Social media has long overtaken our lives, but no platform today draws more eyeballs than Tik Tok. A Gen Z minefield of dances, duets, thirst traps, sketches, “stitches”, and shenanigans, Tik Tok racks up more views than any of its competitors. During the pandemic, one gentleman who became internationally viral was Khaby Lame. The Senegalese-Italian 22 year old became the most followed Tik Toker in the world as of last month, surpassing dancer Charlie D’Amelio with 142.1 million followers. As of writing, his Tik Tok follower count now stands at 148.3 million and across his videos on Tik Tok alone he has earned an astounding 2.4 billion likes.
He is well known for his “stitch” content, in which a video clip posted from another user plays that leads into Khaki’s cheeky response to the footage. A modern-day Buster Keaton, Khaby Lame connects with his followers without speaking – resonating with millions around the world all through a cartoonish blank stare and hand gestures.
Typically, he satires many of the pointless clickbaity videos that flood our social media feeds – showing just how ridiculous much of the content we are subjected to is.
Even Ed Sheeran has leveraged his amassed following to promote his new music last year.
With such a large following, there is inevitable monetization. Reportedly the social media star makes $4 million a year off of Tik Tok content alone. So, you won’t be surprised to hear that he has been spotted wearing a watch. I mean, with so much cash, who wouldn’t go out and purchase a Rolex, Richard Mille, AP, or Patek Phillipe? Well, not Khaby. Instead he sports a watch so ridiculous, nay, blasphemous, my jaw-dropped when I first saw the image. Yet, while it is a watch I have publicly sh*t on – along with many others in the watch community – it is actually a fitting choice for his wrist the more I think about it.
Image: SuperWatchMan
Enough suspense. The watch Khaby Lame has routinely been spotted wearing is none other than the highly controversial Genius Genta – a watch with the gimmick of being half Nautilus and half Royal Oak in design.
“History of Art was built on disobedience and it’s an Artist’s duty to provoke the world in order to change it. An Artist is a Rebel who challenges his time by proposing the unthinkable. His ideas must be unsettling, his opus a scandal. It’s not work, but Collision he must seek. Matter, Energy, Time came to Life through a clash of opposite forces, and Inspiration is no different. Call it Controversy, if you wish. We call it Genius.” – Genius Watches
Seriously? Are they taking the piss? Crazily enough, the sellita-powered sellout design will set you back $5000 USD or more depending on the configuration.
Image: SuperWatchMan
Of course many found its aesthetic tacky, derivative, and in poor taste capitalizing cash-grab on the rising popularity of the Royal Oak and Nautilus. Khaby, however, has doubled down on the model – owning not one, but two versions of this fugly watch. I mean, the brand name of Genius is really just painfully ironic.
My hatred aside, while I do not condone whoever made this watch, and the cheap and rather infringing concept behind it, what could be a more fitting watch for a joker than a watch many have described as an absolute joke. Another, perhaps, more romantic angle would be that the watch also ties into his love for satire – assuming the Genius watch was created to be a satire over the fixation of the two hype culture sports watches (which would give the team behind Genius watches too much credit).
Or, perhaps, I or we are all just crazy together. Cause even Ed Sheeran, who is a seasoned and respected collector, has been caught wearing this travesty.
And even celebrated footballer Samuel Eto’o has a link to the brand, which made a three-piece limited edition with a sole number 9 on the malachite dial to match his jersey.
What do you all think? Is there Genius behind the madness?
