Why colourful watches are taking over the red carpet – Timothée Chalamet and Tyler The Creator are fans

All eyes were on Timothée Chalamet at the Los Angeles premiere of Marty Supreme last December, as he arrived hand in hand with girlfriend Kylie Jenner in matching bright-orange outfits, custom made by the Hollywood-based brand Chrome Hearts. Watch fans, however, were more interested in catching a glimpse of what was strapped to Chalamet’s wrist. The actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as the Jewish table tennis champion in the Josh Safdie comedy-drama, opted for a timepiece that marked a notable departure from his recent Cartier run, the watchmaker he’s become closely associated with over the last few years. Instead of his usual teeny Panthère, Chalamet opted for an under-the-radar gem: the Urban Jürgensen UJ-2, worn on a custom orange strap to match his tangerine leather suit. Limited to only 25 pieces, the watch is a buzzy new launch from the 250-year-old watchmaker, revived last year by entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Rosenfield. It’s also more proof that juicy shades of colour are now spilling beyond the watch case and dial onto coordinated straps. Unlike a dial, a strap is a low-effort way to update a watch you already own. It’s also one of the few styling decisions that can make a familiar model feel new again without touching the case or movement. Brynn Wallner, founder of Dimepiece – a platform launched in 2020 dedicated to women and watches – sees the return of colour in watchmaking as a response to several years of more low-key fashion trends. “As the ‘stealth wealth’ trend gained popularity a few years ago, we saw wardrobes leaning more minimal; all Loro Piana beige … This aesthetic has loosened its grip on the public imagination, and we might be gearing towards full-on maximalism, but everyday celeb looks tend to be more understated and classic,” she says. “A cool watch on a coloured strap is a nice way to introduce a pop of colour and fun to balance out the minimalism.” At the Marty Supreme New York premiere just over a week later, Chalamet was photographed alongside Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary – a serious watch collector who’s even been known to wear two timepieces at once – and Tyler The Creator. O’Leary double-wristed a 1952 Patek Philippe “Hour Glass” dress watch in yellow gold and a vintage Seiko, both on funky red straps to pick up the burgundy of his suiting. Tyler, meanwhile, chose an obscure quartz-powered Pierre Balmain dress watch: a petite, gold-plated rectangular piece with a silvered dial featuring what appears to be a floral motif executed in engraving. It was created to commemorate the brand’s 50th anniversary in the mid-1990s. “Coordinating colours with contrasting colours can be fun when executed right,” notes Wallner. “I love Tyler, The Creator wearing a baby-blue suit with a yellow shirt and his dark-green watch strap. But it can be difficult to pull off this type of look without his innate swagger.” Strap colour, Wallner adds, can be what makes a watch stand out in a photo, particularly when it’s not a widely recognisable model. “When we’re viewing everything through Instagram, we need accessories that will cut through the noise and make us pause the scroll for a second,” she says. “A bright-orange strap on Timothée’s Urban Jürgensen watch was a smart way to draw attention and awareness to a piece that might have otherwise gone unnoticed by the general non-watch-obsessed population.” Brands have clocked the shift, too. Increasingly, colour isn’t confined to the dial: it runs straight through the strap or bracelet, turning a watch into a fully coordinated hit of colour. Cartier has certainly leaned into the look with its Tank Must models in monochrome red, blue and green, right down to the coordinating strap. Hyunjin, of the Korean boy band Stray Kids, is a fan of the red version. The Santos takes things a step further with interchangeable straps and bracelets, making it easy to switch moods depending on what you’re wearing. Chanel’s new Première Ribbon Red, meanwhile, embraces the same spirit, dressing the house’s signature Première – with its octagonal case, pared-back dial and no seconds hand – in bright red, from the sunray red-lacquered dial to the matching velvety rubber strap. Hublot, too, has doubled down on colour-led releases with models such as the Classic Fusion Sage Green, and the Big Bang and Spirit of Big Bang Coal Blue editions, where soft pastel tones carry from dial to strap. Zenith, meanwhile, keeps colourful designs wearable through pieces like the Defy Skyline Ice Blue. The same colour combos are showing up among independents, too. Swiss label Gerald Charles’ Maestro GC Sport Tennis comes in a blinding optic yellow, as vivid as a tennis ball, with a matching strap that turns the watch into one block of punchy colour. For those looking to have a go at the trend, Wallner’s advice is to begin conservatively, assuming you’re experimenting outside a red carpet setting. “If you’re at home and curious to play around with colours, maybe start with a more minimal look, accessorising a navy sweater and jeans with, say, a pink strap for just the right amount of pop,” she says. The result is a small shift – but one that makes the watch feel instantly more styled.

Why colourful watches are taking over the red carpet – Timothée Chalamet and Tyler The Creator are fans

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Marty Supreme star’s Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 had a custom orange strap, while the rapper’s Pierre Balmain watch was a lush dark green

The Marty Supreme star’s Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 had a custom orange strap, while the rapper’s Pierre Balmain watch was a lush dark green