The 7 Best Watches of the Week, From Kyle Kuzma’s De Bethune to Usain Bolt’s Hublot (2024)

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• Kyle Kuzma: De Bethune DB28XS Purple Rain

  

  De Bethune only debuted the DB28XS Purple Rain two weeks ago, but Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has already got his hands on the limited-edition watch. As its name suggests, the Purple Rain showcases a new type of eye-catching purple titanium the ​​indie Swiss watchmaker created with a meticulous heat treatment called thermal oxidation. Featuring a modest 38.7 mm case, the newcomer also incorporates many of De Bethune’s signatures, such as a floating lug system and a random guilloché decoration on the dial. Limited to a scant 25 pieces, the Purple Rain costs $99,000 a pop.

• Usain Bolt: Hublot Big Bang King Gold Ceramic

  

  Usain Bolt not only has eight Olympic gold medals, he has a gold Hublot watch, too. The retired Jamaican sprinter flaunted a glitzy Big Bang King Gold at this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards. The watch features a sapphire dial, a black ceramic bezel, and a hefty 42 mm case in Hublot’s King Gold. The Swiss watchmaker combined 18-karat gold with platinum to create the warm, reddish alloy. At the heart of the reference lies a self-winding skeleton chronograph movement (HUB4700) that beats at a frequency of 5 Hz, allowing an accuracy of 1/10th of a second. The watch also offers up to 50 hours of power reserve. You can get your own horological gold medal for $41,600.

• Tom Brady: Cartier Crash

  

  Retired NFL legend Tom Brady eschewed his Pateks and Richard Milles in favor of a coveted Cartier for this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards. Released in 2023, the modern Crash (CRWGCH0050) takes design cues from the 1960s original but showcases a flashy new platinum case and an updated movement. Platinum gives the watch a contemporary feel while rendering it durable and scratch-resistant. The timepiece also showcases a clean white dial, a gray calfskin strap, and a ruby cabochon on the crown. Priced at £43,000 (roughly $53,500) at the time of release, this reference is available exclusively at the Cartier’s London boutique on New Bond Street, where the Crash was born over 50 years ago.

• Novak Djokovic: Hublot Big Bang All Black Pavé

  

  Novak Djokovic rocked an ace Hublot timepiece as he was named Sportsman of the Year at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards. The Serbian tennis star, who is a noted watch collector and a Hublot ambassador, opted for a dazzling all-black Big Bang for the ceremony. The timepiece features a 42 mm case and bezel made of black ceramic and set with black pavé diamonds. The rubber strap and clasp are also black in keeping with the monochromatic design. The sapphire dial gives a clear view of the self-winding skeleton chronograph movement (HUB4700), which provides a power reserve of 50 hours. This particular reference isn’t currently on the Swiss watchmaker’s site, but you can get a similar all-black Big Bang sans bling for $27,400. Coincidently, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wore that piece (Black Magic) to the Time100 Gala on Thursday night.

• Matthew McConaughey: Jacob & Co. The World Is Yours Dual Time Zone

  

  Matthew McConaughey made quite the horological statement at the annual Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M) charity gala in Austin. The actor wore Jacob & Co.’s bonkers the World Is Yours Dual Time Zone watch to the star-studded soiree on Thursday. Limited to 999 pieces, the highly functional and captivating traveler’s timepiece features a 43 mm rose-gold case and a domed crystal with a lacquered blue dial underneath. In addition to a detailed world map, the dial is adorned with two subdials that show different time zones. The self-winding caliber JCAA11 allows the subdials to be set separately, meaning that each one displays a different hour and minute. Flip it over, the rose-gold caseback is engraved with a world map. Traveler’s timepiece, indeed.

• Anthony Anderson: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph

  

  Black-ish star Anthony Anderson wore a white-ish Audemars Piguet to a recent basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks. Building upon the original ‘90s Royal Oak chronograph, this modern reference pairs a 41 mm pink-gold case and bracelet with a silver-toned grande tapisserie dial. Under the sapphire crystal lie three silver-toned counters, an angled date display, and pink-gold hour markers and hands. The beating heart is, of course, a flyback chronograph movement (Calibre 4401) that provides an impressive power reserve of 70 hours. Anderson’s flashy courtside companion will set you back $78,200.

• Steve Carell: Omega Speedmaster

  

  The Omega Steve Carell rocked on the opening night of Uncle Vanya is most certainly a Speedmaster, but the exact reference is a mystery at this stage. Our resident watch expert Allen Farmelo, his watch-nerd friends, and even the folks at Omega had difficulty identifying the timepiece from this particular shot. The dial looks chocolate brown—which suggests it is a tropical vintage Speedy—but Carell’s cuff obscures the bracelet and other micro details that would help us determine the exact model. Some of thos nerds are going with Reference 3570, and assuming its chocolatey color is attributable to strange lighting. If it is indeed a Tropical from the ‘60s, the Office star would have spent a pretty penny to get it: One Ref. 2915-1 (pictured) sold for a record $3.4 million at a Phillips auction in 2021, but turned out to be a fake. Another Ref. 2998-1 hammered down for $115,000 at Fellows in 2018. Don’t want to drop the cash? Just get a standard-issue Speedy for $7,000 and cleverly position your sleeves.