Met Gala 2026 Watch Spotting: The Most Notable Timepieces On The Red Carpet

The first Monday of May is non-negotiable in the fashion calendar, and this year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened its doors on May 4th for the 2026 Met Gala under the theme “Costume Art,” with a dress code of “Fashion Is Art,” positioning garments as sculptural expression and an artistic object in their own right. And while couture did the heavy lifting for the cameras and the internet dissected every neckline and silhouette, we spotted a handful of watches on the Met steps that deserved their own spotlight.

Jay-Z – Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300

Turning up to the Met Gala on the arm of Beyoncé, Jay-Z chose to grace his arm with Patek Philippe’s Grandmaster Chime for the gala.

Jay-Z’s watch collecting has never relied on visibility alone, and the Grandmaster Chime sits firmly in that register. Turning up to the MET Gala on the arm of Beyoncé, he chose to grace his arm with Patek Philippe’s Grandmaster Chime for the gala. With 20 complications, including grande and petite sonnerie alongside a minute repeater, it remains the most complex wristwatch Patek Philippe has ever produced. The reversible case adds another layer, offering two distinct dials within a single construction. Developed over eight years and released for the manufacture’s 175th anniversary in 2014, it exists in extremely limited numbers. 

Dwayne Johnson – Jacob & Co Billionaire III

Dawyne Johnson graced the steps of MET Gala with the brilliance of Billionaire III.

The most bankable name in Hollywood for the better part of two decades, largely defined by the Fast & Furious franchise, Dwayne Johnson graced the steps of MET Gala with the brilliance of Billionaire III. Every surface of the case and bracelet is covered in baguette-cut diamonds — thousands of individually set stones leaving no material untouched, no gap for subtlety to enter through. The hand-wound movement JACM39 beneath all of that is fully skeletonised, which means you are watching mechanical engineering operate underneath one of the most intense gem-setting exercises in contemporary watchmaking. Jacob & Co has always been explicit about what their watches are for, and the Billionaire III is the clearest expression of that position the brand has ever produced.

Rami Malek – Cartier Crash 1992

Academy Award winner Rami Malek leaned into Saint Laurent’s sharp, deliberate drama, grounding the look with a 1992 platinum Cartier Crash.

Academy Award winner Rami Malek leaned into Saint Laurent’s sharp, deliberate drama, grounding the look with a 1992 platinum Cartier Crash. The Crash remains one of Cartier’s most unconventional designs, shaped by its origin story and defined by its distorted, almost liquid form. A platinum example from 1992 adds both rarity and intent. This is not a piece encountered casually. It requires familiarity with the design, its history, and its place within Cartier’s catalogue. On a carpet built around visibility, it reads as a deliberate shift towards something more considered.

Serena Williams – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

With 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Serena Williams represents sustained excellence at the highest level, mirroring the technical and design significance of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar.

With 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Serena Williams represents sustained excellence at the highest level, mirroring the technical and design significance of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in modern watchmaking. Originally designed by Gérald Genta in 1972, the Royal Oak introduced a new category of luxury sports watches, defined by its integrated bracelet and octagonal bezel. The perpetual calendar complication tracks day, date, month, moon phase, and leap year automatically until 2100, integrating long-term mechanical precision into a format that remains visually consistent.

Paul Anthony Kelly – Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon

Paul Anthony Kelly waltzed his way onto the Met Gala 2026 red carpet fresh off his breakout role as JFK Junior in the hit series Love Story. Equally captivating was the burgundy Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon that completed his overall ensemble.

Paul Anthony Kelly waltzed his way onto the MET Gala 2026 red carpet fresh off his breakout role as JFK Junior in the hit series Love Story. Equally captivating was the burgundy Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon that completed his overall ensemble. At first glance, the Overseas reads as a refined sports watch — an integrated bracelet and cushion-shaped case built for travel and daily wear, occupying similar territory to the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. Closer inspection reveals a flying tourbillon, a rotating cage that counteracts the effect of gravity on the movement’s rate by continuously repositioning the escapement, making it one of the most technically demanding complications in watchmaking. The finishing throughout — the chamfered bridges, the depth of the dial work — confirms that nothing here was built to merely look the part.

Morgan Spector – IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44

Best known for playing George Russell in The Gilded Age, Morgan Spector arrived at the 2026 Met Gala with the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 in white gold.

Best known for playing George Russell in The Gilded Age, Morgan Spector arrived at the 2026 MET Gala with the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 in white gold. The Portugieser line dates back to the 1930s, originally developed for Portuguese clients who wanted pocket watch accuracy inside a wristwatch case, which explains why it still runs large at 44mm. The champagne-toned dial organises moon phase at 12, date and power reserve at three, month at six, year between seven and eight, and small seconds with the day at nine o’clock — all of it structured cleanly enough that none of it fights for attention. For a watch carrying that many indications, the readability is the real achievement.

Irina Shayk – Cartier Santos

Irina Shayk arrived at the MET Gala in a sheer, jewellery-heavy construction built around a \"necklace bra\" of diamond-encrusted pieces, with the fully-paved Cartier Santos serving as an anchor point at the literal centre of the look.

Irina Shayk’s look at the MET Gala 2026 was one of the more genuinely unusual approaches to watch-as-accessory that the event has produced in some time. She arrived in a sheer, jewellery-heavy construction built around a “necklace bra” of diamond-encrusted pieces, with the fully-paved Cartier Santos serving as an anchor point at the literal centre of the look, holding the construction together while multiple vintage watches were worn as armbands and layered around her neck alongside it. Originally created in 1904 for aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, the Santos remains one of the earliest purpose-built wristwatches. Its square case and exposed screws have defined its identity for over a century. Here, it moved beyond the wrist entirely. It became part of the construction itself, turning a historic design into something entirely contemporary.

Bad Bunny – Cartier Cloche de Cartier

Bad Bunny’s Cloche with its bell-like form and repositioned crown at six o’clock; it sits outside Cartier’s more recognisable designs.

Bad Bunny’s appearance this year leaned into theatrical transformation, incorporating elements of ageing and character construction, extending his established approach to performance into his red carpet presence. The Cloche supports that direction with its bell-like form and repositioned crown at six o’clock; it sits outside Cartier’s more recognisable designs. In yellow gold, it leans into jewellery while retaining its distinct structure. It does not aim for familiarity, which makes it work here.

Nicole Kidman – Omega Constellation Manhattan (circa 1982)

Nicole Kidman arrived as co-chair of the 2026 Met Gala wearing a 1982 Omega Constellation Manhattan.

Nicole Kidman arrived as co-chair of the 2026 MET Gala in a red sequinned Chanel gown that settled the old-school Hollywood glamour question before she reached the top step. On her wrist, the long-time Omega ambassador wore a 1982 Constellation Manhattan — 23mm, white and yellow gold, with 34 diamonds on the bezel, 178 across the bracelet, and 12 marking the hours. The Manhattan is defined by its four-pointed lugs gripping the bezel, a design Omega called “claws” that became one of the brand’s most recognisable signatures of the decade. A vintage example from the year of its introduction, worn alongside full Chanel at the co-chair level, is the kind of detail that looks effortless because everything behind it was not.

Luke Evans – Hublot Big Bang Unico High Jewellery

Luke Evans arrived at the 2026 Met Gala in a custom oxblood all-leather ensemble by Palomo Spain, and the Hublot Big Bang Unico High Jewellery on his wrist matched that energy note for note.

Luke Evans arrived at the 2026 MET Gala in a custom oxblood all-leather ensemble by Palomo Spain, a look inspired by Tom of Finland and built entirely around commitment to a specific visual register. The Hublot Big Bang Unico High Jewellery on his wrist matched that energy note for note. The timepiece is encased in a 44mm white gold case, is fully paved with diamonds, and is powered by their in-house column-wheel chronograph Unico movement.

Connor Storrie – Omega Constellation Observatory

Heated Rivalry actor, Connor Storrie arrived at the Met Gala in a black Saint Laurent suit and chose the Omega Constellation Observatory for his wrist.

Heated Rivalry actor, Connor Storrie graced the steps of the MET Gala in a black Saint Laurent suit and chose the Omega Constellation Observatory for his wrist. The “Observatory”  references Omega’s history in observatory trials, where precision was independently tested and measured. The watch itself remains clean, controlled, and quietly confident. 

Lisa – Bulgari Serpenti Spiga

Dressed in an all-white Robert Wun creation, Lisa’s Bulgari Serpenti Spiga did not sit on her wrist in the conventional sense. It was positioned on one of these extended elements, held outward and fully visible, becoming part of the composition rather than an accessory.

A regular presence within Bulgari’s inner circle, Lisa approached the MET Gala 2026 with a look that leaned fully into structure and theatre. Dressed in an all-white Robert Wun creation, the outfit extended beyond the body, with a crystal-encrusted veil supported by sculptural forms emerging from the shoulders. The watch did not sit on her wrist in the conventional sense. It was positioned on one of these extended elements, held outward and fully visible, becoming part of the composition rather than an accessory. The piece itself was a Bulgari Serpenti Spiga in white gold, entirely set with diamonds across the case, bracelet, and even the dial. The double-coil construction reinterprets the Tubogas bracelet, introducing a more structured, patterned surface that carries the light consistently across its form.