A Tour of John Mayer Watches

A talented and award-winning musician, John Mayer has not only forged an über-successful solo career but is also a founding member of Dead & Company — the band keeping the Grateful Dead legacy alive. However, for watch enthusiasts, John Mayer is also a powerful force within the collecting community, amassing an incredible collection of timepieces and often sharing his thoughts on the general state of watches and the industry. Make no mistake, he’s not your run-of-the-mill celebrity watch collector; John Mayer’s takes on particular models and trends have literally moved the watch market.

Plus, he’s not just an outside player anymore but is very much a part of the industry now with a couple of collabs under his belt, a fancy title at a fancy watch house, and — perhaps the most legit badge of all —there are more than a few watches nicknamed after him. Yet, despite his celebrity status, sizable bank account, and direct access to industry insiders, I still see John Mayer as one of us mere mortals — an unabashed watch nerd. That said, let’s take a tour of the John Mayer watches; that is, which watches have, whether officially or unofficially, earned the JM name.

John Mayer Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

Audemars Piguet released an enormous slate of new watches in 2024, including the very special Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch designed in collaboration with John Mayer — who was also announced as the brand’s “Creative Conduit.”

Those who are familiar with Audemars Piguet know that Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watches, a.k.a. Quantième Perpetuals, are some of its best models, marrying the iconic RO silhouette with the ultra-complicated Caliber 5134 in legible fashion.

Dial Layout

AP’s John Mayer watch retains all of its signature details, which is to say a 41mm octagonal case, an eight-sided bezel punctuated with eight screws, a quartet of recessed subdials, a week indicator around the periphery, and the pair of hands at the center.

The date is positioned at 3 o’clock, the moon at 6 o’clock, the day at 9 o’clock, and the month and leap year at 12 o’clock. That is a lot of information packed into one dial, and AP executes it in a brilliant and balanced manner.

Unique Features of the John Mayer AP

There are, of course, more than a handful of details that are unique to the John Mayer x AP iteration. The most obvious sign that this is the John Mayer watch is that glorious “Crystal Sky” dial. Rendered in the brand’s favorite blue shade, it glistens with a crystal-like texture. To achieve this fab finish, AP had to emboss the brass dial plate with various sharp angles and facets with a stamping die that was created atom by atom via a metal deposition process called electroforming.

A subtle detail to point out is the execution of the “31” on the date indicator, which drops its traditional red color and instead uses smaller numerals in a stepped layout to make it easier to differentiate it from the adjacent “1.” The light blue color of the central week pointer hand complements the dial nicely.

The End of the Caliber 5134 Era

Perhaps even more important is that this is the last time we’ll see the Caliber 5134 perpetual calendar movement in action — AP is saying goodbye to this legendary movement (which debuted in 2015) with this John Mayer watch.

Limited to 200 pieces and priced at $180,700 MSRP, the John Mayer Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is the first watch born of what will no doubt be a long-term collaboration between the musician and manufacture.

More on Audemars Piguet:
2024 Audemars Piguet Watch Releases
Hands-On: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 37MM Review
Audemars Piguet’s North American Service Center Will Move to Raleigh, NC
The Cheapest Audemars Piguet Watches
Guide to Audemars Piguet Nicknames

John Mayer Daytona

In 2016, Rolex launched what would become one of its greatest modern hits —the stainless steel Daytona 116500LN with a black ceramic bezel. That very same year, new-gen precious metal Daytona models also made their debut but hardly anyone noticed due to the frenzy around the steel models. That is until John Mayer declared in a video that the yellow gold Daytona 116508 with a green dial was worth another look. When he said the words “I really enjoy finding sleeper hits” and offered up the green and gold Rolex Daytona as an example, it was off to the races for that particular reference.

Today, the now-discontinued yellow gold Rolex Daytona 116508 with a green dial is affectionately known as the John Mayer Daytona.

The “Other” John Mayer Daytona

In the same video segment that featured the Daytona 116508, John Mayer also showcased the white gold Daytona 116509 with a midnight blue dial. The reference never became as popular as its green and gold counterpart, but I still like to call this the “Other” John Mayer Daytona.

The Mayer Dial

Back in 2007, John Mayer posted his first comment on the Vintage Rolex Forum passionately defending the authenticity of the controversial tri-color Rolex/Oyster/Cosmograph Paul Newman dial (sometimes abbreviated to 3CROC). A lively discussion ensued with collectors, dealers, enthusiasts, and experts chiming in with their opinions. This type of dial was already known as a “Texas Dial” based on the theory that counterfeiters in Texas created them, but it eventually became better known as the “Mayer Dial” thanks in large part to this online forum debate.

In 2014, Christie’s sold a vintage Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 Paul Newman with a Mayer Dial for CHF 461,000. A few years later, as skepticism spread, another example failed to sell at auction.

More on the Rolex Daytona:
What is the Price of a Rolex Daytona in 2024?
The Rare and Cheerful Rolex Daytona Beach Collection
Best Alternatives to the Rolex Daytona
Rolex Surprises Everyone with Daytona Le Mans Watch
How Much Can I Get For My Rolex Daytona?

John Mayer G-Shock Watches

So far we’ve covered exceedingly expensive John Mayer watches, but if your budget doesn’t stretch that far, fear not. There are the budget-friendly Casio G-Shock Hodinkee John Mayer watches to consider. First released in 2020 in gray, and then joined by other colorways in 2021 and 2022, all three of these limited-edition G-Shocks were inspired by specific old-school Casio sampling keyboards that influenced John Mayer’s music career.

G-Shock DW6900JM20-8

• Release Year: 2020
• Color: Gray resin
• Inspiration: Casiotone SK-5 sampling keyboard

G-Shock DW6900JM21-7

• Release Year: 2021
• Color: Off-white resin
• Inspiration: Casio PT-80 keyboard

G-Shock DW6900JM22-2

• Release Year: 2022
• Color: Matte dusty blue
• Inspiration: Casio PT-1 keyboard

John Mayer’s Impact on Watches

While Continuum served as the soundtrack to most of my mid-20s (I put it on to write this piece; it’s so good), today, when I think of John Mayer, I think of watches. And if you’re into watches (which I’m assuming you are since you’re reading this), you probably do too.

I think that speaks to the type of impact John Mayer has had on the watch space, which, in my opinion, doesn’t necessarily stem from his fame and fortune but more so from his genuine passion for collecting watches.

I’m sure this list of John Mayer watches will continuously grow over the next few years, so stay tuned to see what else he has in store.