There are watch brands that show up as placements on the red carpet and then there are watch brands that understand the red carpet as a medium, meant to amplify and enrich their messaging. As WWD’s Red Carpet Watch of the Year, Omega is firmly in the latter camp.
The Swiss-made timepiece’s strategy is built on a deep bench of ambassadors and a product range that lets stylists pick a watch the way they might pick a shoe to complete a sartorial idea — cementing an image.
“The red carpet is where craft and cultural moment come together and where perfection and timing meet,” Raynald Aeschlimann, chief executive officer of Omega, said to WWD. “For a brand built on precision, there’s no better stage. We offer a range of timepieces that fit personality and individual style, which means our ambassadors make personal choices that feel authentic.“
Beyond the red carpet there is the James Bond effect. Since 1995 the world’s most famous spy on film has worn an Omega Seamaster, an association that has created a shorthand that signals confidence, a sure bet on the wrist of an industry veteran or up-and-comer.
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But its red carpet legacy isn’t built on a single breakout moment. Instead, it’s built on accumulation. Year after year, the brand has quietly embedded itself into the visual language of awards season.
“There are so many,“ the CEO said of the moments that mattered in 2025, naming Colman Domingo wearing his Speedmaster to the Academy Awards, Nicole Kidman in a De Ville at the SAG Awards, Kieran Culkin accepting his Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars in a De Ville Trésor 18-karat Sedna Gold, Noah Lyles at the Met Gala and Ariana DeBose at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards as among them.
“These were standout moments where Omega was part of the celebration,” he remarked of the list.
Then there’s Cindy Crawford — arguably Omega’s most quietly powerful example of what red carpet influence looks like when it’s sustained rather than viral. Omega brought her on as a brand ambassador in 1995, and that longevity is a statement in itself — not a seasonal campaign but a relationship.
“I was asked to do a campaign with a dear friend of mine, photographer Herb Ritts,” Crawford candidly shared with WWD about her early connection the watchmaker. “And after that shoot, they invited me to Milan to do an appearance with them. After that, we just realized that we work great together, and the relationship was born.”
With the help of Crawford the brand was early in treating women’s watches as red carpet objects rather than afterthoughts.
“That was a fun thing that we were doing in the ’90s,” Crawford said of the idea to bring more fashion to women’s timepieces. “I got to help participate in designing the redesign of the Constellation watch for women,” she said, adding that over the years she has had “so many incredible experiences” at events and doing philanthropy.
“Just being part of the Omega family in those circumstances has truly added so much to my life,” the supermodel said.
Crawford is a fashion legend but she’s also mainstream culture, business credibility, and a classic Americana glamor, and Omega has consistently positioned her not as a trend vector but as a standard-bearer.
“I’ve literally been around the world with Omega,” she said, including a trip to Peru with her daughter Kaia Gerber, who along with her brother Presley have been brand ambassadors since 2017. “I feel like Omega has really had so many incredible adventures that I’ve been on with them. Of course, it’s about promoting the brand, but what also what the brand stands for, which is quality and heritage.”
Over the years Crawford has been joined by a range of notables including George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, but Omega looks beyond Hollywood, choosing “the best in their field,” Crawford said, including Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and golfers Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia.
“I love that about Omega — their arms are open wide, and they really try to bring in people from all different walks of life,” said Crawford. “Because that’s what Omega is. There is a watch for everyone.”
