The Met Gala 2026 Watches Everyone is Talking About

Every year, the Met Gala delivers unforgettable fashion moments. But Met Gala 2026 did something different — it turned the red carpet into a horological showcase. From a $31 million Patek Philippe on Jay-Z's wrist to Irina Shayk wearing watches in place of clothing, the 2026 Met Gala watch moments rewrote what red carpet accessories can look like. Here is every major timepiece spotted on fashion's biggest night.

Met Gala 2026 — The Watches That Stole the Show

The 2026 Met Gala theme was "Fashion Is Art." Most guests interpreted that through couture. A handful took it further — with watches that functioned as wearable sculpture.

From Patek Philippe to Audemars Piguet to Bulgari, the wrists on that red carpet collectively represented tens of millions of dollars in horology. These were the standout timepieces of the night.

Jay-Z — Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime

Jay-Z paired a Louis Vuitton look with a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300. This is one of the most complicated wristwatches ever built.

The Grandmaster Chime packs 20 complications into a single reversible case. That includes a grande sonnerie, a date repeater, a perpetual calendar, and an alarm — all developed over 100,000 hours of production and assembly.

Depending on the specific variant, the Ref. 6300 trades between $5 million and $18 million on the secondary market. A unique stainless steel edition sold at auction in 2019 for over $31 million, making it the most expensive wristwatch ever sold.

Wearing this piece to the Met Gala was not a style choice. It was a declaration.

Dwayne Johnson — Jacob & Co. Billionaire III

Dwayne Johnson wore the most visually intense watch of the night: the Jacob & Co. Billionaire III.

More than 700 diamonds cover the case, bracelet, and skeletonized dial. The movement is fully exposed beneath the stones, which means the technical craft is on display alongside the jewelry. It reads less like a watch and more like a jeweled gauntlet.

Jacob & Co. built their reputation at the intersection of horology and high jewelry. The Billionaire III is the clearest statement of that. For anyone drawn to bust down watches and gem-set dials, this is the ceiling of what that aesthetic looks like at the highest level.

Rami Malek — Vintage Cartier Crash

Rami Malek wore a rare vintage Cartier Crash. Few watches carry more design history than this one.

The Crash features a deliberately asymmetrical, melted-looking case. The design references Salvador Dalí's 1931 Surrealist painting "The Persistence of Memory" — the one with the drooping clocks. For a red carpet with "Fashion Is Art" as its theme, the Crash was the most on-brief watch of the night.

Vintage Crash models are scarce. When they surface at auction, serious collector premiums follow.

Serena Williams — Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Perpetual Calendar

Serena Williams chose the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Openworked Perpetual Calendar to complement a Grecian-inspired metallic dress by Marc Jacobs.

The openworked dial removes the solid face and exposes the full movement architecture beneath the crystal. Every gear, cam, and lever is visible. It is precise and architectural in a way that worked exceptionally well against the structured lines of her gown.

Williams has consistently aligned herself with Audemars Piguet. This particular pairing was one of the more elegant watch-to-outfit decisions of the evening. The Royal Oak's bold octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet design have made it one of the most recognized watch silhouettes in the world. For a similar architectural aesthetic, moissanite AP watches carry that same Royal Oak geometry at a far more accessible price point.

Lisa — Bulgari Serpenti Spiga

Lisa wore a sculpted, veiled gown with one arm extended — wrapped in a diamond-encrusted Bulgari Serpenti Spiga High Jewelry watch.

The Serpenti Spiga does not sit on the wrist like a conventional watch. It coils around the arm as a jeweled sculpture with a timepiece at its center. Against a gown designed to look like a second skin, it became part of the silhouette rather than an addition to it.

It was one of the most photographed accessory moments of the night.

Irina Shayk — The Watch Outfit

Irina Shayk wore what became the most talked-about watch moment of Met Gala 2026. Her custom Alexander Wang look was constructed almost entirely from watches.

Two watches cuffed on each arm. A watch worn as a choker. A sculptural bralette with watches used as the straps and halter. Wang's note on the look: "She's got time today."

No single piece from the night generated more conversation across watch and fashion media. This is what happens when watches stop being accessories and become the concept.

Anderson Paak — Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin Openworked

Rapper Anderson Paak elevated his Amiri ensemble with an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin Openworked. White gold case and bracelet. Contrasting gray openworked dial.

The Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin is one of the most respected references in the AP catalog. An openworked version in white gold is a significant collector's piece.

Paak wearing it with a streetwear-rooted outfit is exactly where luxury watches and hip hop culture have landed in 2026 — fully merged, no apology required.

Maluma — Bulgari Octo Finissimo

Maluma wore the Bulgari Octo Finissimo, one of the thinnest mechanical watches currently in production. At 37mm wide and 6.35mm thick, it is a genuine feat of micro-watchmaking engineering.

Ultra-thin watches are among the hardest in the industry to produce. Every millimeter saved requires significant rearchitecting of the movement. The Octo Finissimo achieves this while keeping a bold, geometric case that photographs cleanly on the red carpet.

Most Expensive Watches at Met Gala 2026

The 2026 Met Gala red carpet assembled some of the most significant wristwear ever photographed at a single public event. Below is a breakdown of every notable watch from the night.

Values are based on publicly available market data and auction records. POA = Price on Application for custom or one-of-a-kind pieces.

These eight watches alone represent a conservative combined value that stretches into the tens of millions. The red carpet has never looked quite like this from a horological standpoint.

Celebrity watch culture has been growing for years. Posts on celebrity watch choices and moissanite watch trends break down how that shift is influencing what everyday buyers are looking for in 2026.

Conclusion

Met Gala 2026 will be remembered as the night watches became the story. Not the gowns, not the suits — the watches. Jay-Z, Dwayne Johnson, Lisa, Serena Williams, and Irina Shayk collectively showed that horology is now fashion's most powerful status signal. The demand for gem-set, iced-out timepieces continues to grow well beyond the red carpet. For those inspired by that aesthetic, moissanite watches offer the same visual impact without the eight-figure price tag.