch to wear while being named The Hollywood Reporter’s Philanthropist of the Year. The piece is strongly in contention for Watch of the Year: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time. Released during Watches and Wonders in Geneva this past April, it’s part of a collection of four pieces, each of which features a different dial color representing a compass’s cardinal direction: brown for south, white for both, blue for east, and—on Mayer’s watch—green for west.
Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin; Getty Images
The Cardinal Points sub-collection started as a 2021 limited edition called the Overseas Dual Time “Everest.” That watch was modeled after a special titanium and tantalum watch made for photographer Cory Richards, who brought the watch with him while summiting Everest in 2019. After taking that watch up to the roof of the world, Richards returned it to Vacheron, which auctioned it at Phillips’ Game Changers charity auction. Though it carried an estimate of $20,000 to $40,000, the watch hammered for $106,250, with the proceeds benefitting the National Geographic Society, a longtime partner of Richards.
With its history not only of exploration, but also its association with philanthropic causes, the Overseas Dual Time felt like a particularly appropriate choice for Mayer’s wrist as he received the Philanthropist of the Year Award. Heart and Armor, which he co-founded and whose board he chairs, is dedicated to veterans’ issues such as PTSD, sleep health, and civilian-veteran engagement, and has generated a portfolio of more than $13M in scientific research. What better accessory to accompany him than one that already benefitted one of the world’s leading scientific organizations?
