Luxury watches are as much a part of Hollywood as blockbusters and the famous “Hollywood” sign. The stars and starlets of Tinseltown love adorning their wrists with fine timepieces, much to the delight of watch manufacturers. In fact, companies often seek out the services of Hollywood celebrities. For instance, Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, Adam Driver, and Daniel Wu have been promoting Breitling watches as part of the “Cinema Squad” for several years. On the other hand, George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, and Eddie Redmayne are on Team Omega. Natalie Portman has been associated with Richard Mille for years and was even involved in designing the RM 19-01 Tourbillon Natalie Portman.
Beyond these star-studded promotion teams, there are also real watch fans to be found in Hollywood. Three of the most famous are undoubtedly Kevin Hart, Mark Wahlberg, and Robert Downey Jr. Today, we’re taking a closer look at their impressive collections.
Kevin Hart: The Watch Nerd
Actor and comedian Kevin Hart has always had a passion for watches, which he says has only grown steadily over the years. After his first big paycheck, Hart bought himself a Rolex Submariner; this acquisition was soon followed by his first Daytona. To this day, the famous Rolex chronograph remains one of his favorite watches. Unsurprisingly, Hart’s collection contains at least six different variants of this watch, including the 50th Anniversary in platinum (ref. 116506), a vintage reference 6263 “Paul Newman,” and a model of the colorful reference 116595RBOW Rainbow. His Rolex arsenal also includes a Cellini Moonphase, a Sky-Dweller, and a Day-Date II ref. 218398. This last model is a particularly rare version of the President’s Watch with a bezel completely covered in baguette-cut diamonds and a champagne-colored dial featuring a subtle sunburst finish and diamond indices. Dark red rubies at 6 and 9 o’clock provide eye-catching splashes of color to this handsome Rolex timepiece.
Quite the impressive collection, one would think. But we’ve only just scratched the surface. Hart also has a penchant for timepieces from Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Richard Mille. In terms of Patek’s classic Nautilus alone, Hart owns the iconic stainless steel 5711/1A; a rose gold variation of the reference 5712 with subdials for the moon phase small seconds; a Nautilus chronograph 5980R-001; and a Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5990/1400G. Made of white gold, this last model features a bezel, case, and bracelet completely studded with diamonds.
But it’s not just the Nautilus that has enamored Hart. He’s also a big fan of the watches of the Grand Complications collection. Some of the highlights from this collection include the reference 5960G flyback chronograph with Annual Calendar, the 5004G split-second chronograph with a Perpetual Calendar, and the two Celestial models (6102R and 6104P). The final two watches boast astronomical displays showing a star chart of the Northern Hemisphere, the phases and orbit of the Moon, as well as the meridian passages of Sirius and the Moon.
Among Hart’s favorite Audemars Piguet watches are models from the Royal Oak collection. Hart can often be spotted wearing the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Open Worked in rose gold and the Perpetual Calendar in black ceramic. Not to be missed, of course, is the classic stainless steel reference 15500. Hart is so loyal to the Le Brassus-based manufacturer that he even joined AP CEO François-Henry Bennahmias as co-host in a recent unveiling of the brand-new Royal Oak Concept Black Panther Flying Tourbillon. This timepiece is the first result of the collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Marvel Studios. During the show, which lasted just over an hour, a piece unique watch was also auctioned off for charity. In the end, the one-of-a-kind timepiece went under the hammer for a record-breaking $5.2 million.
Rounding out Hart’s collection are a few choice pieces from Richard Mille. The brand is known for its ultra-exclusive high-tech watches and has risen through the ranks in recent years to become a true industry heavyweight. In 2014, the comedian celebrated the wrap of production for his comedy special Let Me Explain by gifting himself a diamond-embellished RM 010 in rose gold. And on days when Hart doesn’t feel like wearing the RM 010, he can always fall back on his RM 11-01 “Roberto Mancini,” RM 055 Bubba Watson, or RM 035 Gold Torro, among others – each piece, a coveted collector’s item.
Robert Downey Jr.: The Eclectic
Robert Downey Jr. is also among the community of Hollywood A-listers with a strong passion for luxury timepieces. His collection is astonishingly multifaceted, and for this reason alone, it’s worth taking a closer look. One watch you don’t see every day, for example, is his Baume & Mercier Hampton City 8340, which once belonged to his grandfather. Thanks to its cushion-shaped stainless steel case in horizontal format, the watch faintly resembles a TV set from the 1970s.
Downey Jr.’s Bell & Ross BR01-94 Titanium Orange LE is another piece that is anything but average. This pilot’s chronograph is a true eye-catcher with its square case and bright orange numerals and hands. The watch was a gift from Ben Stiller at the end of filming the movie Tropic Thunder.
Two watches in Downey Jr.’s collection have a direct connection to his famous role as Ironman: First off, we have the Urwerk UR-110RG. A great admirer of the futuristic design of this timepiece, RDJ personally lobbied for his character Tony Stark to wear one in the movie Spiderman: Homecoming. The second watch is the Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX3 Tourbillon GMT. This was Stark’s watch in the first Ironman movie, and Downey Jr. liked it so much that he quickly added one to his collection. This piece is in good company since the actor owns two additional watches from the traditional Swiss brand: a Geophysic Universal Time with a world time display and a classic Reverso.
He also owns an Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, a Breitling Pathfinder, a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A, and two Rolexes. One is a Submariner 116610LV Hulk, which Downey Jr. calls his “money watch” thanks to its green accents. The other is an all-black GMT-Master II 116710LN from the London customizer Bamford Watch Department.
Mark Wahlberg: The Rolex Man
Mark Wahlberg is our third Hollywood star with a soft spot for beautiful watches – a passion well known among his colleagues. Ellen DeGeneres – a watch aficionado in her own right with an incredible collection that we have studied in this detailed article – even played a little watch-related prank on the action star in 2019. For his 48th birthday, she gave him a gag gift of a Casio Calculator Watch on her live show. Wahlberg took it with good humor, joking that he had always wanted this very model.
Mark Wahlberg is our third Hollywood star with a soft spot for beautiful watches – a passion well known among his colleagues. Ellen DeGeneres – a watch aficionado in her own right with an incredible collection that we have studied in this detailed article – even played a little watch-related prank on the action star in 2019. For his 48th birthday, she gave him a gag gift of a Casio Calculator Watch on her live show. Wahlberg took it with good humor, joking that he had always wanted this very model.
Another pavé Rolex that Wahlberg wears rather frequently is the Day-Date 40 reference 228396TEM. This extremely rare platinum version of the famous dress watch boasts a dial set with diamonds and a bezel embellished with emeralds. The GMT-Master II reference 116758SARU also features a dial made of hundreds of diamonds. Its lugs, a crown guard, and the center links of its Oyster bracelet are decorated with these precious stones, as well. A bezel made half of red rubies and half of blue sapphires finishes off this GMT model. Surrounded by all this sparkle, Wahlberg’s GMT-Master II 116718LN 50th Anniversary almost looks almost boring with its yellow gold case, black ceramic bezel, and dark green dial.
But Mark Wahlberg can also make it work without all the glitz and glamor: Every now and then, the actor can be spotted wearing an affordable Timex Ironman 100 Lab quartz watch.
Hollywood stars aren’t the only watch lovers
These three Hollywood stars are just a few examples of watch lovers in the film and entertainment industry. But the list could go on and on. Jerry Seinfeld, Jonah Hill, Jennifer Aniston, Charlie Sheen, and Kylie Jenner are only a handful of names worth mentioning.
And not only in the world of cinema are luxury watches a popular collector’s item. Rolex, Patek, and Hublot timepieces are also fixtures in the world of professional sports. Take a look, for instance, at our deep-dive into the watches of NFL stars. And in this article, you’ll find some fun facts about watches worn by professional soccer players.
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