DAEM Brings Back The Basquiat Luxury Line

A collection of luxury watches that pay tribute to the late artist’s work.

Brooklyn-based luxury brand watch DAEM celebrates Basquiat’s experiences and creativity from the 80’s to life in the present day with a new exclusive line of watches. 

The collaboration with The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat was inspired by the artist’s ability to create luxury and authentic dialogue from experiences born in the world around us. “We’ve always believed that fashion and art provide opportunities to express authentic and diverse narratives,” explain co-founders Milo Dee and Michael LoFaso. “We hope to design aesthetically beautiful products that also tell a deeper story of the inspiration behind the design. The remarkable narratives behind Jean-Michel Basquiat’s journey provided an amazing foundation to bring this concept to life.” The rich details reflected across the collection range from his fashion choices to his personal notebook and the social narratives based around it. 

The collection, available to shop now, includes three exclusive timepieces. The Undiscovered Genius and Skull automatic movement watch blends two of Basquiat’s most powerful works. The case of the watch, like the Skull painting, provides a glimpse of both the inside and outside of the mind. 

The second timepiece incorporates Basquiat’s iconic “Now’s The Time” (1985). A tribute to jazz musician Charlie Parker’s 1945 song of the same name, the enamel dial conveys that there’s something beautiful in focusing solely on the here and now. The strap was inspired by an iconic William Coupon portrait of Jean-Michel highlighting his sense of style and clothing in the 1980’s. The back of the watch features Basquiat‘s signature crossed over the DAEM logo to put the essence of human before enterprise. 

The Warrior watch pays homage to Basquiat’s undertaking of portraits to redefine the expectations and realities of heroes, saints, and warriors. The caseback portrays the background of Basquiat’s own notebook journal where he shared vivid thoughts and reflections. The watch includes a custom-designed emblem on the dial and a full-grain pebbled Italian leather strap.

Renowned art patron Jae Joseph, also based in Brooklyn, joins the collaboration as the face of the collection. Says Joseph, ”I’m honored and thrilled to be representing this collaboration with DAEM and the Basquiat Estate, bringing to life a collection of luxury watches that pay tribute to the late artist’s work.” 

 

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