Real watch heads will know that Will Smith is a highly ordained member of the Hollywood watch guy fellowship. His collection spans sought after Rollies, Royal Oaks, and earlier this month he added an underrated but equally iconic Universal Genève Polerouter to it, which he debuted at the Grammys.
For last night’s Premio Lo Nuestro in Miami, a lesser known Spanish language awards show honouring Latin musicians and artists, it was a surprise Smith made an appearance, but no surprise the actor did so rocking another watch grail – this time a very rare Patek for a spin.
On the red carpet, Smith looked chill in a contrast stitch double-breasted suit and black tee. But he turned things up with a platinum Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph (ref 5971P) on his wrist. In terms of Patek’s roster of perpetual calendars, this one is often pitted against the 5970, considered by many to be the ultimate Patek Phillippe. Why? A mix of high end precious metals as well as the day, date, time, and moonphase functions, with a limited release of approximately 2,800 in all metals during its 2004-2011 production run is why.
Like Smith himself, the 5971P is extra. It’s the louder extroverted sibling reference to the 5970, and packs in 36 Top Wesselton baguette cut diamonds to the bezel, with added diamonds serving as hour markers set onto the pin buckle. This 2008 grail epitomises Patek Philippe’s high watchmaking prestige, packing in a manual wind Lemania-based movement into a very expensive glossy exterior. It’s exactly the kind of watch we’d expect from a guy who wrote dedicated an entire song to Miami with a music video packed with speed boats, supercars, and private jets.
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In terms of red carpet watch muscle, few compare to Patek Philippe’s prestige. Not only does the Swiss watchmaker design watches cased in ultra expensive diamonds, but they pack in meticulous attention to detail and craft. Just see the 5971P’s perpetual calendar functionality as an example of this. This balance between form and function comes at a cost – likely north of £250k.
Getting hold of precious watches like these is all about who you know. Smith sourced this high-horology banger from Adam Golden of Menta Watches, one of the world’s most respected vintage watch dealers. When you consider the actor’s watch collecting pedigree, having Golden on speed dial checks out.
Fresh from a low-key vintage flex at the Grammys, Will Smith once again pulls out the big guns here, showing Hollywood stars have a massive appetite for Haute Horology that even beginning to rival the music world. Indeed, with Menta watches sourcing Y2K Patek bangers, Will Smith might be the hungriest.