UN’s underappreciated status certainly should change: The brand was founded in 1846 and became known as a maker of marine chronometers for many of the world’s navies. The company expanded in recent decades into forward-thinking, avant-garde designs such as the Freak. Utilizing silicon componentry and doing away with a conventional dial and hands, this model helped open the door to other thought-provoking, envelope-pushing, extremely high-end designs.
But the Freak is far from UN’s only notable model. Zuck’s Royal Sapphire Ruby—an outgrowth of a limited-edition sapphire watch from 2010—combines an almost completely transparent design with red spinel for a brilliant pop of color. Machined from a single block of lab-grown sapphire and cut down into a 44 mm case via diamond-cutting and CNC tooling, it measures a relatively restrained 12 mm tall despite its complicated innards. Set within the see-through case is the Ulysse Nardin cal. UN-79, a hand-wound movement equipped with white sapphire and lab-grown ruby spinel bridges. This construction methodology has the effect of making much of the movement seem invisible—a neat effect, to be sure. Of course, this wouldn’t be a UN watch without some kind of subtle complication, and to that end there’s a flying tourbillon situated at 6 o’clock, while a full wind of the crown provides 100 hours of power reserve.
Limited to just eight pieces, the Ruby version of the watch—it’s also available in Blue—lists for a cool $328,000, making it precisely the type of thing a tech mogul would snap up and wear with a T-shirt while taping a podcast about the possibilities of AI.
The latest UN on Zuck’s wrist solidifies the Meta founder’s status as one of the most impressive modern watch collectors on the planet. Although he’s newish to the hobby, Zuck is clearly a quick learner. From the start of his journey, he hasn’t been afraid to experiment with brands many folks don’t start collecting until after they’ve spent many years in this hobby. But Zuck’s assortment of pieces includes those from niche makers like De Bethune and H. Moser.
Glen Powell’s Omega De Ville Tresor
Our favorite fit of the week is Glend Powell in a Canadian tuxedo paired with a gold dress watch on a leather strap. Glen Powell made the look work by choosing an Omega De Ville Tresor to pair with jeans and a matching denim jacket. And while the Tresor isn’t nearly as popular as many other Omega classics— like the Speedy and the Seamaster 300M—its dressy character and straightforward design make it an extremely handsome piece—particularly so if much of the world seems to believe that you should be the next James Bond. (And even if he doesn’t get that License to Kill, he should keep rocking 007’s favorite watch brand.)
Patrick Mahomes’s Hublot Big Bang Original 20th Anniversary Red Magic
In another pairing that feels right on point, Patrick Mahomes rocked a sporty Hublot while attending the Texas Tech and BYU game last week. A Hublot brand ambassador, the Chiefs QB has his pick of the litter with respect to cool pieces. But the Big Bang Original 20th Anniversary Red Magic is a particularly neat watch. Measuring 42 mm in polished red ceramic and limited to 500 pieces, Mahomes’s watch boasts an in-house automatic Unico movement with a 72-hour power reserve; a skeletonized dial design with red accents and a dual-register chronograph layout; and black and red structured rubber straps. Water resistant to 100 metrrd and relatively light despite its larger size, it’s precisely the type of watch we expect to see on the wrist of one of the NFL’s most audacious players.
Tom Brady’s Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5990/1400G
When Gérald Genta designed the Nautilus in 1976, he likely wasn’t envisioning a watch that looked quite like Tom Brady’s version. The ref. 5990/1400G, is a Travel Time-equipped execution with second-time-zone functionality and…what else? Oh, right: White gold construction. a baguette diamond-set bezelc and a fully paved integrated bracelet with brilliant-cut diamonds. (Price on the secondary market? Think $1.5M.) With this many precious stones set into the case, this thing pretty much boasts a secondary complication: If you need a quick way out of a war-torn country via the last available seat on a rickety old Cessna, you can most certainly offer the pilot your Nautilus!
Lee Pace’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore
Appearing at The Running Man premier in NYC this week, actor Lee Pace wore a Royal Oak Offshore chronograph in full black ceramic with a matching bracelet and a classic Petite Tapisserie dial. Designed by Emmanuel Gueit and launched in 1993, the Offshore was meant to be a beefed-up, more overtly masculine take on Gérald Genta’s famed luxury sports watch. Genta himself was, to put it lightly, not crazy about it. However, the model went on to immense popularity when celebs ranging from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jay-Z began wearing it in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Having celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023, it continues to appear in the wild on the wrists of in-the-know collectors and fans.
