This year's Met Gala was special for many reasons, and for us Indians, one of the biggest highlights was the blue-carpet debut of King Khan, Shah Rukh Khan.
Dressed in an all-black outfit designed by ace Indian designer Sabyasachi, Shah Rukh wore a floor-length, elongated coat made of Tasmanian superfine wool, adorned with monogrammed Japanese horn buttons. The coat was hand-canvassed, single-breasted, with a peak collar and wide lapels.
Khan paired it with a crepe de chine silk shirt and tailored superfine wool trousers. A pleated satin kamarbandh completed his look.
Beyond the outfit, it was the actor's accessories that took the cake. His look featured a layered custom stack complemented by the Bengal Tiger Head Cane, crafted in 18k gold.
However, perhaps the most extravagant accessory of all was his watch — the ultra-rare, ultra-luxury, state-of-the-art Patek Philippe Grand Complications 6300G, reportedly worth USD 2.5 million. Or Rs 21 crore.
What Makes It So Expensive?
This watch is special because it is considered the most complicated wristwatch ever made by Patek Philippe, the renowned Swiss watchmaker. It features a white gold case, a perpetual calendar, moon phases, and a date repeater, among many other intricate ‘complications'.
Let's break it down:
- It's made of white gold and decorated with hundreds of precious stones: 118 emeralds and 291 diamonds, set so perfectly that you can't see the metal holding them ("invisible setting"), making it sparkle like a jewel on your wrist.
- This watch is incredibly complex, with 20 special features ("complications").
- Among these are five different sound functions, including two unique ones you won't find anywhere else: an alarm that chimes the exact time you set and a "date repeater" that can sound the current date whenever you want.
- The watch has two faces: one shows the time and functions like moon phases and a second time zone; while the other displays a full calendar including day, date, month, leap year, and even the year in four digits.
- You can flip the watch over easily, thanks to a patented rotating case, so you can wear it with either side facing up.
- It's powered by a hand-wound mechanical movement that takes incredible skill to build, and it shows many details like the power reserve (how long it will run before needing winding), alarm on/off, and even the position of the crown (the knob used to set the watch).
- The watch strap is made of shiny alligator leather with a clasp also decorated with emeralds, completing the luxurious look.
- It has 18k solid gold dial plates and is designed to be humidity and dust protected, showcasing intricate craftsmanship and mechanical marvel.
- This watch took years to develop and represents the peak of traditional watchmaking combined with artistic decoration.
In A Nutshell
In simple terms, this watch is like having a tiny, incredibly complicated music box and calendar on your wrist, wrapped in a sparkling treasure of emeralds and diamonds. It's built so finely that it is one of the rarest and most impressive watches in the world - which was the perfect accessory to Shah Rukh's regal look.