Russell Crowe and Rami Malek Compared Absurdly Sick Watches on the Red Carpet

Russell Crowe is a serious watch guy. From Tiffany-blue Rolexes to steel Nautiluses—not to mention a collection of some 29 pieces that he auctioned off back in 2018 at his playfully-titled Art of Divorce sale—this is a man who likes a flashy timepiece. And at the Nuremberg premiere this week in Los Angeles, he pulled up wearing one of the most coveted watches of the past couple years: a yellow-gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Le Mans.”

On the carpet, Crowe compared wrist-notes with his co-star Rami Malek, who was rocking a beautiful rose-gold Cartier Tank. The two looked delighted with their choices, as they should—those are two exceptional watches. But as delightful as the Tank Louis Cartier ref. WGTA0176 is—more on that piece in a moment—the Cosmograph Daytona ref. 126528LN is currently in a category all its own. Why, you ask?

Let’s rewind the clock back two years for a moment: In June 2023, Rolex dropped a special white-gold Cosmograph Daytona in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Modified with a 24-hour counter in reference to the famed race’s running time and given all manner of vintage callbacks—such as the “exotic” typeface found on vintage “Paul Newman” Daytonas and red typography—it stunned the watch world. Carrying a price of $51,400, it was allocated only to the Crown’s top clients, and was gone from its catalog within the year, having been replaced with a yellow-gold version.

That yellow-gold timepiece was no less mind-boggling—and no less difficult to get one’s hands on. An off-catalog reference, it was the type of watch that only folks with last names like “Federer” (or “Crowe”) were allocated, though today anyone with a bank account fat enough can snag one. Like its predecessor, it disappeared as quickly as it arrived, only to show up on secondary-market sites such as Chrono24 for roughly the cost of a new GT3 RS. Suddenly $50K seems like a bargain! (For a truly MIT-level analysis of this watch’s quirks, I’d highly recommend Mark Kauzlarich’s deep dive on HODINKEE.)

Of all the top-end watches released over the past decade or so, few have reached the stratospheric levels of horological import that the “Le Mans” Daytona has achieved. (Here’s looking at you, “Tiffany”-dialed Nautilus ref. 5711.) For A-list collectors like Crowe, it is quite simply the watch to own.

Rami Malek’s Tank Louis Cartier

Now, back to Rami Malek’s killer Cartier. A reference WGTA0176, it’s one of a crop of exotic-dialed Tank Louis Cartier pieces that have debuted over the past few years and continue to delight Watches and Wonders attendees each spring. Measuring 25.5 mm in rose gold and powered by the hand-wound Cartier cal. 1917 MC movement, it features a wildly cool multi-tone dial in rose, yellow, and white gold shades arranged in a cool rectangular pattern. While the typical Roman numerals and railroad minute track of the classic Cartier Tank are absent, the slim sword-shaped hands, blue cabochon crown, prominent brancards, and simple leather strap are all present and accounted for.

Saquon Barkley’s H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Spiced Aqua

You’d be forgiven for expecting the Eagles running back to ink a flashy deal with a household-name watch brand. Instead, Barkley chose H. Moser & Cie, the high-end independent responsible for some of the industry’s most charming models. Showing up at a restaurant in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the partnership, he wore the Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Spiced Aqua, a colorful, complicated piece that encapsulates Moser’s unconventional style. Boasting a skeletonized movement, a flying tourbillon, a wildly cool dial in bright orange, and a bright blue strap, it looks like a watch from both the future and the past—which is precisely Moser’s specialty.

Liam Hemsworth’s Cartier Santos-Dumont

Appearing on The Tonight Show to promote the new season of The Witcher, Liam Hemsworth wore the ever-excellent Cartier Santos-Dumont. Crafted from 18-karat yellow gold, it features all the hallmarks of the classic watch made by Louis Cartier for Brazilian aviator and inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont: There’s the square-shaped, riveted bezel; the blue sapphire cabochon crown; the prominent integrated lugs; and of course the dial, whose silvered background is outfitted with a railroad minute track, Roman numerals, and a blued steel sword handset typical of many Cartier watches.

Ed Sheeran’s Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts Calatrava ref. 5077/100G ‘Aquarius’

Everybody’s favorite singer-songwriter rolled up to an FC Barcelona watch party in New York wearing a watch that most horological heads have likely never seen: Produced in 2024, the ref. 5077/100G ‘Aquarius’ is one of 12 Zodiac-sign watches from Patek Philippe’s ultra-high-end Rare Handcrafts lineup. Made in just two examples per watch, each one features an enamel-dialed take on its particular star sign, pairing it to a white gold case with a bezel featuring some 112 diamonds. Sheeran’s Aquarius version is particularly striking, with the white ‘Blanc de Limoge’ enamel design taking up much of the midnight blue grisaille enamel background.