Mens Rolex Watches That Made It to Oscars

The 96th Annual Academy Awards had a lot on show, including Mens Rolex watches. While many people attend and watch this award show to see who’s winning what, fashion lovers enjoy the red carpet aspect of the show because that’s where all the glitz and glamor happens. For them, it’s all about who’s wearing what, and it’s not just about the suits and dresses.

Timepiece lovers enjoy watch spotting on big nights like this. As the biggest stars in Hollywood walk the red carpet in their perfectly customized outfits, many also wore remarkable horological masterpieces that are worth commenting on. Luxury brands like Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, and, of course, Rolex always manage to steal the show at these events.

Seeing a Rolex on a celebrity’s wrist at the Oscars is even more remarkable. For many other brands, the watches worn to the red carpet by the celebrities were most likely part of brand and celebrity partnerships.

Rolex is one of the few exceptions in this case. Since the brand does not lend or gift its pieces, any Rolex spotted on a celebrity at an event like this was most definitely purchased or received as a gift, which makes spotting them exciting, especially for watch enthusiasts and Rolex fans.

The Rolex brand is one of the proud sponsors of the Oscars award show for the eighth year in a row. Unsurprisingly, the star-studded event had some ardent Rolex fans among the famous faces in attendance. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the notable mens Rolex watches that made it to the Oscars red carpet and what makes each special.

Roger Federer In a Rolex Mens 2023 Rolex 'Le Mans' Daytona Ref. 126529LN

Movie stars and media personalities aren’t the only celebrities to expect on an Oscars night. Legendary athletes sometimes make an appearance, too, and in some cases, they manage to steal the show in their own way. This was certainly the case with Tennis legend Roger Federer, who attended the Oscars for the second time.

Federer is not just one of the greatest tennis players in history but also a Rolex Ambassador. It comes as no surprise to anyone that he had a Rolex watch on his wrist while attending the 2024 Academy Awards.

The watch in question was a Rolex Daytona, specifically, the Ref. 126529LN. The watch is also famously referred to as the Rolex 'Le Mans' Daytona because it was released in 2023 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The 40mm watch was a white gold variant with a Cerachrom bezel and a reverse panda dial. The Ref. 126529LN retailed for $51,400 when it was released in 2023.

Federer’s outfit to the Oscars likely took inspiration from one of Rolex’s most iconic characters. The Swiss-born athlete was pictured wearing a white dinner jacket and a stainless steel Rolex sports watch, practically the same outfit as Sean Connery when he played James Bond in Goldfinger. It’s hard to tell if the reference was intentional or a lucky coincidence.

William Belleau In A Rolex Datejust Ref. 1601

Actor William Belleau from the Oscar-nominated film Killers of the Flower Moon showed up in a simple but incredibly impressive outfit at the Oscars. To complete his fit, he wore a vintage Rolex Datejust reference 1601 in Yellow Gold with a 36mm casing ((42mm lug-to-lug).

The mens Rolex Datejust is an incredibly old watch collection from Rolex. It was first released in 1945 with the reference 4467. Interestingly, the original Datejust wasn’t referred to as “Datejust” since that name was not coined till the 1950s. The first Datejust was also limited to the 18K yellow gold casing. Rolex only started making stainless steel and other materials about a decade later.

The 1601, with its gray dial, also joined the catalog around this time. It was characterized by a unique combination of the fluted bezel, bold anthracite dial, and the applied baton markers. Given its reference number, the beautiful wristwatch worn by William Belleau dates back to some time around 1972. It’s a rare piece and its uncommon gray dial makes it totally unique. This particular Datejust reference does not currently exist in Rolex’s modern catalog, so it’s super vintage.

Mark Consuelos In A Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 In Yellow Gold

Actor Mark Consuelos had what was arguably one of the most coveted wristwatches at the 2024 Oscars. He strolled the red carpet with his wife (talk show host Kelly Ripa) wearing a vintage Rolex Daytona reference 6263.

Not only was it one of the best watches for the night, but the Daytona Reference 6263 is also one of the most popular Rolex watches ever. The one he had featured a black dial and bakelite bezel.

Vintage Rolex Daytonas are all the rave in the collector world. Rolex enthusiasts, especially those passionate about manual-wind chronographs, always look for this particular timepiece line. Daytona's popularity has soared so much that it can now be found among members of the general public.

Vintage Daytona watches are among Rolex’s most expensive watches, as they frequently break the million-dollar mark at auction. For instance, a Paul Newman Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 “Paul Newman” made global headlines when it sold for a whopping $17.8 million at a Phillips auction in 2017, becoming the most expensive Rolex watch ever sold.

Similarly, a Daytona reference 6263 (the same reference worn by Mark Consuelos to the Oscars) fetched $5.48 million at auction, while a Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 “Albino” sold for a whopping $1.4 million.

John Cena in a Rolex Explorer II

John Cena made himself one of the biggest talking points of Oscar 2024. Interestingly, it wasn’t for winning an award or wearing the perfect red carpet outfit. Cena became the top highlight for the 2024 Oscars for not wearing any outfit.

During one of the night's award presentation segments, Cena appeared on stage nearly naked to announce the best costume design category winner as part of a planned set-up with the night’s host, Jimmy Kimmel.

All he had on was a pair of Birkenstocks and his Rolex Explorer II watch, featuring a white dial and an arrow-shaped 24-hour hand. The watch, which can display two time zones simultaneously, currently retails for $9,650.

The Rolex Explorer II is an iconic sports watch designed specifically for people working in dark areas, such as cave divers or polar explorers. The unique design of this watch helps them tell the time perfectly regardless of the time of the day or night. The rugged design of this watch fit perfectly with Cena’s ripped physique.

Cena wearing a Rolex was his unusual skit, which isn’t entirely surprising. The pro-wrestler-turned-actor has shown many occasions that he’s fond of Rolex watches. Apart from the Explorer, his Rolex collection also includes a Rolex GMT-Master II Batman and Rolex Daytona Everose.

A New Rolex Day Date In The Vitrine

Perhaps the biggest Rolex at this year’s Oscars didn’t appear on the red carpet at all. Instead, it was in the vitrine built into the Rolex Greenroom, an exclusive backstage hangout area for the nominees and winners.

As one of the key sponsors of one of the year's biggest events, Rolex used the opportunity to quietly debut a new Day-Date placed in the Rolex-themed lounge, which typically hosts a handful of Crown-made clocks.

Rolex didn’t make any major fuss about its new watch at the ceremony, even though it didn’t officially exist anywhere until the Oscars. The only mention of this new piece was in a press release about the Green Room. The watch also showed up briefly at the end of the brand’s TV ad spot at the event.

However, the watch is sort of a big deal. It’s a version of the Day-Date (famously nicknamed “the President '' by the public). This special edition watch at the Oscars came in 18 K Everose gold and featured a slate ombré dial that fades from dark to light outwardly from the center. The President collection was launched originally in 1956 and has remained a notable part of the Rolex watch family for over 70 years.

Conclusion

While viewers worldwide gathered to find out the night's biggest winners at the 96th Annual Academy Awards, award winners were not the only things unveiled for the night. Fashion statements were made, and fashion styles debuted on the red carpet. As expected from such a star-studded event, watch spotters were not disappointed as the annual Oscar event had several impressive timepieces from various top celebrities.