9 most notable watches at the 2026 Oscars

The 98th Academy Awards, held on 15 March 2026 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, saw celebrities arrive wearing watches from across the range of fine watchmaking. Rolex, which has been an official sponsor of the Academy Awards since 2017, again organised the Oscars Greenroom backstage. On the red carpet and on stage, pieces from Rolex, Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Chopard, Urban Jürgensen and H. Moser and Cie were spotted, spanning current catalogue references, off-catalogue commissions and limited editions.

Below are nine of the most talked-about and distinctive watches of the night.

Conan O’Brien — Rolex Land-Dweller

Conan O’Brien, who hosted the ceremony for the second time, wore a Rolex Land-Dweller during the show. The Land-Dweller is one of Rolex’s newest models, introduced in 2025, and it looks noticeably different from the brand’s usual designs. It features a more angular case, a bracelet that flows directly into the case without visible lugs, and a dial with a repeating honeycomb pattern. The watch drew attention because it is still a new addition to Rolex’s line-up and not yet widely seen in public. Its design signals a shift towards a more modern, integrated style, which is less common for the brand. O’Brien is usually seen wearing his Omega Seamaster No Time To Die at public appearances, so this switch to a Rolex made the choice more noticeable.

Zendaya — Rolex Lady-Datejust 28

Zendaya, who has been a Rolex brand ambassador since October 2025, presented on stage alongside Robert Pattinson wearing the Rolex Lady-Datejust 28 Ref. 279459RBR. The 28mm watch is made from 18ct white gold and features a fully pavé diamond dial, a diamond-set bezel, and a President bracelet also set with diamonds. It runs on an automatic movement and displays time and date. Introduced in 2021, it sits within Rolex’s high jewellery category and retails between $174,000 and $177,400.

Kumail Nanjiani — Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon Skeleton

Nanjiani, attending as a presenter, wore the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton in rose gold. The case measures 41.5mm and the movement is 8.1mm thick. The watch displays the day, date, month and moon phase through an open-worked perpetual calendar movement. At last year’s Oscars, Nanjiani wore a white gold version of the Overseas Perpetual Calendar. This wristwatch sells for approximately $300,000 in boutiques.

Michael B. Jordan — Vintage Piaget Protocole

Jordan, who won Best Actor for his role in Sinners, wore a vintage Piaget Protocole from the 1970s. The reference 9297 has a rectangular 18k yellow gold case measuring approximately 23.5 by 29mm, a diamond-paved dial and a black leather strap. It is the second consecutive awards season in which Jordan has chosen a vintage piece, having worn a vintage Audemars Piguet Bamboo at an earlier event this year. No current retail price applies to the piece; value depends on condition and provenance.

Shaboozey — Chopard L’Heure du Diamant

Shaboozey, who performed the Oscar-nominated song “I Lied to You” from Sinners, wore a fully diamond-set Chopard L’Heure du Diamant in 18k white gold on the red carpet, paired with diamond lapel pins and pearl earrings. The L’Heure du Diamant is marketed by Chopard as a women’s collection with an estimated value of $100,000. During his on-stage performance, he changed to an H. Moser and Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack in red gold.

Corey Gamble — Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime

Gamble wore the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime reference 6300/401G-001, an “off-catalogue” piece reserved for the brand’s most elite collectors. The watch is in white gold with an ebony black opaline dial on the time side and a second ebony black opaline dial on the calendar side. The total gem-setting comprises 118 baguette-cut sapphires and 291 baguette-cut diamonds across the piece. The case is double-sided and reversible via a patented rotation mechanism, measuring 49.4mm in diameter. The watch contains 20 complications, including a grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, minute repeater, alarm and date repeater, as well as a perpetual calendar, making it one of the most complex wristwatches ever produced. The wristwatch has an estimated market value between $12 million to $15 million.

Leonardo DiCaprio — Rolex Perpetual 1908

DiCaprio, a Rolex brand ambassador, nominated for Best Actor for his role in One Battle After Another, wore the Rolex 1908 reference 52506 in platinum with an ice-blue guilloché dial and a matte black alligator leather strap with a current market value of $65,000. The 1908 is Rolex’s dress watch line, relaunched in 2024. The wristwatch is a move away from his usual sports models and he personalized the look with a Boucheron bee brooch pinned to his lapel.

Timothée Chalamet — Urban Jürgensen UJ-2

Chalamet, nominated for Best Actor for his role in Marty Supreme, wore the Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 on a white strap paired with an all-white tuxedo. The UJ-2 features a double-wheel natural escapement, a hand turned guilloche dial and signature flame- blue hands and requires approximately 565 hours of work by a master watchmaker. It retails at approximately $131,500.

Kevin O’Leary

At the 2026 Academy Awards, Kevin O’Leary made a high-stakes horological statement by “double-wristing” two ultra-exclusive timepieces featuring his signature red accents. On one wrist, he wore a white gold Rolex Daytona “Eye of the Tiger” (Ref. 126599TRU) valued at $1.5 million, which boasts a bezel set with 36 baguette-cut “pigeon blood” rubies. On the other, he sported a rare platinum Cartier Crash Skeleton worth approximately $350,000, customized with burgundy red lacquered bridges. He paired these with a custom Tiffany & Co. necklace featuring a one-of-a-kind Jordan-LeBron-Kobe trading card valued at $30 million, bringing his total accessory value for the night to an estimated $32 million.