Although jewelry gets a ton of attention on the red carpet, it was hard for us not to notice that a few gentlemen showed off some very fine wrist candy at the Oscars on Sunday night. For the guys who wore their own timepieces, Rolex was, of course, the popular brand. Oscar Isaac wore the most surprising choice of the evening, wearing Omega’s 50th-anniversary tribute watch to the moon landing. Mark Ruffalo and Rami Malek sported dress watches from Harry Winston and Cartier, while Antonio Banderas opted for the ultra-sleek and ultra-thin Bulgari Octo Finissimo. Gold seemed to be the material of choice—this is Hollywood, after all—and we’re hoping that might be a burgeoning trend now that the craze for steel watches seems like a bubble near bursting.
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Mark Consuelos in a Yellow Gold Rolex Daytona
Image Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock One of the most visible and most covetable watches of the evening was Mark Consuelos’s yellow gold Rolex Daytona. Although the steel versions of the Rolex Daytona are still the hottest watches on the market, the yellow gold versions shouldn’t be overlooked (and are currently undervalued). Given the number of men that turned up in yellow gold last night, it might be just the right time to consider adding a yellow gold Daytona to your collection.
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Spike Lee in Rolex’s GMT-Master II “Root Beer” in Everose
Image Credit: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock Lee’s custom Gucci suit, a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, might have gotten all of the attention at the Oscars, but if you were paying attention, another gem was his highly covetable Rolex GMT-Master II “Root Beer” in Everose gold ($38,250). It was a nice reminder to the watch obsessives that there is life in the land of Rolex beyond the “Pepsi” version of the GMT-Master II. The Root Beer is still almost as hard to get as the Pepsi, especially in Everose, so you might try opting for a two-tone version like the one at the link below.
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Oscar Isaac in an Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary
Image Credit: Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; John Salangsang/BEI/Shutterstock It’s old hat to see plenty of Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre or Piaget watches on the red carpet. But an Omega Speedmaster that pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing is a most unusual choice. Rolex, while still a sports watch brand, has somehow surpassed being pigeon-holed in the category. Because it’s the crown, it’s appropriate for all occasions. But popular Omega models are still strictly considered casual. Nevertheless, this was a sharp and interesting choice that suggests Isaac may know a thing or two about watches beyond the basics.
The 6,969 models that were created for the anniversary last year have sold out—if you want one, you will have to pay nearly double the original price on the secondary market.
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Antonio Banderas in a Bulgari Octo Finissimo in Titanium
Image Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Known for its groundbreaking design and serious mechanics, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo doesn’t yet have the visibility of a Rolex Daytona, but it’s a watch that has real respect from serious watch collectors, many of whom consider it a must-have for their vaults. It also happens to be ultra-thin and light as a feather—perfect for slipping under a tux in anticipation of bringing home a gold medal. (Better luck next year, Antonio, but hopefully the timepiece makes a good consolation prize?)
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Rami Malek in a Pasha de Cartier Watch
Image Credit: Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock As a brand ambassador for Cartier, it’s no surprise Rami Malek showed up in one of the brand’s timepieces. What is unusual is that he opted for a Pasha de Cartier model from 1993. It’s not quite vintage yet (usually only watches from the ’70s and earlier fall into that category), but it does have an appealing retro vibe and showed up nicely against his all-black Saint Laurent ensemble. It was a nice departure from the Tank, a perennial red carpet favorite.
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Mark Ruffalo in Harry Winston
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock Harry Winston was one of the few watch brands to get real stage time last night. Presenter Mark Ruffalo wore a white gold, 42 mm Midnight Retrograde timepiece along with Harry Winston Zalium cuff links in white gold. It was the most classic black-tie watch of the evening. Thankfully, he also opted for a classic tux to match.
