Each year the Met Gala gives us some of the most iconic moments in the realm of fashion, but for those of us who are horology-inclined, Fashion’s most important night”, brings out the best of the best when it comes to luxury watches.
Being that the Met Gala 2024 theme was the “Garden of Time”, we expected the celebs to show out this year with their timepieces and this year they did deliver. From Jacob & Co’s $5 Million Ruby Billionaire III to the elusive 18k Gold Cartier Crash worn by Omar Apollo, we picked our favorite watches from this year's event.
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IWC, Press
Colman Domingo is my spirit animal. His wardrobe selection and personal style are always effortless while adding just the right amount of timeless flash to his outfits. The style master picked the perfect wrist accessory for fashion’s biggest night out, opting for an IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar as his watch of choice. Understated, yet eye-catching, this is one of IWC’s most complicated watches with a moon phase accuracy of 577.5 years.
Arturo Holmes / MG24 / Getty Images for The Met Museum / Vogue, Press
Jacob & Co., Press
Jacob & Co. is having a moment in 2024, showing up on all our faves. A long-standing icon in hip hop as a jeweler, Jacob Arabo knows how to create a show-stopping stunning gem set. About as extravagant as it gets, Usher can be seen wearing the Jacob & Co. Billionaire III Timepiece with 714 natural Rubies totaling a little over 147 carats.
The movement in the watch is no slouch either. Inside the ruby case, you’ll find a one-minute tourbillion, one of the most complicated movements a watchmaker can make. If you’re looking to add this to your collection, be prepared to shell out $5,000,000.
Kevin Mazur / MG24 / Getty Images for The Met Museum / Vogue, Press
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Oliver Quick must be doing well after taking over the Catton estate, as he showed up with not one but three watches on the Met Gala red carpet this year. All jokes aside, Berry Keoghan has an affinity for Omega watches and this year is no exception. Keoghan’s fit includes a yellow gold Omega Prestige with a diamond bezel, an Omega Seamaster with ruby indices and diamonds throughout its entire case, and a very rare Omega Staybrite pocket watch from the 1930s.
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Cartier, Press
Quickly scanning the wrists of the attendants of the 2024 Met Gala, you’ll come to find that Cartier is one of the preferred wrist staples for the event. This isn’t an accident. Cartier has exploded in popularity over the years becoming the 2nd most popular brand after Rolex. Though the French brand has a lot of grail-worthy watches, it doesn’t get much better than the Santos.
A regular part of Dwayne Wade’s rotation, this iteration of the Santos comes in the brand’s now iconic sunray-effect dial, a black alligator strap, and the perfect amount of bling for the event.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for The Met Museum / Vogue, Press
Tiffany & Co., Press
Here Jeff Goldblum reminds us that you shouldn’t be afraid of small watches, even if you have a larger wrist. The 21 x 34 mm 18k rose gold case and white guilloché dial wear beautifully —perfectly complimenting his Met Gala outfit and diamond accessories. For the uninitiated, the Tiffany Cocktail 2-Hand can be traced all the way back to the 1920s, inspired by the Henry Blank and Company chatelaine watch created for Tiffany & Co.
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Richard Millie, Press
This is probably one of the most polarizing watches on this list. And being that, we have a Roy family member on the Met Gala red carpet, I’d expect something a little more “old money” from Strong. Maybe at least a Patek Grand Complication? But, I digress.
Though it is probably one of the least favorite Richard Mille because of its anticlimactic design, the engineering here is impressive with this Richard Miller Ferrari collab, being the second thinnest watch ever created, coming in at only 1.75mm thick.
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You don’t always have to have the latest and greatest watch. The vintage world of watches has an eclectic selection of timepieces that can often offer you more value for your money while being a perfect complement to any fit or setting. Lil Nas X is exhibit A. Dawning a 1970s Vintage Piaget’s watch doubles as a bracelet thanks to its integrated case size.
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Audemars Piguet, Press
Every time I see the 2024 Audemars Piguet Sand Gold Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Openworked its its Sand Gold colorway, my jaw drops. It’s one of the best watch releases of 2024. The Flyings Tourbillon Openworked in this new gold alloy, makes it a standout piece from the brand’s recent releases. A new modern classic, it looks right at home on the wrist of one the greatest tennis players of all time.
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Jacob & Co., Press
Jacob & Co., Press
Our second Jacob & Co. entry and it’s just as blingy as the last one. The Jacob & Co. Royal Tourbillon is iced out with 352 hand-set white diamonds. Being that Jacob Arabo is a jeweler, you know that these are some of the best stones you can get your hands on, with each diamond being carefully selected for the watch. Interestingly, this was not even the most expensive thing that Taika Waititi was wearing, pairing the watch with the Yellow Diamond Riveria necklace from the jeweler. This brings the grand total of Waitit’s accessories to a little over $7,000,000
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for The Met Museum / Vogue, Press
Cartier, Press
One of the most elusive watches on our list, the Cartier Crash is everyone’s dream grail. It is historic, idiosyncratic, rare, and has one of the most compelling backstories in all of watch making. There is not much to say other than this horology icon here flows flawlessly with Omar Apollo’s Met Gala wardrobe. Am I jealous? Yes. But, I can’t deny that this Cartier Crash in 18k white gold is one of the best watches in the show.
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Patek Philippe, Press
Corey Gamble’s Patek Philipe collection needs to be studied. There are Patek Philipes and then there are Patek Philippes. This is the latter. Every time this man steps out he is wearing the best of the best from the brand. This Patek Philippe Ref. 5160/500G Grand complication comes with a hand-engraved white gold case and has Patek’s self-winding mechanical, Caliber 26‑330 S QR. It features a perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand, leap year in apertures, moon phases, and sweeping seconds. It’s very much the pinnacle of watch-making.
Next up, do you know the story of the Cartier Crash?
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