Watch Spotting: Celebrities who wore their own watches to the Met Gala
Two Pateks in one night, Mr. Sheeran?!
Ah, the Met Gala. Your invite got lost too? There’s a ton of coverage on it every year, though I’m still not entirely sure what it is. Beautiful people get dressed up to walk down a carpet, walking to something.
Of course, the watches were covered too. But mostly, they don’t feel like watches, but full-on marketing campaigns. Yes, I think it’s objectively cool that Dan Levy wore a Cartier Crash, but after seeing it on Cartier’s and Dan Levy’s Instagram, and a dozen other watch-spotting IG reposts, I don’t think I need to tell you about it again.
No, you come to Rescapement for that collector's perspective. And some of the celebrities weren’t wearing watches that were on loan or because they secured a big bag to do so. They were just wearing trusty timepieces from their own collection. Let’s take a look.
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Justin Bieber — Rolex Daytona
We’ve seen the Biebs wearing his yellow gold Rolex Daytona dozens of times, and honestly, it’s the perfect one watch for him.
Ed Sheeran — Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar (and Nautilus)
Speaking of the mega pop stars. Ed didn’t seem to be at the Met Gala, but he showed out at the VMAs the night before so let’s take a look at perhaps the world’s second-most-famous collector. On the red carpet, he had some sort of vintage Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar. Various internet sources seem to think they’ve spotted him with a ref. 2499 or a ref. 1518 before, but I’ll trust my guy @niccoloy who’s previously gotten a clear shot of Ed wearing his ref. 1518 via Ed’s Instagram. If you zoom in close on this photo, it looks like it might be the same watch (the square pushers can give it away as a ref. 1518, but it’s hard to tell). Honestly though, it’s not out of the question that Ed’s got a 1518 and a 2499.
Then, Ed took to the stage with another Patek. Take a look at his performances on YouTube and you’ll get a couple clear shots of his Nautilus. Green dial? I wouldn’t doubt it. Two Pateks in one evening? You win, Ed.
Lil Baby — Patek Philippe Nautilus
Speaking of the Nautilus. Lil Baby — who’s having a hell of a year, by the way — came through with a Nautilus ref. 5711. Sure, it’s a hype watch, but with so many other celebs breaking out iced-out this or blinged that, it’s nice to see a guy having some good, clean fun.
[Update: It’s been brought to my attention that there have been reports that Lil Baby bought a fake Nautilus. The rapper took to Instagram saying he’d been duped by a jeweler, posting in his IG Story: “@Patekphillipe See this is why I need to be on the list,” the rapper wrote. “Aftermarket jewelers going to make me do something I shouldn’t be doing.” Me too Lil Baby, me too.]
Jack Harlow — Rolex Sky-Dweller
Another pop star, another Rolex, another choice that just works. By the way, it worked especially well at the VMAs the night before, when Harlow wore a Rolex-green leather suit.
Jerry Lorenzo — Rolex Day-Date President
The Fear of God designer also went with a Rolex that he’s often seen wearing on runaways and in Instagram photos. A classic choice for a fashion designer.
Steph Curry — Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
You know NBA players are going to show up hard wearing AP or Patek Philippe, and I’m not complaining. Steph Curry’s blinged-out Audemars Piguet Royal Oak looked next level.
Russell Westbrook — Patek Philippe Nautilus (Sapphire)
Of course, Russell Westbrook saw Curry’s iced-out Royal Oak and raised him a sapphire Patek Nautilus. The sapphire Nautilus perfectly matched his blue hair and blue suit look. A real triple-double for Mr. Triple-Double.
Corey Gamble — Patek Philippe ref. 5208
Sometimes you gotta bag the boss up, I call that takin’ Corey Gambles. It doesn’t get much more boss than a diamond-set Patek ref. 5208R. The 5208 is part of Patek’s Grand Complications collection. The 719-party movement combines a minute repeater, monopusher chronograph, and a perpetual calendar. The standard version, without the diamonds, is something like a million-dollar watch. Gamble’s might be a one-off example with diamonds from Patek, meaning the price on this thing is basically unfathomable (okay, Ed’s ref. 1518 can fathom it, I suppose).
When it comes to wearing their own watches, celebrities are pretty into the Pateks, Rolexes, and APs that you’d expect. One might complain that such choices show a lack of imagination, but, honestly, styling one’s own wrist at a big event like this is already a bold choice. So well done to the celebs who took on the task, or just instinctively reached for the ride-or-dies on their nightstand.
By no means is this a complete list. Hodinkee featured Aldis Hodge and his Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30° Edition Historique in their watch-spotting recap. Given Hodge’s documented love of watches (and his forthcoming own watch brand), it wouldn’t be surprising if this is his personal tourbillon.
I don’t think Jimmy Fallon’s vintage Omega Speedmaster Mark II was his. Still, it’s a thoughtful homage to the night’s theme, “American Independence”, given Omega’s NASA-certified history.
Any other celebs wearing their own watches that I missed? Let me know.
Rescapement is a weekly newsletter about watches. To get collector’s perspective and in-depth articles delivered to your inbox every Sunday, subscribe now: