While many people consider the NBA to be the most stylish professional sports league in America, the well-heeled players of the NFL certainly give the ballers a run for their money.
Case in point: Odell Beckham Jr. The Cleveland Browns wide receiver is one of the most stylish men in the NFL; a charismatic and consistently crisp dude who’s known for rocking fashion-forward brands like Chrome Hearts and his passion for expensive Nike sneakers, as well as his ability to pull off a suit like nobody’s business.
Like his fellow NFL style icon Cam Newton, OBJ marches to the beat of his own drum, an admirable character trait that’s been brought into focus with his latest fashion flex.
Last Friday, OBJ shared a candid shot of himself to Instagram where you can see a solid gold Richard Mille RM07-01 sitting on his wrist. OBJ’s got a few ‘Millies’ in his collection – including a RM 56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire worth over 2 million USD – but this gold number might just be the most interesting.
Why? Because it’s actually a ladies’ watch.
View this post on Instagram
The RM07-01 stands out among Richard Mille’s expansive collection of high-end timepieces because it’s the only one RM has ever made that’s available with a Cuban link bracelet – which is what we assume drew OBJ to the model. The man does like his chains…
That such a macho dude like OBJ would defy the commonly-held prejudice against men wearing women’s watches speaks volumes about the direction the watch world is headed. Firstly, it proves that men are becoming more open-minded about the types of watches they were, not constraining themselves to a simple label. Which is a good thing: if you like something, wear it, who cares what anyone else thinks?
RELATED: Football Superstar Neymar Jr. Demonstrates Why More Men Should Wear Women’s Shoes
Secondly, it’s emblematic of how the watch fashion cycle is heading towards smaller watches after years of bigger watch sizes being in vogue. Watch sizes were much smaller in the 90s – so it’s somewhat fitting that as 90s fashion has enjoyed a renaissance in the last half-decade, a 90s taste in watches is also coming back.
Speaking of the NFL, Super Bowl LV is currently in full swing with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squaring off at the Buc’s home field in Florida. ABC News is running a live blog if you can’t get to a TV.