Turns out Timothe Chalamet isn't a Cartier only watch guy after all
DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS
If the word coming out of the New York Film Festival’s surprise premiere of Josh Safdie’s upcoming Marty Supreme is to be believed, Timothée Chalamet season has come early this year. The ping-pong epic (not a typo) is getting rave reviews thus far, with Chalamet ascending overnight to the top of the Best Actor race for the imminent awards season. These days, any time the young actor so much as steps out the door of his apartment, every conceivable detail of his fit gets documented by menswear heads, Instagram accounts, and esteemed men’s magazines – and the Marty Supreme premiere proved no different.
Chalamet hit Alice Tully Hall in head-to-toe (okay, head-to-ankle) black, sporting an understated leather jacket, a hoodie, leather pants, and beat-up tan combat boots, plus a now-customary black dad cap covering up his clearly shaven dome (much respect for his commitment to not revealing the look until the trailer for Dune: Part 3 hits).
The look’s lone flash of bright colour came from his wrist. Chalamet was rocking a timepiece that marked a departure from his mainstay of Cartier, the watchmaker with whom he’s become synonymous over the last couple of years. Instead of his typical dainty Panthère, Chalamet opted for a chunky stunner sure to make all true horological nerds’ heads spin: the Urban Jürgensen UJ-2.
Turns out Timothe Chalamet isn't a Cartier only watch guy after all
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Turns out Timothe Chalamet isn't a Cartier only watch guy after all
Urban Jürgensen might not have the instant name-recognition that brands like Rolex and Omega do, but they’re far from a new endeavour. The 250-year-old brand was revived this year by Andrew Rosenfield after a relative fallow period. It became one of the buzziest stories in the watch world, largely thanks to Rosenfield and son Alex (who now serves as the brand’s CEO) installing Kari Voutilainen, one of the most revered names in the game, as their master watchmaker. After four years of work, the brand relaunched over the summer with three timepieces: the UJ-1, UJ-2, and UJ-3. They sold out immediately and became the toast of the watch world. Urban Jürgensen’s timepieces are tailor-made for the IYKYK crowd, folks who have seen enough 36mm vintage Rolex Datejusts to last a lifetime and need something deeper, denser, and more steeped in horological craft and lore to really get their blood pumping.
Josh Safdie and Timothe Chalamet at the Marty Supreme screening.
Josh Safdie and Timothée Chalamet at the Marty Supreme screening.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Count Timothée Chalamet among them. He wore the UJ-2 – which retails for 105,000 Swiss francs, roughly £98K – to the Marty Supreme premiere, going with the platinum edition of the watch. It sports a silver dial with a double-wheel movement, set off by blue hands not dissimilar to the ones on the Cartiers he so often sports. The case is 39mm and just a hair under 11mm thick, giving it some real heft compared to his usual rotation. Most notable is that orange rubber strap, an aftermarket option not offered by Urban Jürgensen. It looks great on the UJ-2, but one can’t help but wonder if it’s Chalamet bringing an extra New York touch to a deeply New York movie – the NBA season is just around the corner and his beloved Knicks are once again looking to go the distance come spring. An orange strap with blue hands? Call it an omen: Knicks in 5, Best Actor in a Leading Role come Oscar season.