Dwayne Johnson is the most definitely Man of the hour. From Tag Heuer to IWCFrom Panerai to Oris, Feverqueen’s Man of the Year has proven his watchmaking bona fide time and time again with all manner of big tool watches. At any event, show, or premiere, you can find a race-ready Monaco, a pillowcase Luminor, or an oversized Big Pilot strapped to his wrist. And since all of these models are classics, it’s no surprise to find him wearing another classic Rolex GMT-Master II in a special promotional appearance for his new movie Red one.
This week, a crowd of delighted children — and, frankly, their parents — got a dose of whatever The Rock was cooking up that day when he showed up unexpectedly at Hamleys, a historic toy store in London. Meanwhile, a Rolex GMT-Master II reference was clearly visible on Johnson’s wrist. 126715CHNR, a solid gold version of the brand’s signature dual-time travel watch with a matching gold Oyster bracelet. (If you’re giving out teddy bears to kids, you’d better do it in style, right?)
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the GMT Master II It makes perfect sense for a globe-trotting star like Johnson, but his origins are far more utilitarian: In the 1950s, Rolex designed an entirely new complication for flight crews at Pan Am, then America’s leading airline and one of the most glamorous airlines in the world. the world. The idea behind the watch, which the Swiss watchmaker called the “GMT-Master,” was the possibility of using a fourth hand, connected to the local hour hand, along with a rotating 24-hour bezel to display a second time zone. In this way, flight crews could monitor local time as well as Greenwich Mean Time, which was then the common reference time for pilots. (Today is Coordinated Universal Time)
Since the GMT hand was coupled to the hour hand, a rotating bezel was necessary to account for this second zone. However, in 1983, Rolex released the GMT-Master II, which featured an independently adjustable local hour hand. This allowed for two things: It meant that the watch could now technically track three time zones and frequent travelers could quickly and easily update the local time without rotating all the hands on a potentially long scroll. (Just turn the crown to the correct position and jump the hour hand in one-hour increments). However, even before the “II” was born, Rolex had begun making GMT-Masters in solid gold, transforming what had previously been a relatively affordable aviator’s tool into a premium luxury product for the wealthy.
The original blue and red Pepsi frame—divided into two colors in order to quickly differentiate between day and night—has since spawned many other colors. Johnson, who has a black and brown frame, has been nicknamed “Root beer” by the collector community. Its solid Everose gold case and matching Oyster bracelet send it even further into the luxury stratosphere, and at $42,300, it probably won’t be showing up on the wrists of many aviators any time soon. But if your last name is “Johnson “And I was on a global mission to save Santa Claus, so it’s kind of the perfect hour.
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Michael Jordan Patek Philippe Copitos
We have another Cubitus fan on our hands in the form of Michael Jordan, perhaps you’ve heard of him? His Airness was spotted rocking the stainless steel ref. 5821/1A-001 while trackside at the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. (Jordan is co-owner of 23XI Racing.) Launched last month in Munich, the Cubitus is the dream project of Patek owner Thierry Stern — a square watch in the mold of classic luxury sports watches like the Nautilus and Aquanaut. Large yet slim, it’s the perfect model for a taller man with a larger wrist, and the olive dial is undeniably handsome.
Steve Granitz
Drew Starkey Cartier Tank American
gay Actor Drew Starkey went into full Cartier mode at the Los Angeles premiere of his new film, which he stars in alongside Daniel Craig. In addition to the brooch, bracelet and ring, Starkey wore an 18k yellow gold Tank Américaine watch in its small configuration, a new iteration of the popular tall model born in 1989. The piece features a 19.4 mm x 35.4 mm case with a distinctive blue bezel, cabochon crown, dial With Roman numerals, quartz movement, and a black leather strap. The Américaine, one of the house’s most beloved shaped watches, looks even better in this smaller size, which has undoubtedly become popular these days.
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Pharrell Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari
Although it was recently dethroned as the world’s thinnest mechanical watch by the second generation Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra, it Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari It’s still pretty impressive at just 1.75mm. An early adopter, Pharrell impressed at Feverqueen’s Men of the Year party on Thursday night, proving that this stunning watch made from grade 5 titanium is still one of the coolest timepieces ever created. The RM’s funky elongated frame has a diameter of 51mm, but its impressive light weight and thinness means it doesn’t wear as much as its dimensions suggest. For someone as creative as Pharrell, this watch is the perfect accessory.
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Louis Vuitton
Taylor Swift Louis Vuitton Tambour
Louis Vuitton’s 2023 relaunch of the Tambour watch may not have sparked the same craze as the MoonSwatch Madness or the Tiny Cartier Tumult, but for watch guys and gals who love the original’s innovative case shape and playful design, it was a momentous occasion. However, it’s not nearly as momentous as Taylor Swift had one to wear to a Chiefs game last week. The singer-songwriter opted for the yellow gold version with a matching bracelet, which features a movement designed by the mad watchmaking geniuses at La Fabrique du Temps, now owned by LVMH.
