Rescapement is watch blog second, a Kanye West fan site first. So when we saw Kanye West on the cover of the May 2020 issue of GQ, we quickly homed in on his wrist.
It’s immediately apparent that West is wearing what he’s previously described as his “favorite watch”: A gold Ikepod Hemipode Chronograph. It’s a watch we also saw him wearing at the Oscars earlier this year.
Ikepod watches are cult favorites among the design obssessed, a cult of which Kanye certainly sits on the board of directors. Ikepod watches were designed by famed industrial designer Marc Newsom, perhaps best known for his association with the Apple Watch. The Ikepod Hemipode features the brand’s instantly recognizable and large hemisphere-shaped case, and is fitted with a strap that became the inspiration for the Apple Watch’s sport bands.
I’ve chronicled Kanye’s watch collection here over the past couple of years, and it’s clear he’s got a penchant for gold. Back in February, he was spotted in New York wearing a gold Rolex Submariner
We’ve also seen him wearing a gold Cartier Crash a few times, a distinctly Kanye choice that I’ve described as the perfect Kanye West choice, reflective of both his appreciation for iconic design as well as his personal history. Back in 2018, when I first spotted his Cartier Crash, I wrote:
A vintage Cartier Crash in gold, on Kanye’s wrist. For a guy not known for his watches, it’s a remarkably tasteful choice, proving once again that Kanye sets his own trends and doesn’t pay attention to what others are doing or wearing. For a guy that recently rapped “fuck a watch” the Crash truly stands out in a world of diamond-set Pateks and Rolexes. In a year that saw Kanye produce an album titled Daytona and Lil Uzi Vert rapped for 6 minutes about his “New Patek,” a Cartier Crash is a welcome change of pace.
For GQ’s full cover story, check out “Inside Kanye West’s Vision for the Future”