Floyd Mayweather Buys $1 Million Avi Hue Gemstone Watch Set

Floyd Mayweather Jr., the undefeated boxing champion who retired in 2017 after winning 15 major titles, has long been known for his love of luxury, from fashion and jewelry to high-end watches. Recently, he made headlines again by becoming the first person to own the entire Avi & Co. Hue collection, a set of four gemstone-encrusted timepieces. The collection, housed in a special-edition display winder, carries a hefty price tag of $1 million.

“The Hue collection hits hard,” said Mayweather, who chose to buy all four colorful Avi Hue watches instead of just one. “People are constantly asking me about my Avi & Co. watches.” It turns out Mayweather is already an avid collector of the brand, with seven Avi & Co. watches in his collection, several of which are fully encrusted with diamonds. Speaking of his new acquisition, Mayweather said, “It just feels right.”

Avi & Co., located on New York’s iconic West 47th Street, has been a go-to jeweler for celebrities, musicians, and sports stars since its founding in 2009. The brand’s owner, Avi Hiaeve, has built close relationships with his A-list clientele, including Mayweather, with whom he has done business for years. “He’s a very close friend of mine,” said Hiaeve. “We’ve been doing business for a long time, and outside of that, we’re there for each other. He’s always been my supporter.”

When Avi & Co. announced the all-gemstone Hue watch collection, Mayweather was eager to see the pieces. Faced with a choice between pink sapphires, blue sapphires, rubies, and tsavorites (green garnets), he ultimately decided to buy all four at the $1 million price.

Avi & Co. first ventured into diamond watches in 2023 with its Avi & Co. Iced Collection, featuring pieces adorned with up to 120.55 carats of diamonds, priced as high as $375,000. Building on that success, the brand introduced its Frosted Collection, highlighting baguette-cut diamonds.

The new Hue series, however, takes a colorful approach. The first model, the Hue Pink Ice, launched in July 2023, is set with 945 natural pink sapphires totaling 110 carats. Priced at $250,000, it measures 44mm in diameter and houses a Swiss-made automatic movement. Inspired by the success of the Pink Ice, Hiaeve expanded the collection with blue, green, and red versions, each set with 945 gemstones. The Hue Blue features 108 carats of sapphires, the Hue Green 115 carats of tsavorites, and the Hue Red 105 carats of rubies.

Mayweather purchased the entire set before Avi & Co. had even publicly released the new colors, further solidifying his status as one of the brand’s top clients. When asked which of the four watches in the Hue collection is his favorite, Mayweather couldn’t choose. “It’s hard to pick just one; they’re all exceptional timepieces. I’m proud of Avi and support him. He’s my friend, and if I want to hang out with him, I can. You can’t do that with the owners of Rolex or Audemars Piguet.”

In addition to the watches, Avi & Co. recently crafted a custom necklace for Mayweather, featuring two gold boxing gloves. Reflecting on his success, Hiaeve said, “Everything I do started as a dream. To create your own brand, your own jewelry and watches, and have customers like Floyd Mayweather — that’s a beautiful thing.”

(Portions of this article by Roberta Naas first appeared on Forbes.com.)