Jacob Elordi is everywhere. His Saltburn x Priscilla starring-role combo is the culprit for taking his Euphoria hype and turning him into a triple-A list contender, and now as if we needed more reasons to like him – he's just added ‘being funny' to his list of talents as he nailed his Saturday Night Live debut.
While the internet throws up memes about the likeness of his style to Princess Diana, we see classic Hollywood leading man in him – James Dean, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen vibes – and one surefire way of cementing yourself among the Hollywood elite is by scoring highly on the horological scale.
True to form, Jacob Elordi is rarely seen out and about without a killer watch on, and this weekend's SNL was no exception, with the Aussie actor wearing his best wrist fit yet. During his opening monologue, while humbly admitting he's not naturally that funny, on several occasions Elordi clasped his hands together – kinda prayer-like – to reveal the latest apple of his eye: a Cartier Tank Louis. With a yellow gold case, black lacquer dial, sapphire crown and alligator strap, this watch has just as many dreamboat qualities as Elordi. It's been suggested that Sofia Coppola (who directed him in Priscilla) might be responsible for Elordi being so wholly seduced by Cartier's most coveted model – as the director has long been a so-called friend of the brand.
Whether true or not, what's perhaps most telling about Elordi's new obsession is that he's been spotted wearing his Tanks with just as many casual fits as dressed up – with SNL another telling example of this. Here's seven other watches that make the actor a serious up-and-comer in the watch nerd stakes.
It's ironic that Cartier coined the recently reissued Tank Normale as ‘Normale’, when it's anything but. It’s boxy, it’s chic, it pretty much goes with anything and you can take it anywhere. Elordi took one to the Venice Film Festival for Sofia Coppola's Priscilla premiere. We were particularly pleased to clock this archive piece – reissued from its former 1917 self – on the wrist of this Hollywood hotshot. No stranger to the slender frame of the OG Tank, this quadrilateral paradigm of perfection comes in 18k yellow gold.
Elordi is known to be inspired by cinematic gods like Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen, so it was perhaps unsurprising when he sported a TAG Heuer Monaco on his Oscars debut – the same watch McQueen made famous in the classic hit Le Mans. A modern take on the original 1969 design which is recognised for its boldness (it was the very first square and waterproof chronograph in the world).
There’s more to Elordi’s collection than TAG Heuer, though. On The Today Show, Elordi sported a killer Cartier Tank Must. Arguably the ultimate investment for any watch collection, Elordi showcased his dominance as an underrated fashion icon with an unexpected diamond bezel, set with 42 brilliant-cut beauties, totalling 0.48 carats. Because Elvis also liked to flash a rock or too.
When Ryan Gosling took to London to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the TAG Heuer Carrera last year, Elordi (then an ambassador) picked the commemorative TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Blue for his wrist. Timeless, sleek and 39mm yet emphatic, there's an onus on legibility and functionality. Elordi proves that sports watches don’t need to be worn for athletic occasions – a blue blazer with white edging will compliment the Carrera just fine.
If Euphoria taught us anything about Elordi, it's that he can play a villain very convincingly. He leaned into his Nate Jacobs demonic side with the TAG Heuer Monaco “Dark Lord” (a 2022 rebirth of a '70s mishit). Compared to the Carrera, the Monaco model was unpopular, so Heuer tried to make it more interesting for consumers by going against the grain and creating a black treatment. This stab in the dark wasn’t met with much success back then but folks are lapping it up now.
By far the most striking piece in his collection is a yellow gold Rolex Bubbleback 6084 from the ‘50s, which as Felix Catton he wore throughout Saltburn. A hallmark of the ‘30s – the name comes from the large screw-down casebacks – it was the precursor to the Explorer and the Oyster. For us, it counts as a solid heirloom in the Elordi family and is in keeping with his olde worlde slouched style.
Elordi is more than Kenough in the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 – a watch that perfectly exemplifies a watch industry embracing change. A pink dial, diamond hour markers and 36mm in size? That’s a woman’s watch by orthodox standards but Elordi says ‘hell no’ to that notion. This bold pink diving watch, complete with an illustrated wave motif, is the middle finger to yesteryear and the archaism that comes with it.
