Hollywood knows how to stage a moment. The Oscars have perfected it. Nearly a century of ceremony has turned the Academy Awards into something far bigger than a film industry gathering. It is a cultural checkpoint, a global spectacle where cinema, fashion, and personal mythologies collide under unforgiving lights. Every year, the red carpet becomes its own theatre, and increasingly, the best watches at the Oscars have emerged as a quietly thrilling subplot, spotted by those who know that a cuff and a dial can reveal just as much about a star as a speech.
The 2026 ceremony unfolded at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with Conan O’Brien steering the evening with his usual wry irreverence. On the awards front, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the night, claiming Best Picture and Best Director. Michael B. Jordan delivered one of the ceremony’s most electric moments, winning Best Actor for Sinners. Jessie Buckley earned Best Actress for her haunting performance in Hamnet, while Amy Madigan secured the Supporting Actress trophy for Weapons. The Korean musical fantasy K-Pop Demon Hunters also had a standout evening, winning two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. The wins were well deserved, but outside the auditorium, another narrative was already taking shape.
The Oscars are not simply about who wins. They’re about how the winners, nominees, and Hollywood’s perennial scene stealers present themselves to the world. A watch on this stage is rarely accidental. It can signal brand allegiance, personal taste, vintage obsession, or the quiet confidence of someone who understands restraint. Some actors favour heritage classics that whisper old Hollywood elegance. Others lean into technical showpieces that feel closer to mechanical art than jewellery.
This year’s red carpet delivered a particularly compelling mix. From discreet Rolex icons to avant-garde complications and diamond-set statements, the watches worn across the evening reflected the modern reality of celebrity style: considered, strategic, and increasingly watch-literate. And if the Oscars remain the industry’s most powerful stage, the wrists on display proved that horology has firmly secured its place in the spotlight!
The best watches spotted at the Oscars 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio: Rolex 1908 Ref. 52506 in Platinum
If you spend enough time watching the red carpet for the best watches at the Oscars, you start to notice a pattern. The loud pieces tend to fade from memory. The thoughtful ones linger. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rolex 1908 in platinum falls firmly into the latter category.
The 1908 is Rolex doing something it historically avoids: restraint. No rotating bezel, no sports watch bravado, just a slim platinum case framing that unmistakable ice blue dial, a colour the brand reserves exclusively for its most precious metal pieces. The guilloché texture adds a quiet layer of craft that you only really appreciate up close, the sort of detail watch collectors clock instantly.
What makes the 1908 interesting right now is its timing. Rolex spent decades dominating the sports watch conversation. This model signals a return to classic dress watchmaking, something Hollywood’s tuxedo-heavy awards circuit happens to showcase perfectly. Sometimes subtlety wins the night.
Conan O’Brien: Rolex Land Dweller
Hosting the Oscars is one of the rare occasions when even the most casually dressed comedians lean fully into black tie tradition, and Conan O’Brien understood the brief. Known for frequently wearing his personal Omega Seamaster “No Time To Die”, O’Brien switched gears for Hollywood’s biggest night, stepping on stage with one of Rolex’s most talked about modern releases: the Land Dweller.
The Land Dweller has quickly become a fascinating addition to the Rolex universe. Where the brand’s sports watches dominate popular culture, this model feels more architectural and refined, built around a sharp integrated design language that reflects Rolex experimenting beyond its usual playbook.
Seeing it on the wrist of the evening’s host was a clever move. Among the best watches at the Oscars, the Land Dweller carried a subtle message about the brand’s future direction. Less nostalgia, more evolution. And under the glare of the Dolby Theatre lights, it looked perfectly at home peeking out from under a tuxedo cuff.
Michael B. Jordan: Vintage Piaget Tank Ref. 9297
Michael B. Jordan could have worn almost anything to the Oscars. A modern hype piece, a diamond-soaked sports watch, the sort of watch brands quietly lobby for on nights like these. Instead, he went vintage, and that alone made the Piaget Tank Ref. 9297 on his wrist one of the more interesting sightings at the Oscars.
In the 1970s, Piaget was operating in a completely different universe from the Swiss tool watch brands dominating today’s collector market. The maison specialised in ultra-thin movements and unapologetically glamorous design. The Ref. 9297 captures that spirit perfectly: a slim rectangular case framing a half pavé diamond set centre dial that feels closer to jewellery than traditional horology.
That’s exactly the point. Piaget’s vintage Tanks sit at the intersection of watchmaking and high society style, the kind of pieces once worn by Andy Warhol and European jet set regulars. On Jordan’s wrist, the watch read less like a red carpet accessory and more like a nod to that decadent era of design.
Amy Madigan: Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M in Steel and Moonshine Gold
The Omega Seamaster is usually associated with dive watches, Bond films, and rugged tool watch credibility. Which is precisely why Amy Madigan’s diamond-set Seamaster Aqua Terra felt like such an interesting curveball on the Oscars carpet.
Collectors often forget that the Aqua Terra line has quietly evolved into one of Omega’s most versatile platforms. The core DNA is still there, from the symmetrical case and clean horizontal teak dial pattern to the robust 150 metre water resistance. However, the brand has increasingly experimented with more jewellery-driven executions. Finished with diamonds across the bezel and dial, Madigan’s two-tone steel and Moonshine gold version leans fully into that direction.
Among the best watches at the Oscars, it stood out for that balance. Underneath the sparkle sits a serious mechanical watch powered by Omega’s Master Chronometer calibre, anti-magnetic and METAS certified. A reminder that glamour and engineering are not mutually exclusive in modern watchmaking.
Nicole Kidman: Vintage Omega Cocktail Watch (circa 1960s)
Nicole Kidman has developed a quiet but consistent pattern during awards season that watch enthusiasts have come to appreciate. While many actors rotate through the newest releases offered by brand partners, the 58-year-old actor tends to reach for something far more personal: tiny vintage Omega cocktail watches that feel lifted from another era of Hollywood glamour.
This year’s piece, reminiscent of Omega’s circa 1966 Saphette designs, was exactly that kind of watch. The case is almost impossibly small by modern standards, delicate enough to read more like jewellery than a traditional wristwatch. A slim gold case, a slender bracelet, and a dial that catches the light rather than commanding it.
Timothée Chalamet: Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 in Platinum
Timothée Chalamet has become one of the few actors on the modern red carpet who treats watches less like accessories and more like cultural signals. In the same way he has reshaped men’s formalwear, think sequinned Haider Ackermann at Venice or the backless red look at Cannes, his wrist choices tend to lean toward pieces that reward people who actually pay attention. The platinum Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 is exactly that kind of watch.
Urban Jürgensen occupies a rarefied corner of independent watchmaking, the sort of name whispered in collector circles rather than blasted across billboards. The UJ-2 reflects that pedigree. Its beautifully restrained dial, finished with the brand’s signature hand guilloché work, is paired with a movement built around a traditional detent escapement, a detail that watchmakers revere for its precision and difficulty to execute.
Among the best watches at the Oscars, this was an unmistakable IYKYK moment. Worth roughly USD 130,000, the UJ-2 isn’t a celebrity flex; it’s a watch enthusiast’s.
Kieran Culkin: Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph King Gold 42
Kieran Culkin’s watch choice was a sharp left turn from last year’s Oscars, where he opted for a traditional gold Omega De Ville. This time, the actor arrived wearing the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph in a 42mm King Gold case, a watch that sits right at the centre of Hublot’s philosophy of contemporary luxury.
Hublot’s King Gold alloy is part of what makes this watch interesting. The brand developed the material to achieve a warmer, richer tone than conventional rose gold, and it photographs beautifully under bright lights, which is precisely the kind of environment the Oscars red carpet provides. The Classic Fusion itself is one of Hublot’s more restrained designs, pairing a sleek case with a clean chronograph layout that avoids the visual overload seen in some of the brand’s sportier models. Among the best watches at the Oscars, Culkin’s pick offered something slightly different: modern Swiss watchmaking that balances technical sportiness with red carpet polish.
Pedro Pascal: CHANEL BOY·FRIEND in Beige Gold
Pedro Pascal’s watch was a quiet reminder that rectangular watches are having a serious moment again. The actor arrived wearing the CHANEL BOY·FRIEND in beige gold, a piece that has steadily built a reputation among collectors who appreciate understated elegance.
The BOY·FRIEND is Chanel’s interpretation of classic Parisian watch design: geometric, balanced, and deliberately restrained. Its beige gold case carries a softer tone than traditional yellow gold, giving the watch a warmth that feels both modern and vintage at the same time. The manually wound mechanical movement and small seconds subdial at six o’clock reinforce the watch’s traditional watchmaking roots.
Among our list of the best watches spotted at the Oscars, Pascal’s choice felt particularly refreshing. The BOY·FRIEND does not chase hype or oversized presence. Instead, it leans into proportion and design purity, which, on a red carpet full of predictable round dress watches, made it stand out in the most effortless way!
Chris Evans: Chopard L.U.C XPS in Rose Gold
Chris Evans has always carried a certain old Hollywood ease on the red carpet, the kind that makes classic dress watches feel completely natural rather than overly calculated. His choice this year, the Chopard L.U.C XPS in rose gold, was exactly that kind of watch: quietly serious, deeply refined, and very much appreciated by people who follow watchmaking closely.
The L.U.C collection represents Chopard at its most horologically ambitious. The XPS in particular is powered by the ultra-thin COSC-certified L.U.C 96.12-L automatic calibre, a beautifully engineered movement that delivers an impressive 65-hour power reserve while keeping the watch remarkably slim. That thinness is key. The watch slides effortlessly under a tuxedo cuff, exactly where a proper dress watch belongs.
(Main and featured images: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic and Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
This story first appeared here.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
