A brand-new collection from the world’s most highly regarded watchmaker is going to generate its fair share of both praise and controversy—indeed, everyone’s a critic, and most of them haven’t even tried the watches on yet. Clearly, Ibrahimovic is an early adopter, and unlike Wahlberg, prefers the complicated version. With other complicated references undoubtedly coming down the pike, the rest of us civilians will have to wait patiently to see what else Patek has up its cube-shaped sleeve.
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Luke Combs’s Patek Philippe ref. 5935A
Wow! Combs, already a prolific watch collector, pulled out all the stops with his latest piece. The country singer was spotted with a Patek Philippe ref. 5935A, a gorgeous world timer/flyback chronograph from the brand’s Complications line. Housed in a 41mm case, it’s remarkable for its stainless steel construction, which is rare for a company whose primary focus is precious metals. The rose-gilt opaline dial features a world-time display. The elegant traveler’s complication was developed by Louis Cottier in the early 20th century and has long featured in Patek’s catalog. Combined with a flyback chronograph powered by an automatic movement, however, it takes on an entirely different flavor.
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Francisco Lindor’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept ‘Black Panther Flying Tourbillon’
It’s a great week for watches that stole headlines. While Patek’s Cubitus is currently taking up much of the horological oxygen, that status once belonged to Francisco Lindor’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept ‘Black Panther Flying Tourbillon.’ This limited-edition watch, which AP made 250 pieces of, puts the Marvel superhero front and center on the dial straddling Abraham-Louis Breguet’s famous gravity-compensating invention. Seen wearing it at the Knicks-Pacers game this week at Madison Square Garden, Lindor is far from the first celebrity athlete to rock the Black Panther: LeBron was an early adopter back in 2021 when the watch first launched, and Serena Williams strapped one on as well. (The Spiderman equivalent, meanwhile, has been worn by both John Mayer and Ed Sheeran, who dared each other to pick up the piece.)
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Colman Domingo’s Panthère de Cartier
It’s tough to argue with the Panthère de Cartier, one of Cartier’s most elegant collections. While the line is described as distinctly feminine by the brand and marketed to women, the zeitgeist of late has allowed for much more widespread adoption. Case in point: the ever-dapper Colman Domingo wearing the 18K yellow gold model in the Large size to the 2024 LACMA Art+Film Gala at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. When stacked with an assemblage of shiny Cartier jewelry—earrings, bracelet, and rings included—the Panthère de Cartier is undeniable as a masterpiece of unisex design.
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Bruce Springsteen’s Rolex GMT-Master II
To poorly paraphrase the Springsteen jam “Land of Hope and Dreams,” “I don’t know where we’re (horologically) going, but I know we won’t be back.” Ever since The Boss wore a beat-up old Heuer Autavia a few years ago—the first time I had ever clocked the guy wearing a watch—my Spidey senses perked up. He’s since worn an old Breitling on a Rolling Stone interview, and my brain momentarily shut down. Now the guy is spotted outdoors wearing a Rolex? Needless to say, a $10,000+ dual-time Rollie was not on my Boss bingo card when I came up in Bergen County, N.J. Thoughts on what’s next? Asking because I need to mentally steel myself for the moment he turns up at the Prudential Center to play Darlington County wearing a Royal Oak.