Cartier now appears to be the official watch of the Kelce-Swift household. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce arrived at Arrowhead Stadium for a pregame matchup against the Rams wearing a gold Cartier Santos. The Parisian jeweler is quickly becoming a shared passion between Kelce and his new wife Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift is clearly a Cartier adherent and has worn a lovely gold Santos Damoiselle over the past year.
Her choice of the elegant riff on the Santos had an immediate effect on the marketplace for this model, flooding dealers’ Instas with DMs and inquiries. While Cartier has been hot for some years now—it’s the second-largest Swiss watchmaker by revenue after Rolex—the “Swift Effect” is very real. Stock of gold references like hers immediately disappeared from shelves both physical and digital as soon as she wore one.
Swift’s influence evidently works in close range, too, as her husband couldn’t resist picking up a gold Cartier himself. The Santos de Cartier shares a lineage with Swift’s—an homage to the Brazilian-French aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, a unique case design with a “riveted” bezel, etc.—but is much larger. The effect of Kelce’s is amped up by its skeletonized dial, meaning that pieces of of the movement have been removed so that the componentry is visible via the dial, making for a cool visual effect that reveals its manually wound structure.
The skeletonization on the Cartier cal
The skeletonization on the Cartier cal. 9612 MC is particularly cool, as the movement’s bridges actually form the classic Cartier Roman-numeral dial indices. The watch case itself is pure luxury. Made of 18K yellow gold, it measures 39.7mm in diameter but just 9.08 mm thick, lending it a dressy character despite its larger size. The riveted bezel and eight-sided cabochon crown immediately identify it as a Santos, as does the matching gold bracelet whose screws extend the bezel motif across the wrist.
But fear not: for $77K, you also get a second matte-grey alligator leather strap for a slightly more subtle wearing experience. The Santos is certainly having a (multi-year) moment. Ever since Cartier added several impressive new complicated pieces to the collection in 2024, collectors have begun taking increased notice. Though the original Santos was designed for its namesake male aviator, the collection—which spans the more elegant Santos-Dumont and Kelce’s sportier Santos de Cartier—is popular with both men and women, which makes it the perfect collection to feature on the wrists of the most popular couple on Earth.
With more Santos models and references in existence than you can shake a stick at, the good news is that anyone can find one that fits their particular tastes: steel or gold, large or small, simple or complicated, dressy or sporty. (Heck, if you happened to attend Swift and Kelce’s wedding, there’s a chance you might’ve snagged one in the rumored raffle, which included both luxury watches and a vintage 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle—the same model that the couple drove together during their first date.)
Dwayne Johnson’s Jacob & Co.
Billionaire Ashoka We hope that Dwayne Johnson had
Billionaire Ashoka
We hope that Dwayne Johnson had a few bodyguards nearby while receiving the Disney Legends award this past week in Anaheim. Because on his wrist was the Jacob & Co. Billionaire Ashoka, a diamond-studded watch worth some $3.3M. A limited edition of 18 pieces, its 18K white gold case and bracelet are dripping in baguette-cut diamonds, while its dial shows off the skeletonized Jacob & Co.
cal. JCAM23 hand-wound movement. The Billionaire watch is becoming a popular choice for celebrities hoping to make a statement. Maluma wore an emerald-studded version to the Met Gala last year, while DJ Khaled had on on his wrist at the 2022 Oscars. Chris Evans’ Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds
Appearing alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Hayley Atwell at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim this week, Chris Evans wore one of our favorite watches, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso.
His version of the early 1930s reversible watch, the Tribute Monoface Small Seconds, caught lots of attention upon its debut at Watches and Wonders 2025—made of pink gold, it features a matching, thin mesh bracelet as well as a matching golden grained dial. Inside is JLC’s cal. 822 movement, whose hand-wound operation calls back to that of the original 1931 Reverso. Flip over the case, meanwhile, and you’ll find a blank caseback perfect for engraving.
Devin Booker’s Cartier Crash Phoenix Suns shooting guard
Devin Booker’s Cartier Crash
Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker knows how to look fly courtside—just check out the killer Cartier he wore to a Phoenix Mercury game this week while sitting next to team owner Mat Ishbia. Far from a stock Tank or Santos, his Crash is part of a run of 400 pieces made in 1991 and sold at the firm’s Paris boutique. Crafted from 18K yellow gold, it features the model’s familiar warped case, Roman-numeral dial with blued steel sword hands, hand-wound movement, and simple black leather strap.
At 22mm in diameter, it wears small, giving it the elegant character that has captivated so much horological mindshare the past five years. Indeed, while we may be long past Peak Crash, there’s simply no stopping this unique watch from dominating the headlines. Drake’s Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ‘Ice Gradient’
This week, Drake showed off a unique one-of-one Cosmograph Daytona made especially for him by Rolex.
Fitted with a stunning gradient of pavé diamonds and sapphires, it’s thought to be amongst the most expensive Rollies ever made—though of course, its true value is impossible to estimate. Transitioning from clear diamond to blue sapphire throughout the clasp, bezel, and dial, the watch is arguably more fascinating for what it represents rather than as a physical timekeeper: unless you happen to be Drake—or the scion of an important family of Emirati jewelers—Rolex is not known for making pièces uniques for anyone.
That the Crown did so for Drake tells you something about his cultural importance, as well as his importance to Rolex as a client.
Source: www.gq.com
