The 11 Best Watches at the Met Gala: From Saquon Barkley’s Moser to Colman Domingo’s Omega

Another season of the Met Gala recently got underway with this year’s theme of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” centred around black dandyism and, as usual, the stars came out in their best eye-catching attire for the Costume Institute’s big event. And even though brooches have taken men’s style by storm on the red carpet these days, there were still plenty of timepiece moments to watch out for. There were a few surprises, like Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley choosing an H. Moser & Cie to wear with his Thom Browne suit or Colman Domingo debuting a yet-to-be-released Omega. And then, of course, there were the usual suspects wearing the kind of pieces one would easily spot across the room, like Shaboozey in the turquoise dial 18-karat yellow gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Here are some of our favourite timepieces (and, in a few cases, looks) of the evening.

Pusha T’s Rainbow Rolex Cosmograph in Everose Gold

Rapper Pusha T paired his burgundy suit with sequins dripping down the shoulders and lapels with an equally colourful timekeeper. On his wrist was a coveted Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in the crown’s proprietary Everose gold. A rare spotting in the red-carpet zoo, this is likely a watch he owns. It’s also a watch that fetches well into the six figures on the secondary market.

Tramell Tillman’s Jaeger-LeCoultre Tribute Duoface Tourbillon

Best known, currently, for his role as Seth Milchick in Apple TV’s Severance, Trammell Tillman donned a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon in 18-karat pink gold. Like Saquon Barkley, he also chose a Thom Browne ensemble—again, one of the better looks of the evening. Like the sports star, he also chose a sophisticated timepiece with a tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Just like a true dandy, this Jaeger-LeCoultre is sleek, but a little cheeky.

Saquon Barkley’s H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had one of the coolest watches of the night. The NFL star made a sophisticated choice with the H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack. It’s great to see an athlete supporting an independent watchmaker—especially when his choice is one of the stealthiest models in the brand’s lineup. He paired it with a simple black Tuxedo by Thom Browne, which had all the hallmarks of the designer’s famously quirky proportions. Although the suit made Barkley look a little short despite his six-foot-tall frame, it was a clever and thoughtful choice just like his watch. After a sea of rather ridiculous-looking ensembles during the NFL draft, it’s nice to see one of its established stars making more sophisticated choices.

Barry Keoghan’s Gold Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional

Barry Keoghan is the toast of young Hollywood, and like many of his fellow “it guys”, he’s testing the waters with fashion. It doesn’t always work for him, as tonight proved, but one thing that is thankfully consistent is his wrist game. The actor is a brand ambassador for Omega, so fortunately, he always comes correct with his timekeepers. For this year’s Met Gala, he wore an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional 42 mm in Moonshine Gold with a matching dial in the same material.

Colman Domingo’s Unreleased Omega Speedmaster

Colman Domingo had the biggest flex of the evening by wearing an unreleased Omega Speedmaster model that has not been publicly announced. According to a statement from the company: “The brand will not be revealing any details about the new watch until a later date.” Regardless, this watch teaser got rather lost in Domingo’s fashion-focused Valentino look. It’s safe to say, die-hard Omega Speedmaster fans might have missed this one.

Photo: Getty Images; Vacheron Constantin

Walton Goggins’s Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Complete Calendar Openface

White Lotus star, Walton Goggins showed up in a fearless Thom Browne suit skirt and an equally fearless timepiece to match. On his wrist, he wore an open-face 41 mm Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Complete Calendar in platinum. It’s the kind of watch that would be right at home on a White Lotus character, but perhaps more in line with Jason Isaacs’s character Timothy Ratliff than Goggins’ Rick Hatchett. It seemed like all the cool guys wore Thom Browne tonight, but it appears only one fella got to wear Vacheron, and a very excellent one at that.

Janelle Monae’s Vacheron Constantin Fifty Six

It seemed like everyone was in Thom Browne at the Met Gala, but Janelle Monae has long been a fan of the designer, often wearing his elaborate ensembles on the red carpet. This time she paired one of his tailored suit skirt looks complete with a bowler hat with a monocle featuring a watch dial and a time- and date-only Vacheron Constantin Fifty Six. It ticked all the right boxes: dandy, costume, and fashion-forward.

Khaby Lame’s Pocket Watches

Khaby Lame is a Senegalese-Italian influencer whose claim to fame, incredibly, is having the most followers on TikTok (@khaby.lame). Naturally, he came to be noticed and to stand out in a sea of watch peacocking, Lame wore not one watch, but a multitude of pocket watches on the grey vest of his ultra-stylish three-piece suit. This was one of our favourite translations of the evening’s dandy theme.

Shaboozey’s Gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak With Turquoise Dial

Turquoise beaded torso jewellery, a turquoise ring, a turquoise watch, and turquoise teeth! Shaboozey went wild for the colour tonight. On his wrist was a 37 mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in yellow gold with a turquoise dial. The ultimate showpiece, this watch doesn’t just have a turquoise-colored dial, it’s actually made from the stone. This watch retailed for $61,500 in 2023, but now requires $8,400 more if you want to take it home. It’s a Royal Oak you don’t see on too many wrists in the wild. And you’ll likely only find it on the wildest of wrists.

Angela Bassett’s Glashütte Original Serenade Luna

What’s not to love about Angela Bassett rocking a mother-of-pearl dial Glashütte Original? The 32.5 mm Serenade Luna model sports a diamond bezel and hour markers and comes on a leather alligator strap. This marks the first time Glashütte has been worn on the Met Gala’s red carpet, and for a rather small niche brand based in Germany, we’d say Bassett was a big-time win. It also pairs perfectly with her blue velvet jumpsuit.

Caleb McLaughlin’s Zenith Defy Skyline

Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin got the evening’s memo and did it right. Over his baby-blue velvet gloves, he wore a boutique edition Zenith Defy Skyline. The 41 mm steel bracelet watch is a rather sporty choice for the evening, but upon closer inspection, its bezel is decked in sapphires. Besides, the mix of sporty with velvet gloves, brooches, and an orange-accented lapel is full-on eccentric dandy in a way we totally can get behind.

Previously published on Robb Report USA