Talking Time With Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum

Photo Credit: Bred Hampton

Haute Living Editor-in-Chief Laura Schreffler sat down with Celtics star Jayson Tatum to discuss his love of rare and magnificent watches for Haute Time. This is what she learned.

HL: Which is the most important? Is it the first Rolex you bought, or is it one of the other ones? Which piece means the most?

JT: It would definitely be the Rolex because it will always be a lesson learned. That was the watch that really kind of introduced me to rare pieces. I love walking into certain rooms and people stop you and say, “That’s a nice one you’ve got there.” And to the average person, they just think all watches are the same. I got a frosted Audemars Piguet in 2020. The special thing about it is that it’s this frosted AP skeleton. There are only a handful of people that I’ve seen that have a frosted AP. But the difference is the face kind of resembles a skeleton, and that is what makes it so rare. A lot of people buy iced-out watches that aren’t worth much. But this one, they literally, they take the diamond and hammer it. The frost that would come from when you hit the diamond covers the white. It’s not covered in diamonds. It’s frosted — literally like snowflakes. It’s the first one I bought that was super-rare. I will only wear it to special events where I know there would be people that would appreciate the watch. And you know, they always ask me, “How did you get this? When did you get this?” And that’s a good feeling.

HL: I understand that you have a thing for the rare, exclusive timepieces. You want to have things that nobody else has or like two other people have. What is that about?

JT: For one, I always tell people, buy things of value. Buy what you like. If it’s of value, it doesn’t have to be the coolest. But if you like it, if you’re going to wear it, then you should get it. And what I’ve learned is, you don’t have to follow what somebody else is doing. If you like it, get it. I wear my watches. I don’t buy them just to put them in a case. If you don’t want to get what everybody else is getting or can’t get it, then you have to build those relationships with the different brands, network and get to know people. I have a good relationship with a few guys that really take care of me. And you know, when those special or rare ones come around, they always reach out and I’m very appreciative of that. It’s just like getting something that somebody else [doesn’t have] is a good feeling.

HL: Does that go back to you wanting to be the greatest basketball player that ever came out of St. Louis? As with wanting to be the best, do you want to have the best, too?

JT: Be the best, have the best. Everybody has their vice. I like watches … so that does it for me.

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