They say people watch the Academy Awards…for the awards. Here at HODINKEE, it's not just a chance for us to see what the Academy did and didn't think were there top performances, performers, technical talent, and movies of the year – it's a chance to see what watches some of the world's most famous people decided to wear at the single most public event of the year. Now, some of these folks wore watches provided by a brand (because obviously it's a great place to get your products in the public eye) but some of the stars on the red carpet wore their own watches as well. Either way, there were some so-so fits, eyebrow-raising choices – and some that were surprisingly apt.
Best Time-Only Watch
Michael Fassbender: Chopard L.U.C. XPS
Michael Fassbender was nominated for Best Actor for his leading role in the film Steve Jobs. Jobs was arguably the most influential technologist of his generation, but his own taste in watches (other than the Apple Watch) seems to have been pretty austere (see our coverage of a Seiko he actually wore for one of the most iconic images ever made of the Apple founder). Fassbender’s timepiece at the Oscars was decidedly more traditional: a Chopard L.U.C. XPS. Chopard’s LUC watches are among the finest in the world but they’ve struggled to find the same kind of visibility enjoyed by Lange, Patek, or other makers traditionally thought of as at the top of the horological food chain, and we wonder if this isn’t a sign that Chopard, in 2016, is ready to ensure that situation changes.
Best Date Complication
Liev Schreiber: Tiffany CT60 Calendar 40 MM
For the most important night of the year, a date complication seems like a great pick from Mr. Liev Schreiber. While Schreiber was not directly nominated, he attended the Awards ceremony as one of the supporting actors of Spotlight, alongside co-starts Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo (who also wore an impressive watch – see below). Spotlight got great reviews (the New York Times' A. O. Scott called it "a gripping detective story and superlative newsroom drama,") and this slightly old-school timepiece from Tiffany has just enough of a fedora-with-a-press-pass vibe to seem like a great fit for the film and the character. Relaunched this time last year, Tiffany is currently enjoying a renaissance, thanks largely to the vintage-inspired CT60 collection. Mr. Schreiber's pick, the CT60 Calendar 40 MM, is inspired by this Tiffany watch made for and worn by former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Best Chronograph
Dev Patel: IWC Portugieser Automatic (Stainless Steel With White Dial)
The chronograph is a young man's complication, and a good look on Dev Patel. The British actor, 25, was alongside compatriot Daisy Ridley to present the award for best documentary. A very close friend of IWC, Patel has been spotted with his IWC Portugieser Automatic on several occasions – most recently at the IWC gala, which takes place every year at SIHH. Not a matchup with any particular film or character this year, but a solid and very visible choice from a brand that prides itself on its connection with cinema (and a very practical choice too, as this 42.3 mm watch is instantly recognizable).
Best Ultra-Thin Watch
Steve Carrell: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual
A perpetual calendar on February 28, 2016 (a leap year)? Well played, Mr. Carrell! The trick with this complication is to find one that fits under the cuff – (although Mr. Carell – a co-presenter for the Oscar for best production design – is clearly doing his best to keep the focus on his – a move that will have delighted JLC I'm sure). A superb example of the brand's commitment towards more affordable complications, the stainless-steel Master Ultra Thin Perpetual looks like a watch for hedge fund managers – Carrell plays one in The Big Short – minus the price tag. Here's what Ben thought about the watch when he went hands-on with it.
Best Complication
Mark Ruffalo: Montblanc Heritage Spirit Perpetual Calendar Sapphire
Another leap year? Is Hollywood #watchnerd central? While Mark Ruffalo does not have an official relationship with Montblanc – the brand has always been clear about that – he's been seen wearing their timepieces during film festivals and on other occasions. Positioned at a higher price point on the QP spectrum, the Heritage Spirit Perpetual Calendar Sapphire is a more expensive proposition compared to Mr. Carrell's JLC. At $22,900 this is a Montblanc that no journalist from the Boston Globe, however influential in his reporting, could probably buy. Introduced last year at Watches & Wonders, this elegant in-house perpetual calendar is exactly the type of watch you’d want to be caught wearing on the red carpet.
Best Diamond Watch
Jared Leto: Bulgari Octo Finissimo With Diamond Bezel
What does a carnation-wearing man have on the wrist? A diamond bezel watch! That's, right, Mr. Leto makes the Bulgari Octo Finissimo look really good – although not quite enough to distract us from Margot Robbie (his co-star in the upcoming Suicide Squad film). Another ultra-thin watch, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo features a glossy black lacquer dial that matches the actor's somber look. It's definitely not a Joker watch, at least not a Joker post-whatever-turned-him-into-the-Joker watch. Recent incarnations of the Clown Prince of Crime have definitely been more grunge than glam, but in the comic books, at least, the Joker was actually a bit of a dandy, at least back in his early days. So maybe the watch is on point for a pre-sociopath Joker. In that case, though, one has to ask, was there no Octo Finissimo Tourbillon available?
Best Vintage Watch
Ryan Seacrest: Rolex Paul Newman Daytona Reference 6239
Now this is a special watch – because it's a vintage watch (which we're absolutely sure no one asked Mr. Seacrest to wear) and because it's a Paul Newman Daytona Reference 6239. When you have one of those, there is no reason to wear a new-to-the-market watch that needs a little bit of added exposure. Mr. Seacrest, we salute you! We love this one for the obvious reason: it's indisputably an example of a watch that couldn't possibly be worn at the behest of a brand, and because Ryan Seacrest obviously knew what he was wearing. Here are some more pictures of the 6239.
Best Watch On An Oscar Nominee
Michael B. Jordan: Piaget Altiplano 40 MM Chronograph In White Gold
The Altiplano Chronograph is the thinnest chronograph currently in production – and brother of the thinnest watch on the market. In its pursuit of all things extra-thin, Piaget have been able to squeeze its chronograph movement – a complication that traditionally requires quite a bit of space – into a 8.24 mm case; which is extremely flat for this complication (it's a GMT watch as well). It's supremely elegant choice from Michael B. Jordan, who graciously presented a golden statuette despite his controversial snubbing at this year's Academy Awards despite his lead role in the Rocky sequel, Creed.
Best Watch On An Oscar Winner
Tom McCarthy: Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic True Second
We're all rooting for our favorites on the big night, and perhaps nowhere else are eyes fixed closer to the watches on the TV screen than in Switzerland. With so many watches on the wrists of Oscar-nominated talent, there's a good chance one of them will be seen by the 34 million fellow viewers tuned in. But for that to happen, the watch needs to be up on stage. Lucky for JLC, that's exactly what happened to the Geophysic True Second, a relatively new entry and a companion of Tom McCarthy on the biggest night of this career. McCarthy and fellow screenwriter Josh Singer both won for their creation of the script for Spotlight. It's a watch the foregrounds both great design and great precision – a terrific choice to pair with the craft of writing, where exactness and creativity go hand in hand.
Best Watch On A Past Oscar Winner
Eddie Redmayne: Omega Globemaster
Two known quantities. One is a supremely talent actor (and a winner at the Academy Awards in 2015, where he took Best Actor for his role as Professor Stephen Hawking, in The Theory of Everything). The other, a watch containing the most rigorously tested mechanical movement – a chronometer certified by COSC and by a new eight-stage testing program developed by OMEGA specifically for this watch. The vintage-inspired Omega Globemaster – more on this quite remarkable watch here.
Don't have the HODINKEE App yet? Get years of amazing watch content plus new stories, breaking news, and access to great new features like HODINKEE Live, free on iOS.
No comments:
Post a Comment