On Hollywood’s biggest night, the Sinners boys served up sizzling-hot and very black-tie-appropriate wrist checks.
Michael B Jordan and Ryan Coogler have a long history of making good movies that The Academy enjoys. They’ve collaborated on films like Creed, Black Panther, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But last night they were out-out for their latest venture Sinners which scooped up four golden statuettes, including best original screenplay for Coogler and best actor for Jordan.
The duo serve as a shining example of what a good relationship between director and actor can look like, where a deep-rooted friendship nurtured over years translates to moving and impactful performances. In short, they’re singing from the same hymn sheet, not just on screen, but off it. For the ceremony, they both enlisted Louis Vuitton for their red carpet tailoring, and that same fitted-out telepathy extended to their wrist, too.
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Jordan wore the Piaget Tank reference 9297 for the occasion (which might, to the uninitiated, look like a Cartier Tank upon a zoomed-out first glance). This bad boy is from the early 1970s, boasting a rectangular gold case, with a sapphire crown on a black leather strap – all very uniform compliant dress watch behaviour. But when you’re up for an Oscar, you’ve got a license for a little bling (this is Hollywood’s big one, after all). And with that in mind, the 9297’s Pavé diamond dial nailed the brief good and proper. This is a watch that says you’re tight with your watch dealer, and that you like your wrist game a little old school (it’s from Jordan’s personal collection). It’s dressy, with just the right amount of red carpet bling. And for a guy like Jordan, known for his grounded approach and physical commitment to his roles, it shows the same devotion to his red carpet watches.
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Coogler pitched a similar vibe with his Cartier Tank à Guichets. This isn’t any old Tank, it’s actually a platinum version of the Maison’s jumping hour model that featured in its 2025 novelties. The original was first unveiled in 1928, and is hailed as a gem of art deco watch design, eschewing Cartier’s traditional Roman numerals for a jumping hour display (guichet means ticket window in French). The originals were supposedly only available in a run of 400, with a few made in the 1930s before they re-released in 1996 and then again last year. The 2025 version is a part of Cartier’s Privé collection, so you don’t see too many around (but the Oscars is a pretty good place to start if you do want to see one). Coogler is known for his thoughtful, intention-led approach to directing. So maybe the director behind one of 2025’s most acclaimed films wearing one of 2025’s most acclaimed watches is a little more than a coincidence.
With Oscar-worthy watches, there’s a few ways to go. You can go unreleased, rare, and ultra-hyped like Robert Pattinson’s unseen Jaeger-LeCoultre – which is a surefire way to stoke up the horological flames. But you can also buddy-up like Michael B Jordan and Ryan Coogler and drop neo-vintage and contemporary dress watch gold. Now that’s an Oscar-winning combination.
