Welcome to Watches of the Week, where we’ll track the rarest, wildest, and most covetable watches spotted on celebrities.
Every story about Keanu Reeves seems to exist only to burnish the legend of Keanu Reeves. Like this one: in 2021, after filming wrapped for John Wick: Chapter 4, Reeves bought the group of stuntmen who worked with him on the film Rolex Submariners. Each watch was engraved with the recipient’s name and the line “Thank you Keanu JW4 2021.” It wasn’t clear, however, whether or not Reeves had picked up one for himself. Now we may have an answer: Reeves wore a Rolex Submariner to the movie’s premiere on Monday.
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The same qualities that make the Sub a great choice for a stuntman make it a great watch for someone like Reeves. The Submariner is known for being tough and reliable. And unlike Wick, the Submariner’s never had to consider whether or not it was back—the watch has remained a collector favorite since its debut in 1954.
Reeves showing off his Submariner makes the stuntmen’s gift even sweeter. Not only do they have a watch with an engraving from the actor, but his Sub now links them all together. As for Reeves, he’s in some legendary company: Paul Newman famously gave his stuntman a Rolex Daytona and GMT.
Nicholas Braun’s Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph
When Nicholas Braun wants to get dressed in the affirmative fashion, he needs only one watch: the VC Overseas. While Vacheron only just released its first panda-dial (white dial with black subdials) last month, this reverse panda has been around since 2018. This Overseas helped Vacheron make inroads into the market of luxury-sports watches, the very pieces celebrities like Braun want to wear on the red carpet in 2023.
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Lebron James’s Rolex GMT-Master II
The 2023 edition of the watch trade show Watches & Wonders kicks off on Monday, and collectors everywhere will be watching to see this year’s new releases. (I’ll be posting updates from there all week.) Last year, one of the big headlines coming out of the fair was this green-and-black GMT “destro,” so named because it was made for lefties, with the crown placed on the left side of the case. Next week, we’ll get to see what James might be wearing on the sidelines next season.
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Rob Lowe’s Patek Philippe Nautilus
This is exactly how I stand when I’ve just received a new watch: Fist raised triumphantly in the air, so that the piece pops out of my sleeve. With a watch this good, not even Lowe can resist the move. This version of the beloved Nautilus comes tricked out with an annual calendar (which needs to be reset every year, whereas a perpetual will work seamlessly until the year 2100) and moonphase complication. The kicker is the black alligator-leather strap that tilts the sporty Nautilus into full-on luxury territory.
Regé-Jean Page’s Longines Dolcevita
I commend Page for being a dutiful soldier in the fight for square-shaped watches. The DolceVita is a handsome and surprisingly affordable (or relatively so, at $1,775) option for collectors trying to get in on the trend. Not many watches are inspired by “the Italian way of life,” but according to its product page, the DolceVita is one of those rare watches. Well, in that case: I love-a this-a watch.
