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As the fictional scion of Indonesia’s wealthiest magnate, and the face of Azimuth’s dramatic new Billionaire’s Watch, Bobby Saputra has surprising views on longevity
In the hour-plus that we spend at lunch one Sunday afternoon, “Bobby Saputra” can barely sit still. His attention darts. In between bites at Mama Restaurant in Killiney Road, he calls out to his on-screen father, “William Saputra”, to act out short skits – all in the name of content.
Beneath the over-the-top billionaire playboy persona and camp theatrics, we find Ben Sumadiwiria, 32, the Indonesian-Chinese content creator who has built Bobby into Southeast Asia’s most flamboyant – if hilarious – fictional heir.
The wildly popular online character – who, since early 2024, has amassed more than four million followers and subscribers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube – has now crossed over from reel life to real life.
Ben/Bobby’s latest collaboration with Singapore watchmaking brand Azimuth has resulted in The Billionaire’s Watch, a limited edition run of 99 pieces with silver plated motifs and 99 pieces with gold plated motifs. Think of it as the horological equivalent of a crypto meme coin, but with more substance.
As you might expect, the design is as ostentatious and tongue-in-cheek as Bobby is, with a pair of silver or gold dragon and phoenix engravings swirling around the dial, locked in “eternal tension” instead of symbolising yin/yang, marital bliss and harmony as in the Chinese tradition.
Crucially, his name is emblazoned on a plaque above this dramatic scene: Bobby Saputra by Azimuth.
What does all this have to do with longevity, you ask? Well, we were curious about the man behind the monogrammed dial. For someone who lives such a high-profile, high-energy lifestyle, what sort of wellness rituals keep him grounded? With time now playing a big role in Ben’s life – both as a watch ambassador and as a character who enjoys the luxury of time – what does he make of chronological time versus “lived time” when thinking about aging?
And speaking of aging, longevity is often perceived as the preserve of the wealthy. As a former private chef who cooked for celebrities and world leaders, does Ben believe that longevity is something money can buy, or is a deeper discipline required beyond access and privilege? Ultimately, having created such a virally successful persona, how does he feel about the idea of legacy, and how does that influence his own longevity journey? The watch is coded with symbolism: Legacy, power, time. Which makes Ben’s personal philosophy all the more surprising. Because for someone who plays “the son of Indonesia’s richest man”, Ben is not in the least bit interested in living “too long”.
“I don’t believe that longevity is for everyone,” he says plainly. “I don’t want to live too long. For me, living with purpose is [more important] than anything.”
Ben doesn’t frame time as something to optimise or stretch. “I’m here on borrowed time from God,” says the devout Christian, who attends New Creation Church services whenever he’s in Singapore. “I don’t really think about maximising anything.”
In a culture obsessed with biohacking, that perspective seems almost rebellious. While tech founders are microdosing and finance executives are plunging in ice baths, Ben shrugs. “I don’t believe in lifehacking my way to better skin or better performance or anything. The Bible actually says you shouldn’t worry too much about what you eat, drink or wear. Everything in your body should glorify God.”
That, however, doesn’t mean he neglects his body. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ben’s formula is aggressively simple: Lift heavy, eat more protein, get some sun, move daily, use a sauna every night, and sleep early. Supplements? Minimal. “[Of all the supplements], I think only creatine works,” he states emphatically.
The rest, in his view, misses the point. “I think ice baths and all that infrared stuff… are a bit overrated,” he says. “What I truly believe works is using your own body as a mechanism. I like to get my heart rate over 130 beats per minute. That’s the optimal cardio zone.” This he achieves by activities like gym sessions, playing tennis, or surfing – even while on honeymoon on the island of Sumba, as he recently did. As a result, Ben maintains a body fat composition of around 10 per cent, as well as 45 per cent muscle mass year-round, on an 83kg frame.
Ben also draws a sharp line between discipline and what he sees as gimmickry. “All these longevity hacks, they come to nothing in the end. You have to earn it. If you get your fat sucked out, it’ll come back. But if you lose the fat and build the habit, you lose [the fat] forever. Don’t cheat your way into a good body. You won’t keep it.”
There is something decidedly old-school about Ben’s approach; a rejection of tech-enabled interventions in favour of a plain old, back-to-basics regime. He even resists the language of optimisation. “There is no optimal situation,” he says. “Everything changes every single day. Optimal is a state of death.”
For someone who literally wears time on his wrist, Ben’s relationship with time is very instantaneous and of-the-moment. Longevity and living well for him is not about extending the clock, but about honouring the moment. This is expressed in his playful spontaneity, in the instances when he turns to his character’s “dad” William to perform unscripted sketches.
Perhaps it’s fitting that The Billionaire’s Watch features a dragon and phoenix: The dragon is long-lived but is essentially mortal; the phoenix, meanwhile, can be reborn from its ashes, and is a symbol of eternal life and renewal.
It’s apparent that Ben has aligned himself with the dragon. In a society racing to outsmart mortality, that might just be the most subversive flex of all – something Bobby would surely approve of.
