The 20 Best Watches at the Met Gala

The Met Gala has expanded beyond a fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute to fashion’s biggest night, with A-listers and designers going all out with extravagant ensembles. The event once again ran like clockwork on the first Monday in May. Attendees embraced this year’s theme, “fashion is art,” inspired by the Met’s Costume Art exhibition, wearing lavish outfits and dazzling accessories, many of which would not look out of place in a museum.

Some of the watches we spotted on the red carpet were works of art, too. Rami Malek’s rare Cartier Crash, for instance, features an asymmetrical case that is reminiscent of the melted clocks in Salvador Dalí’s 1931 Surrealist painting, The Persistence of Memory. Tyriq Withers and Finn Wolfhard’s new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso cocktail watches tip a rather elegant hat to the Art Deco movement. Russell Wilson’s Jacob & Co. Astronomia showcases a mini sculpture of a planetary system. Dwayne Johnson’s Jacob & Co. Billionaire III is a gem-set masterpiece, with more than 700 diamonds covering the case, bracelet, and skeletonized dial. And Maluma’s Bulgari Octo Finissimo is a true feat of micro-watchmaking, measuring 37 mm wide and 6.35 mm thick.

Below are our favorite watches at the 2026 Met Gala.

Dwayne Johnson: Jacob & Co. Billionaire III

Diamond-studded rectangular wristwatch with exposed gears and blue hands, fully encrusted with clear stones on a white background.

Dwayne Johnson brought the bling, wearing a $3 million Jacob & Co. Billionaire III set with 714 emerald-cut white diamonds totaling nearly 130 carats.

Luke Evans: Hublot Big Bang Unico

Left panel: a man in studded brown leather with a cap tipping his hat; right panel: a diamond-encrusted luxury wristwatch with a black strap. — *Julian Hamilton/Getty Images, Hublot*

Luke Evans capped off a custom Palomo look with a high-jewelry Hublot Big Bang Unico featuring a white-gold case adorned with 334 diamonds totaling 17.2 carats.

Rami Malek: Cartier Crash

Left: a man in a black double-breasted coat with a fur collar and star brooch at a formal event, and right: a melting-style Cartier wristwatch with a black leather strap. — *Mike Coppola/Getty, Cartier*

Rami Malek paired a dramatic Saint Laurent ensemble with a coveted platinum Cartier Crash from 1992.

Bad Bunny: Cartier Cloche

Left: gray-haired man in a black suit with a large bow on the red carpet; right: gold Cartier wristwatch with a black leather strap. — *Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for The Met Museum/Vogue, Sotheby’s*

Bad Bunny was nearly unrecognizable as he stepped out as an aged version of himself, accessorizing with a cane and a yellow-gold Cartier Cloche from 1996.

Morgan Spector: IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar

Bearded man in black at a formal event with photographers in the background, shown beside a luxury wristwatch. — *Jamie McCarthy/Getty, IWC*

Morgan Spector went for a subtle shine, wearing an IWC Portugieser Perpetual CalendarPerpetual CalendarA watch complication that automatically tracks the date, day, month, and leap years, requiring no manual adjustment until the year 2100 in most cases. The perpetual calendar demonstrates remarkable mechanicalGo to Perpetual Calendar Glossary with a white gold case and a Dune-colored dial.

Skepta: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin

Man on a red carpet wearing a white graphic jacket with black designs and sunglasses, posing for photos. — *Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for The Met Museum/Vogue, Audemars Piguet*

Skepta shone bright on the carpet, wearing a yellow-gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin bedazzled with no less than 1,528 brilliant-cut yellow sapphires totaling over 10 carats.

Tyriq Withers: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds

Two-panel product photo: left shows a silver rectangular wristwatch with a mesh band and green bezel; right shows a fashion model wearing a sheer black shirt with a watch on his wrist. — *Mike Coppola/Getty Images, Jaeger-LeCoultre*

Tyriq Withers debuted a brand-new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso on the red carpet. The cocktail watch is crafted in white gold and adorned with emeralds. Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard wore the same, but with sapphires instead of emeralds.

Connor Storrie: Omega Constellation Observatory

Gold wristwatch with a textured metal band and round gold face shown against a white background, front view of the timepiece. — *Mike Coppola/Getty, Omega*

Connor Storrie looked très chic, wearing Saint Laurent and a new Omega Constellation Observatory in Moonshine gold on Moonshine.

Anderson .Paak: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin

Rapper Anderson .Paak strapped on a striking Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked with a white-gold case and bracelet and a contrasting gray openworked dial.

Lisa Manobal: Bulgari Serpenti Spiga

Woman in a sheer white wedding dress and veil posing outdoors, with long dark hair styled and jewelry visible in the background (left panel). The right panel shows a diamond-encrusted Bvlgari Serpenti watch with a coiled, snake-like bracelet and blue-accented face. — Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for The Met Museum/Vogue, Bulgari

K-pop sensation Lisa wore one of the more dramatic creations: a sculpted, veiled gown accented by two sculptural arms—one of which had a diamond-encrusted Bulgari Serpenti Spiga wrapped around it.

Nicholas Hoult: Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual

Left: luxury dress watch with white dial and brown leather strap; right: man in a black leather jacket wearing a wristwatch. — Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for The Met Museum/Vogue, Vacheron Constantin

Nicholas Hoult kept it cool and classy, pairing Prada with a white-gold Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin.

Maluma: Bulgari Octo Finissimo

Collage showing a man in a black glittery jacket posing at a event, alongside a silver Bulgari wristwatch, highlighting luxury style accessory. — *Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for The Met Museum/Vogue, Bulgari*

Maluma flexed the latest Bulgari Octo Finissimo, which features a smaller 37 mm case in titanium, an opaline titanium dial, and a new ultra-thin automatic movementAutomatic MovementA mechanical watch movement powered by a rotor that winds the mainspring through the natural motion of the wearer's wrist, removing the need for a battery. Prized by collectors forGo to Automatic Movement Glossary.

Angela Bassett: Glashütte Original

Left: woman in a bright pink strapless gown at a red-carpet event; right: gold rectangular wristwatch with a slim link band and white dial. — *Mike Coppola/Getty, Glashütte Original*

Angela Bassett wore a gorgeous Prabal Gurung-designed gown inspired by Laura Wheeler Waring’s Girl in a Pink Dress artwork currently on display at the Met. On the wrist, she opted for a dainty vintage Glashütte Original from the 1970s.

Russell Wilson: Jacob & Co. Astronomia Meteorite

Rose-gold skeleton watch with diamonds and a blue strap beside a man in a white suit with gold wing epaulettes and multiple chains. — *Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for The Met Museum/Vogue, Jacob & Co.*

Russell Wilson flexed an otherworldly Jacob & Co. Astronomia Meteorite with a miniature solar system at the center.

Irina Shayk

Woman on a red carpet wearing a jeweled, harness-style top and layered necklaces, with photographers in the background. — *Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for The Met Museum/Vogue*

Baring it all in just a black skirt, most of Irina Shayk’s custom Alexander Wang look is actually made of… watches. The model wore two watches cuffed on each arm, plus a watch as a choker—increasingly becoming a favorite red-carpet trend—but the real wow factor is in her sculptural bralette with watches used as straps and a halter. Wang noted, “She’s got time today.”

Paul Anthony Kelly: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon

Two-panel image: left shows a man in a burgundy velvet suit on a red carpet wearing a silver wristwatch; right is a close-up of a pink-dial luxury watch with a textured pink strap. — *Jamie McCarthy/Getty, Vacheron Constantin*

Paul Anthony Kelly gave a pop of color, wearing a titanium Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon with a burgundy dial.

Jay-Z: Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime

Man in a black tuxedo at a formal event beside a luxury silver wristwatch with a black leather strap. — *Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for The Met Museum/Vogue, Patek Philippe*

Jay-Z looked as sharp as ever, pairing Louis Vuitton with a multimillion-dollar Patek PhilippePatek PhilippeA Swiss watchmaker founded in Geneva in 1839 and widely regarded as among the most prestigious in the world, known for complications, hand finishing, and its slogan about passing watchesGo to Patek Philippe Glossary Grandmaster Chime (Ref. 6300).

Justin Jefferson: Hublot Big Bang

Left: a man in a black tuxedo at a formal event, smiling for the camera; right: a rose-gold skeleton watch encrusted with diamonds and a black leather strap — *Julian Hamilton/Getty Images, Hublot*

NFL star Justin Jefferson strapped on a glitzy high-jewelry Hublot Big Bang crafted in luminous King Gold and covered with diamonds.

Colman Domingo: Omega Constellation

Collage: left panel shows Will Smith in a bright multicolor argyle sweater at a red carpet event; right panel is a close-up of a gold Omega Constellation watch with Roman numerals and date. — *Mike Coppola/Getty, Omega*

Colman Domingo once again nailed the red carpet, pairing a bright Valentino ensemble with a classic 1980s Omega Constellation “Manhattan” from the Swiss watchmaker’s museum.

Serena Williams: Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar

Left: silver luxury wristwatch with an exposed mechanism; right: woman in a metallic silver gown on a red carpet, wearing a watch. — *Mike Coppola/Getty, Audemars Piguet*

Serena Williams’s Audemars Piguet collection doesn’t miss. To complement her Grecian-inspired metallic dress by Marc Jacobs, she chose the new open-worked Selfwinding Perpetual CalendarPerpetual CalendarA watch complication that automatically tracks the date, day, month, and leap years, requiring no manual adjustment until the year 2100 in most cases. The perpetual calendar demonstrates remarkable mechanicalGo to Perpetual Calendar Glossary, letting the watch make a statement.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.

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The 20 Best Watches at the Met Gala, From Jay-Z’s Patek Philippe to The Rock’s $3.3M Jacob & Co.