At the Met Gala, Watches Just Came to Have Fun
The spirit behind the first Monday in May was informed by The Costume Institute’s new exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, a historic celebration of Black dandyism.
And while the red carpet naturally delivered exquisite suiting (looking at you, Colman Domingo), the real surprise was the timepieces. Horology was the lynchpin of the night, bridging theme, fit, and the shifting values of a watch industry in flux.
“I think people are just having fun, and that’s a refreshing cultural shift,” Perri Dash of Wrist Check Podcast tells Highsnobiety. “The wristwatch will always have its place, but we’re seeing watches evolve beyond pure utility or prestige.”
The rise — and staying power — of gem-set watches was evident as precious stones danced in the light of the paparazzi’s flashing cameras. It’s clear that we’re not just in the midst of a trend; we’re deep into the ice age.
“The appetite for gem-set timepieces has grown,” says Rashawn Smith of the Wrist Check duo. “We’re moving past generalizing what a collector should look like or own.”
Once dismissed by purists as gaudy or unserious, gem-set watches have become fixtures of red carpets and accented dozens of Monday night’s 269 looks.
Pieces like Doechii’s diamond and mother of pearl Tiffany Eternity and Jeff Goldblum’s fully paved Jacob & Co. Ashoka boutique watch blurred the line between horology — the pinnacle of watch-making — and high jewelry: exquisite, artistically crafted jewelry using precious materials.
More understated takes such as Caleb McLaughlin’s Zenith Defy Skyline Sapphire kept the sparkle confined to the bezel (if you consider sapphires to be understated).
This sort of glitz goes beyond the gala; there’s a hunger for ornate watches in everyday life. Some celebrities opt for the iciest forms of wristwear no matter the season.
Take Barry Keoghan strutting in a football kit and cargo pants on a random Tuesday wearing an Omega Aqua Terra Sedna Gold, a watch decorated with nearly 400 diamonds and a handful of rubies.
Even Drake (though the man does have 143 Rolexes) keeps things chilly when out casually, picking up his son from soccer practice in a fully factory-set Presidential Rolex.
“Gem-set pieces are not only being worn at galas, but to run weekend errands or share excitement in social settings,” says Smith.
Dealers and analysts have taken note. Once fringe, watches with colored stones or exotic dials are now moving fast as collectors prioritize flair. A report from Bloomberg suggests that demand for ornate watches has remained stable even as other luxury sectors soften.
The only bigger flex than a gem-set watch is a watch you don’t even wear on your wrist. Some of the wildest watch moments in recent years were entirely wrist-free.
Taylor Swift famously wore a Lorraine Schwartz diamond watch as a choker; Rihanna donned a $400,000 Jacob & Co. timepiece on her ankle; and who could forget Timothée Chalamet’s Cartier watch-as-bolo-tie moment?
At the Met Gala, timepieces were worn as pendants, fused into eyewear, and even stitched into waistcoats. Released from the constraints of the wrist, these gloriously bejeweled watches were set free. Khaby Lame wore a waistcoat with pocket watches woven into the fabric.
Jenna Ortega dangled a 1914 Heuer Rattrapante Pocket Watch at an afterparty. And Janelle Monáe might have made history by turning a working watch dial into a custom monocle.
Piaget, Chopard, and Cartier pioneered pendant and jewelry watches in the jet-set era of the '60s and '70s. Today, that impulse is resurging.
Marine Serre is even using watches as fabric, as seen in a look she created for Hailey Bieber.
“They’re becoming fashion statements, canvases for personal and artistic expression,” says Wrist Check’s Dash. “There’s plenty of room for creativity in how we wear and style timepieces, and I think fashion is the next wave that will breathe new life into the industry.”
It makes sense. The new generation of collectors isn’t here for complications or precious metals alone. They’re curators, not completists, people who choose timepieces as personal signatures.
Dive into the rabbit holes of watch culture via Heist-Out or Wristmarvels, the vintage deep cuts of @Mr. A and @willionsltdlondon, or the Vintage Watches subreddit, and you’ll find collectors raging over ornate watch rings, debating the best watch-handbag accessories, and discussing sources for buying a watch necklace.
“In 2019, some people judged me for not respecting watchmakers because I attached watches onto my outfit,” says Danar Widanarto, a content creator known to weave (literally) grailed wristwear into garments.
“Now, people applaud celebrities who wear watches as a necklace, choker, or on their ankle,” Widanarto adds. “Watch flexing feels different. It marries tradition with individualism. It’s fun, it’s fashionable, it’s forward.”
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