*Please note that this episode includes a few instances of colorful language.
Though he's only recently been lionized as a major collector and watch enthusiast on social media, Ed Sheeran has been a passionate collector for over a decade. I've had the pleasure of getting to know him over the years, both through our shared love of writing music and for collecting, and I'm so glad he agreed to sit down with me for an episode of Talking Watches.
There is a vulnerability in sharing one's watch collection with the world. Yes, they're material items, but they're called "personal effects" for a reason; they represent our choices, our tastes, the milestones in our lives, and our aspirations for the future. The elephant in the room, of course, is that some of these items are out of reach for most watch lovers, let alone the millions of Ed Sheeran fans that pack stadiums to watch his dynamic performances.
It would make sense then that Ed would have waited until the release of his Hodinkee x G-Shock collaboration to share some meaningful pieces in his collection with us; music is all about inclusivity, about reporting on the universal experience. Watch collecting gets its power from belonging to a small but close-knit club. I can confirm that releasing a G-Shock collab can act as a bridge between those two worlds.
Talking Watches, at its best, isn't just about holding up timepieces to the camera and talking about what you like about them. It's about how you see the world, your place in it, and expressing all points in between by way of the "why" of it all. And through this very special episode of Talking Watches, you'll learn a lot more about Ed Sheeran – the person – than you might have thought.
This is Talking Watches with the one and only Ed Sheeran, hosted by yours truly. I hope you enjoy watching this conversation as much as I enjoyed being a part of it.
ToyWatch
This ToyWatch was Ed's entry point into watches. It's quartz, inexpensive, and comes on an interchangeable rubber strap. He bought it early in his music career and said he wore it through his second tour. Look around at old photos of Ed, and there's a good chance you'll see him wearing his ToyWatch on any number of different colored straps.
"I would trade every watch on the table for this watch," says Sheeran. "I would cry if I lost this watch."
Hublot Skull Bang Limited Edition
"I bought this for my 21st birthday," Ed says. The Hublot Skull Bang was Ed's foray into mechanical watches. It's a limited edition of 100, and he and his buddy Jamal Edwards bought two of them together. It's got a skull on the dial, but it's pretty subtle as far as Hublot goes, which is what appealed to him.
There's a certain snobbiness about Hublot that Ed says he's never understood. After all, he's had this watch for 12 years, and it's never been serviced. Not bad.
Patek Philippe 5726 Customized By Bamford
Over the past decade, Ed's developed a relationship with watch customizer George Bamford. Over the years, Bamford has made customized faces for Sheeran's Nautilus 5726 Annual Calendar to match each of his albums. Patek Philippe introduced the 5726/1a annual calendar with moonphase in 2019. When Ed wrote his first article for Hodinkee that same year, he showed us a customized 5726 dial with his initials, "E.S."
"I've got watches that are respectful to being a watch collector, but sometimes you just want to spray paint your car. And I think that's fun," Ed says.
Patek Philippe 5230G World Time Piece Unique With Ed’s Hometown On The Dial
"This, I think, is the coolest watch I own," Ed says. We've moved into the piece unique portion of today's program. This is a unique Patek 5320G, with detail that's totally individual to Sheeran: the name of his hometown, Framlingham, England, printed on the dial.
"It's got a kebab shop, one cafe, a couple of pubs. But it's not like having Singapore or Doha on the dial," Ed says of his hometown. He wanted a watch unique to him, so he asked if Patek Philippe would swap out London for his Framlingham on a 5230G World Time.
Patek obliged, and the result is a piece unique that flies totally under the radar. Besides the name of his hometown and a subtle custom color scheme unique to this example, it's an off-the-shelf 5320G. It's completely and uniquely Ed. Even better, he says the last time he wore it was when he made a surprise appearance at his high school in Framlingham.
Audemars Piguet White Ceramic QP Piece Unique
Another brand, another piece unique. Again, from a distance, this looks like a pretty typical white ceramic Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar (QP). The first thing you notice that's different is the "panda dial" with black subdials, inverted from the white ceramic QP's typical layout. But when you look closer, you see there's even more going on.
For Ed's global Mathematics Tour, he had AP make a piece unique that sums up his career to date. Each of the hands are a different color, representing each of his first six studio albums. The customization goes even further: the rotor is customized with the mathematical symbols representing Ed's albums.
One more thing: you'll notice two red numbers on the dial, representing the birthdays of Sheeran's daughters.
Patek Philippe 5970J
The biggest interconnected group of watches in Ed's collection is Patek Philippe perpetuals. He says Hodinkee's Reference Points on the perpetual calendar chronograph was his initiation into that world. He started with a 5970, but as we'll see, it wasn't long before he got into the vintage references. Here we have a yellow-gold 5970J. There's nothing special about Ed's that you wouldn't have found in Patek's catalog – no retailer stamp, no customization, no nothing. But that's part of what makes this watch so good.
As for what he did with the box from the first Patek he bought? You'll have to watch the full video for that story.
Patek Philippe 2499
After the 5970, Ed went deep on the history of Patek's perpetual calendar chronographs. After the 1518, the first serially-produced perpetual calendar chrono, came the reference 2499. From 1950 through 1985, Patek produced just 349 examples of the 2499. Ed's is a later example in yellow gold, distinguished by its round chronograph pushers and lack of any tachymeter scale on the edge of the dial. He showed it to us on a bund strap, because why not?
The ref. 2499 is one of the most collectible and studied references in all of vintage watches. It's a serious watch for a serious collector, but what makes Ed's even better is that he's been spotted wearing it on red carpets and at events.
Patek Philippe 5004P
In 1994, Patek Philippe introduced the reference 5004. Like its contemporary, the 3970, it uses a Lemania base caliber, but adds a split-seconds function (or rattrapante). The package of the 5004 is impressive: it still measures just 36mm in diameter and 15mm in thickness, with a massive crown that operates the rattrapante function.
It's said that after launch in 1994, Patek produced around one 5004 a month, meaning it would've produced about 200 until it was discontinued in 2012 (when it produced a final 50 5004s in steel with the eventual owners' names engraved on the caseback). Of the regular production 5004s, the platinum 5004P like Ed's is the rarest. It's an aesthetic and technical achievement, one of the most exciting Patek Philippe watches ever.
Patek Philippe 5208P
The year is 2017. Ed has released his third studio album, "Divide," and the single "Shape of You" has taken over every radio and streaming chart across the world. How does Ed celebrate? With a 5208P.
The Patek Philippe 5208 is still one of the most complicated wristwatches the brand has ever made. It's a true grand complication, with a minute repeater, perpetual calendar with moonphase, and chronograph. Ed bought his platinum 5208P in 2017 to mark the most successful year of his career to date. It's a big-time watch worthy of celebrating becoming the biggest pop star on the face of the Earth.
Ed showed his 5208P on a rubber-lined strap he requested from Patek so that it could be worn on stage.
G-Shock Ref. 6900 - Subtract By Ed Sheeran
Complicated Pateks are great, but let's be honest: they're pretty much unobtainable for most people.
What we love about Ed is that he's still just a guy from Framlingham. This is why Hodinkee wanted to make a watch with him. In the same spirit as the trio of John Mayer x Hodinkee G-Shock 6900 limited editions, this is the G-Shock ref. 6900 Subtract by Ed Sheeran. It pulls inspiration from Ed's sixth studio album, "Subtract," to make a watch that's loud, colorful, and very Ed Sheeran.
It'll be dropping in the Hodinkee Shop on October 18, but for now, enjoy Ed telling us the story of his G-Shock collab.
Kikuchi Nakagawa Murakumo (x2)
Yusuki Kikuchi and Tomonari Nakagawa are two incredibly skilled Japanese watchmakers. They pay incredible attention to every detail that goes into their time-only watches. They don't do everything in-house, but are transparent about where they source components from (e.g., Vaucher Fleurier for their movements, Comblémine for dials), and instead focus their attention on finishing every component of the watch by hand.
With the Murakumo, the duo clearly takes inspiration from the Patek Calatrava ref. 96 with a wide bezel and the vintage touches of the dial and hands. There's hand finishing for days, with the watchmakers black polishing the hands, case, and solid caseback by hand.
Beyond the watchmaking, Ed's have a personal meaning: the names of his two daughters are engraved on the caseback, and he says he's going to give each to them on their 18th birthday.
Roger W. Smith Piece Unique
Roger W. Smith is one of the most important living watchmakers. First serving as an apprentice to Dr. George Daniels, the inventor of the co-axial escapement, today Smith continues his work from his own workshop on the Isle of Man. He only makes a few watches a year, with every component completely hand-made to his own exacting standards.
Ed Sheeran's Roger Smith is a piece unique and the watch he wore on his wedding day (his wife has a matching example in 38mm). The dial features an intricate cherry blossom motif on the dial, and Ed's initials "E.S." are also engraved through the sapphire caseback over another cherry blossom inlay.
A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus
When A. Lange & Söhne introduced the Odysseus in 2019, it was a major moment for the brand. Not only was it the Glashütte-based company's first stainless steel sports watch, it was also Lange's first serially-produced steel watch, full stop. For a brand with such a focus on classic styling, complications, and precious metals, it was a major departure.
While it received mixed reception upon release, Ed was an early adopter of the model. Every brand has its blue-dial, integrated bracelet sports watch nowadays, but with a big day and date display, complex case construction, and new bracelet and movement, the Odysseus is pure Lange.
Tudor Black Bay Divide Tour Limited Edition
At the end of Ed's Divide Tour, he worked with Tudor to produce a special edition Black Bay with the album's logo at 6 o'clock. He gave about 80 pieces to cast and friends of the Tour.
It's also engraved on the caseback, "Thank you for all your hard work on this tour, love Ed."
"My favorite thing in the world is to give people watches and see them turn into watch people," Ed says. After he gave the crew members these special Black Bays, he says a lot of them got into watches.
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