OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, watches have begun to command as much attention on the red carpet as the clothes themselves.

Stylists now work to an unspoken brief: make the watch visible.

For celebs, that often means an evening posing with arms crossed over the chest, sleeves subtly pulled back, hands held in positions that feel somewhat unnatural but photograph well.

And at last night’s Golden Globes, some managed it better than others.

Jacob Elordi wore one of Cartier’s most demanding Tank skeletons, yet barely showed it. Kevin O’Leary, by contrast, doubled down – wearing a Cartier Asymétrique on one wrist and an F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance on the other.

Between those extremes sat a full spectrum of top wristwear, from discreet connoisseur picks to overt flexes designed to read instantly, to Nick Jonas’ excellent $200 non-flex.

Here we go, then, with the best watches we spotted at the 2026 Golden Globes.


Image: Getty

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Le Mans”

Rolex’s “Le Mans” Daytona was released to mark the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, subtly reworking the classic formula with a 24-hour chronograph counter and a red “100” on the ceramic bezel, all rendered in white gold. Scarce, celebratory and very much IYKYK, it puts DiCaprio firmly in pole position of Rolex’s current testimonee pack.

Image: JC Olivera/2026GG

Timothée Chalamet’s Urban Jürgensen UJ-2

Chalamet’s long-running Cartier era took a left turn with this: Urban Jürgensen’s UJ-2 in platinum, the independent, low-volume Swiss watchmaker being a connoisseur’s choice if ever there was one. (Cartier should be happy anyway, that’s a Panthère de Cartier necklace in 18k white gold he’s wearing, set with diamonds, emeralds and onyx.)

(C)KevinMazur

Jeremy Allen White’s Louis Vuitton Tambour

Louis Vuitton’s modern Tambour reboot has become one of the most credible watch moves in recent times, and Jeremy Allen White is exactly the right kind of wearer for it. Clean, architectural and just flash enough, it mirrors his red-carpet persona – serious, modern and self-assured.

Image: Phil McCarten

Wagner Moura’s Omega De Ville Trésor

A dress watch with a little theatre built in. The De Ville Trésor’s slim steel case keeps things classical, while the diamond-set bezel adds a note of ceremony befitting a major win. Well done, Wagner!

Image: Frederic J. Brown

Paul Mescal’s Cartier Collection Tortue

A deep-cut from the Cartier archive, the Tortue is one of the maison’s great early 20th-century shapes – elegant, slightly eccentric and far more interesting than a straight-down-the-line Tank. Worn with matching gold-and-onyx jewellery, Mescal executes his role as Cartier ambassador with top marks.

Image: Phil McCarten

Sterling K. Brown’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

One of high watchmaking’s most recognisable silhouettes, elevated here by a full perpetual calendar and AP’s new calibre 7138. It’s an assured, heavyweight choice – technically serious, instantly legible and flexing just how much horological firepower you can pack into a steel sports watch on a red carpet. Hat tip to Sherlock Horology-Holmes @niccoloy who points out that Brown is wearing the thing upside-down. A bid for the maverick sartorial innovation hall of fame, à la Kross Kross’s backwards trousers? Or the actions of who doesn’t know WTF they’re doing? You be the judge.

Image: John Shearer

Mark Ronson’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding

A disco-era icon reimagined in full Audemars Piguet glamour. The frosted gold finish gives the Royal Oak a jewelled, light-catching surface that feels knowingly flamboyant, something perfectly pitched for the “Uptown Funk” hitmaker.

Image: Alberto Rodriguez/2026GG

Kevin O’Leary’s Cartier Asymétrique and F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance

Classic O’Leary: double-wristed and entirely unapologetic. The Cartier Asymétrique delivers early-20th-century Parisian elegance, while Journe’s Chronomètre à Résonance is one of modern watchmaking’s great grails – technically obsessive, fiercely rare and strictly for the nerds. Subtle? Absolutely not. But appropriate, at least. (O’Leary personally sourced two specific vintage watches for his role as the wealthy businessman Milton Rockwell in Marty Supreme, because “he refused to wear rented props”.)

Image: Phillip Faraone

Tramell Tillman’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked

The Royal Oak, but turned inside out. In white gold and fully openworked, this is Gérald Genta’s most famous design stripped back to its mechanical bones – high-level stuff.

Image: Amy Sussman

Jacob Elordi’s Cartier Tank Normale Skeleton

A Cartier Tank taken to its most rarefied extreme. Skeletonised, diamond-set and housed in platinum, this is one of the maison’s most demanding haute horlogerie statements. On Elordi, it lands as pure modern elegance… or at least it would do if you could actually see it properly.

Image: Getty

Oscar Isaac’s Bvlgari Octo Finissimo

Watch design’s great disruptor, the Octo Finissimo remains a masterclass in restraint and proportion. Ultra-thin, architectural and super-contemporary, it’s a good shout from Isaac – he lets design not diamonds do the heavy lifting here.

Image: Jason Armond

Benny Blanco’s Jacob & Co. Diamond Boutique Watch

If subtlety was in the room, this was pointedly not looking for it. Blanco’s Jacob & Co. Diamond Boutique watch – dripping with more than 24 carats and valued north of AUD $1 million – is top-level maximalist theatre.

Image: Frazer Harrison

Nick Jonas’s Fossil Carraway Automatic

A genuine curveball. Surrounded by six-figure complication flexes, Jonas turned up in a $480 Fossil – approachable, automatic and 100pc high-street. Whether deliberate anti-flex or simply forgetting to call the stylist, the result is certainly refreshing: proof that not every red-carpet watch needs to scream money to get noticed.

Image: JC Olivera/2026GG

Cole Walliser’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

High complication, high contrast! AP’s perpetual calendar in white ceramic is one of the brand’s most technically demanding modern pieces – feather-light, scratchproof and anything but discreet. A fine choice for Walliser, king of the slow-motion red-carpet clip, where it looks suitably futuristic and pops nicely under the lights.

Image: 2026GG

Joe Alwyn’s Hublot Classic Fusion King Gold Blue

A polished take on Hublot’s most restrained line. In King Gold with a deep blue dial, the 42mm Classic Fusion softens the brand’s trademark bravado into something more tailored and formal. A very nice it looks, too.

Image: Frederic J. Brown

Dwayne Johnson’s Chopard Alpine Eagle

There are subtle watches, and then there is this. Fully diamond-set and impossible to miss, Chopard’s Alpine Eagle turns one of modern sports watch design’s sharpest silhouettes into pure red-carpet spectacle. Can The Rock pull it off? Of course he can.

Image: Kevin Mazur

John Krasinski’s Glashütte Original Sixties

A stealthily confident choice from the Saxon manufacture best known for its watchmaking rather than its hype. With its domed dial, retro typography and slim steel case, the Sixties nods to mid-century elegance without tipping into, you know, cosplay.

Image: JC Olivera/2026GG

Connor Storrie’s Tiffany & Co. Union Square

Better known for diamonds than dials, Tiffany has nevertheless been busy reminding people of its horological chops recently. The Union Square from 2023 is a case in point – slim, mechanical and classic in yellow gold. Storrie wears it accessorised with a Bird on a Rock brooch from the same brand.

Image: JC Olivera/2026GG

Adam Brody’s Jaeger‑LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds

A textbook red-carpet dress watch. The Reverso’s 1931 proportions, slim profile and discreet small seconds deliver elegance it’s hard to argue with. Adam Brody knows what time it is.

Image: Taylor Hill

Charlie Hunnam’s Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds

Snap!

Image: Getty

Glen Powell’s Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra

A smart, unfussy choice from Omega’s most versatile line. In a compact 38 mm, the Aqua Terra sits neatly between sport and dress – polished enough for black tie, practical enough check the time with as the speeches drag on.

Image: JC Olivera/2026GG

Dylan Efron’s Tag Heuer Carrera Astronomer

One of Tag Heuer’s more technical, forward-leaning Carreras, the Astronomer arrived late last year, offering a unique reinterpretation of the classic moonphase complication.


Related:

All of the 2026 Golden Globe nominations

Inside the making of Timothée Chalamet’s mid-century menswear in ‘Marty Supreme’