You Have to Dream Big to Get Timothée Chalamet’s Obscenely Rare Watch

It’s one thing to rock a fresh Cartier staple each week on a step-and-repeat when you’re a bona fide brand ambassador of the Parisian maison . It’s quite another to collect the biggest names in high-end independents, from Urban Jürgensen to relative newcomer Simon Brette . Indeed, from our vantage point, it seems that Timothée Chalamet , the watch collector supreme, has officially entered the chat. Earlier this week, the actor joined, and held his own, against top-notch watch collectors Tyler the Creator and Mr. Wonderful as the three compared wrist candy at the LA premier of Marty Supreme. Wearing the fairly new Urban Jürgensen UJ-2, Chalamet signaled his Swiss credentials to the real watch heads via a double-wheel natural escapement and a finely guillochéd dial. This week, he ratcheted up the heat a notch by strapping on the Chronomètre Artisans, a highly limited-series piece from phenom watchmaker Simon Brette . If you haven’t heard of either the Chronomètre Artisans or Simon Brette, fear not, the brand is still relatively new to the scene. For the uninitiated, however, this is a watch that deserves your attention: Released early in 2023, it’s a “soucription” piece in the old Breguet model-financed through deposits from buyers before it was ever made-of stunning quality and design. Taking the form of a time-only dress watch, it features a stunning red gold dial hand-finished in a special “dragon scale” pattern. When combined with openings that reveal the movement’s componentry-plus a gorgeous “observatory” handset and a classically-influenced hour track-the results are revelatory. Chalamet’s came on a blue strap to match his Marty Supreme jacket. And this is to say nothing of the movement: When you flip the watch over, a hand-made, hand-wound caliber of the type that captures deep watch guys’ imaginations is revealed: With dual barrels providing 72 hours of power reserve, it boasts a mix of titanium and non-magnetic Phynox componentry, plus a beautifully finished, anthracite three-quarter plate, plenty of interior angles, lots of mirror polishing, and more. Even at a sticker price of CHF 60,000 (roughly $75,000), this is an impressive feat of hand-craftsmanship, and it’s little wonder that Brette’s output of just a dozen pieces per year was completely allocated as soon as word got out about his debut model. How impossible is it to get your hands on one of Simon Brette’s watches? On Friday, the brand announced a new version of the Chronomètre Artisans, the first ever made out of steel. The new watches, that come with either a green or purple dial, were announced alongside a disappointing disclaimer for hopeful buyers. “As an independent watch brand,” Simon Brette wrote on social media the very day of the watch’s debut, “the watch allocation process begins well before the public presentation. Thus, all pieces found buyers among the hundreds of collectors who were able to express their interest.” This takes IYKYK to a new level. Given the sort of pieces that Chalamet’s been rocking lately, it’s not entirely surprising that he would’ve...

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