The Style Section Our Style Editor Picks Her Favorite Met Gala Watches

The Met Gala is my sartorial Superbowl. It's also my red carpet respite. During music and movie awards season, most celebs become promotional vessels who are locked into sashaying down the carpet in contractually obliged outfits (and watches). But this particular event calls for a little more oomph and a little less brand hegemony.

Okay, so technically I would be lying if I told you the Met Ball was free reign when it came to outfits and accessories. There are still ambassadorships to uphold and brand contract clauses to maintain. This is, after all, one of the highest visibility spaces for product placement.

But the saving grace is that this red carpet is all about the actual fashion. Every year, there is a theme tied to the Costume Institute's upcoming exhibit, and attendees are encouraged to go all out on the regalia.

The Gala has evolved somewhat from its rather modest early days in the late '40s, to Diana Vreeland's era of socialites and fashion personalities elegantly swanning around the premises, to a full frenzy of a-list celebs wearing over-the-top theatrical couture looks and taking group bathroom selfies.

I'll be glued to the screen from 5 p.m. onwards tomorrow looking out for the best couture and, of course, the best watches.

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite ever Met Gala watches for you to enjoy.

Anna Wintour wearing a Patek Philippe ref. 2461 

Starting off with a rewind back to 1989. Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour is seen here at the Met Gala for 'The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789-1815', in what appears to be a Patek Philippe ref. 2461. Finding an image clear enough to decipher the reference started off as a bit of a scramble. So I enlisted my friend Arthur Pfister (a true archival picture maestro), as well as my trusty colleague and vintage expert Rich Fordon, and we all agreed it was most likely a ref. 2461.

Wintour, has served as the chairwoman of the Met Gala since 1995. She's also the woman behind the top-secret guest list and holds massive sway on which designers the important attendees will be wearing. Makes sense then, that the Met-Gala powerhouse would be wearing a gold Patek slung loosely on her wrist. Très chic.

Donatella Versace wearing a Cartier Diabolo 

Finding this picture of Donatella wearing a Cartier Diabolo was basically like finding the golden snitch in a game of Quidditch: I had hit the fashion watch Venn diagram jackpot. 

The Versace look Donatella wore to the 1993 gala has become fashion history gold. Riffed on by both Kim Kardashian and Dua Lipa, but nobody does it quite like Donatella. The bondage top, leather skirt and tall black boots with gold chains were all from the (what was then considered to be) very provocative Fall 92 collection, entitled "Miss S&M". 

Once again I enlisted the help of my buddy Arthur Pfister. Because this one was damn near impossible. After a lot of digging and back and forth on WhatsApp, we found a candid photo of this perfect little yellow gold, diamond Diabolo.

Rihanna wearing a Chopard high jewelry watch 

Now for the Met Gala Queen: Rihanna. Known for wearing watches on (and off) the red carpet and during performances, Riri doesn't pay too much attention to the jewelry trend cycle and tends to stick with her own timeless more-is-more philosophy.

While the topic of women wearing watches on the red carpet seems to be garnering a little media attention, I personally can't believe it's even a subject we are talking about. Surely the 19th century habit of discreetly checking the time on a concealed jewelry watch is long behind us?

In honor of wearing what you like when you want,  here is Bad Gal wearing a Chopard high jewelry watch and a Fall 2016 Comme Des Garçons runway look for the 2017 Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons" gala.

Minnie Driver and Oscar Isaac wearing the Cartier Tank Française

The recent updates to the Tank Française inspired me to go on a little archival Française deep dive. I happened to stumble upon this picture of Minnie Driver (posing alongside a very brunette Gwyneth Paltrow)  wearing a steel Française in 1999 for the "Rock Style" theme. 

This picture embodies the late '90s Met Gala nostalgia that is constantly popping up on my Instagram feed these days. And watch feels like the perfect cherry-on-top accessory to transport us back to that very decade.

Today, the Tank Francaise, along with most of Cartier's catalog, is being marketed more broadly to both genders. For last year's Met Gala, Oscar Isaac wore an 18-karat gold medium model Française with a Thom Browne skirt, and well, I think it looked perfect.

Michelle Yeoh wearing a Richard Mille RM07-01 and Pharrell Williams wearing an RM 17-01 Tourbillon

Oscar-winning actress and Richard Mille ambassador Michelle Yeoh has been seriously upping the red carpet watch game these past couple of award seasons. In fact, a red carpet appearance from Yeoh is probably the only instance where I anticipate the choice of watch before the choice of gown. It's refreshing to see a woman wearing a sportier style while remaining Met-Gala-worthy levels of glamorous. Last year Yeoh wore an RM 07-01 with a green silk Prabal Gurung gown. I'm very in favor of more RM with gown pairings.

And if we are gonna talk Richard Mille at the Met Gala then I am going to have to mention the RM 17-01 Tourbillon in red gold with baguette-cut diamonds Pharrell wore to the 2021 "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" gala.  Bonus points for pulling off a coordinated couples outfit without looking like a Britney Spears Justin Timberlake parody.

Kid Cudi wearing Ben Baller BAPE x G-SHOCK DW-6900

This is my ultimate Met-Gala watch. Because while I love nothing more than spotting a Patek grand comp at the Grammys or a vintage Rolex Air King at the Oscars, the Met Gala is all about running free with your fashion and accessories. A Ben Baller bust down Gshock may feel like utter blasphemy for some watch enthusiasts, but for the wider zeitgeist a diamond and pink sapphire G-Shock is a fun, unexpected talking point and a clear nod to Pharrell's iced-out G-Shock legacy. I know I would wear it.

Lead images courtesy of Getty.