Rolex Dominated the Oscars in 2026 — Here's What You May Have Missed

Rolex was a proud sponsor of the 98th Academy Awards — the tenth consecutive year of this partnership. The Crown dominated the red carpet on the wrists of some of the evening's biggest names, ran arguably the best commercials of the broadcast, and had its fingerprints on the venue itself, from the official Greenroom backstage to the large fluted-bezel wall clocks mounted throughout the venue. While awards shows can sometimes feel like one long commercial, Rolex's presence last night was worth paying attention to — beyond the watches themselves. But of course, we have to start with the watches.

The Rolexes of the 2026 Oscars

Conan O'Brien - Rolex Land-Dweller 40 ref. 127334

Host Conan O'Brien wore Rolex's most significant recent release: the Land-Dweller — what looked like the 40mm white dial version. This watch, and specifically the movement inside, challenges centuries old technologies and brings two of Rolex's most iconic designs — the fluted bezel and Jubilee bracelet — into a vintage-inspired but decidedly modern integrated design. Given the sponsorship context, Conan's watch reads as a placement (par for the course here), but it's a great watch nonetheless.

Leonardo DiCaprio - Rolex Perpetual 1908 Platinum Ice Blue ref. 52506

Leonardo DiCaprio went the dressy route with the Perpetual 1908 ref. 52506 in platinum, fitted with the ice blue guilloché dial at $33,600 retail. You don't see these in the wild much, so it's sort of a treat when one surfaces on a major stage like this. DiCaprio is a relatively new Rolex ambassador, officially joining in February of 2025. As one of the biggest stars, nominated for Best Actor, this watch placement is very intentional — I think it was the obvious and correct choice. The platinum 1908 is the ultimate modern dress Rolex, and DiCaprio is wearing a tuxedo. One Battle After Another took home Best Picture and Best Director on the night, so he had reason to celebrate.

Zendaya - Rolex Lady-Datejust ref. 279459RBR

Zendaya is one of Rolex's newest ambassadors, officially joining in October 2025, and the brand made a statement with the watch they put on her wrist. The Lady-Datejust ref. 279459RBR — 28mm, white gold, factory-paved diamond dial, diamond-set bezel, and diamond President bracelet — retails at $177,400. Honestly, I didn't know this watch existed before last night, and I cover this stuff for a living. It's one of the most comprehensively set pieces in Rolex's current catalog, and for most people watching the broadcast, it was the shiniest watch in the room.

Matt Friend - Rolex Daytona ref. 126518LN

The standout story from a collector's perspective, though, is Matt Friend's yellow gold Daytona ref. 126518LN with a turquoise lacquer dial. You might recognize Matt Friend from his hilarious celebrity impressions, often done to the celebrity themselves, often on red carpets like the Oscars'. Friend is not a Rolex ambassador, but seems to be quite a watch enthusiast. He appeared on Teddy Baldassarre's Watch Shopping series and has been photographed in this specific Daytona since at least January, which strongly suggests he went out and bought it. At $40,600 retail and closer to $100,000 on the secondary market right now, that's a meaningful commitment. There's a different energy to a watch that someone actually went and bought versus one placed on their wrist for the evening.

Then there's Kevin O'Leary, who arrived with a Cartier Crash Skeleton on one wrist and an off-catalog Rolex Daytona ref. 126599TBR on the other — current generation, white gold, baguette-cut rubies across the bezel and dial. The two watches coordinate in red, which is very much on brand for O'Leary. What completed the look was the piece hanging from his neck: a 1-of-1 Triple Logoman NBA trading card featuring game-worn patches from Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, encased in a custom Tiffany & Co. setting embedded with diamonds and rubies that matched the stones on the Daytona.

A Decade in the Room

For the tenth year running, Rolex designed the official Greenroom — the invite-only lounge just offstage where nominees, presenters, and winners decompress between appearances. This year's theme doubled as a centennial celebration, inspired by the 100th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster, the world's first waterproof watch. At the center of the room, displayed in a case: the yellow gold Cosmograph Daytona ref. 126508 with a green dial (pictured below).

Rolex has been a sponsor of the Academy Awards since 2017, supporting the Academy through its Perpetual Arts Initiative. During the broadcast, the brand consistently secured the first slot in commercial breaks — and the spots were genuinely good. One was essentially a Zendaya highlight reel, cutting through her most iconic red carpet and film moments before landing on "Reach For The Crown." My friends who don't care about watches were taking note of the Rolex ads, asking me "how much does that one cost?" On certain camera angles, Rolex clocks were visible mounted on the sides of the stage — the large wall-clock format with fluted bezels, the kind you'd recognize from airports like LAX and GVA.

Final Thoughts

Awards shows will always be, to some extent, a commercial for a handful of watch brands — Rolex chief among them. But between Matt Friend's self-purchased turquoise Daytona, O'Leary's chaotic ruby coordination, and a $177,400 Lady-Datejust I didn't even know existed, last night had enough genuine enthusiasm and surprise to make it worth watching.