Timothée Chalamet, Tyler the Creator and Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary show off watches with coloured straps at December’s New York premiere of Marty Supreme. Photo: Variety via Getty Images
The Marty Supreme star’s Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 had a custom orange strap, while the rapper’s Pierre Balmain watch was a lush dark green
All eyes were on Timothée Chalamet at the Los Angeles premiere of Marty Supreme last December, as he arrived hand in hand with girlfriend Kylie Jenner in matching bright-orange outfits, custom made by the Hollywood-based brand Chrome Hearts. Watch fans, however, were more interested in catching a glimpse of what was strapped to Chalamet’s wrist.
The actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as the Jewish table tennis champion in the Josh Safdie comedy-drama, opted for a timepiece that marked a notable departure from his recent Cartier run, the watchmaker he’s become closely associated with over the last few years. Instead of his usual teeny Panthère, Chalamet opted for an under-the-radar gem: the Urban Jürgensen UJ-2, worn on a custom orange strap to match his tangerine leather suit.
Timothée Chalamet at the New York premiere of Marty Supreme in December 2025. Photo: handout
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Limited to only 25 pieces, the watch is a buzzy new launch from the 250-year-old watchmaker, revived last year by entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Rosenfield. It’s also more proof that juicy shades of colour are now spilling beyond the watch case and dial onto coordinated straps.
Unlike a dial, a strap is a low-effort way to update a watch you already own. It’s also one of the few styling decisions that can make a familiar model feel new again without touching the case or movement.
Chanel’s Première Ribbon Red. Photo: Handout
Brynn Wallner, founder of Dimepiece – a platform launched in 2020 dedicated to women and watches – sees the return of colour in watchmaking as a response to several years of more low-key fashion trends. “As the ‘stealth wealth’ trend gained popularity a few years ago, we saw wardrobes leaning more minimal; all Loro Piana beige … This aesthetic has loosened its grip on the public imagination, and we might be gearing towards full-on maximalism, but everyday celeb looks tend to be more understated and classic,” she says. “A cool watch on a coloured strap is a nice way to introduce a pop of colour and fun to balance out the minimalism.”
Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 Tourbillon. Photo: Handout
At the Marty Supreme New York premiere just over a week later, Chalamet was photographed alongside Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary – a serious watch collector who’s even been known to wear two timepieces at once – and Tyler The Creator. O’Leary double-wristed a 1952 Patek Philippe “Hour Glass” dress watch in yellow gold and a vintage Seiko, both on funky red straps to pick up the burgundy of his suiting. Tyler, meanwhile, chose an obscure quartz-powered Pierre Balmain dress watch: a petite, gold-plated rectangular piece with a silvered dial featuring what appears to be a floral motif executed in engraving. It was created to commemorate the brand’s 50th anniversary in the mid-1990s.
