No matter the brand, the watch Smith chose was always going to be slightly more lowkey. Because of the silver thread in the Men in Black star’s Balmain jacket, Wind focused mainly on pieces in stainless steel, white gold, and platinum (as opposed to yellow or rose gold) The dealer also brought options with black straps—and even the Polerouter could have been outfitted with one—but Smith preferred to keep it on the bracelet. “I wasn’t sure which watch Will would pick,” Wind said over text Sunday night, “but it was awesome to see him pick such an iconic design and great example!”
The specific watch Smith chose is a Universal Genève Polerouter reference S 20217-5, double-stamped with the name of its original retailer: Joyeria Milos from Havana, Cuba. The Polerouter is one of the most famous and recognizable models from Universal Genève, which is set to relaunch next year after 35 years of dormancy. This particular reference is one of the earlier Polerouter examples.
Over the past few years, I’ve watched timepieces become an increasingly important piece of a celebrity’s red-carpet arsenal. What started with an invasion of sporty stainless steel pieces eventually gave way to sleeves hemmed specifically for wrist shots. However, the presence of a vintage watch from a brand that hasn’t been operational in over three decades on a megastar’s wrist feels like another level entirely. The Polerouter isn’t a watch made to impress the masses; only the few, the brave, the watch freaks like myself will even care. As Tobias Fünke once said, there are dozens of us—but as Smith’s choice of red carpet shows, we are growing exponentially.
