Tom Brady has never shied away from bold watch choices, but his latest sighting pushes the envelope in an entirely new direction. The legendary quarterback was seen on vacation with his family in southern France, wearing IWC’s new Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume, a limited edition timepiece that glows neon blue once the lights go out.
The story behind this eye catching watch begins in May 2024, when IWC gave Lewis Hamilton a prototype called the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Ceralume. That model looked white during the day, but its case, dial, and rubber strap were infused with luminous pigment, turning the entire piece into an oversized night light. It was never offered for sale, leaving collectors to admire it from afar.
Earlier this year, IWC finally released a commercial version, and it is considerably more complex. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume is capped at 250 pieces, and it has already found its way onto the wrist of one of the most famous watch collectors on the planet. Brady, a former IWC ambassador, wore his while enjoying family time in the south of France.
At 46.5mm, the watch lives up to the Big Pilot name. It only looks proportionate because Brady stands 6’4″. The ceramic construction keeps the weight surprisingly manageable, and a white two piece rubber strap adds to the comfort. Inside beats an automatic movement with a moonphase, date and power reserve indicator, month, running seconds, day, and a small aperture for the year. But all those complications take a back seat to the real spectacle: the case, dial, and strap are all treated with Super-LumiNova pigments, so the entire watch erupts in a bright blue glow after being exposed to light. The effect can last for up to a full day, and in complete darkness, the piece resembles something out of a fantasy novel.
Brady’s collection spans vintage and modern Rolexes, white hot Cartiers, and complicated Pateks, yet this IWC stands apart. It is enormous, luminous, militarily inspired, and whimsical all at once. It is exactly the kind of object that only IWC could produce.
Ewan McGregor’s Panerai
Across the Atlantic, Ewan McGregor stepped out at the Los Angeles premiere of his new film, The End of Oak Street, wearing a personal Panerai ref. PAM00112. This timepiece belongs to the Base Logo series within the Luminor collection, a 44mm stainless steel diver from the early 2000s. Its cushion shaped case features Panerai’s signature crown lock system, inspired by historical models made for the Italian navy. Later versions of this reference used Panerai’s sandwich dial, where a luminous layer sits beneath an upper dial with cutouts for the indices. On the secondary market, the PAM00112 can be found for less than $6,000, making it one of the more accessible entry points into the Panerai brand.
Hiro Murai’s Timex
Filmmaker Hiro Murai, known for his work with Donald Glover, made a low key statement at a Widow’s Bay themed event at The Culver Hotel. He wore a Timex Easy Reader, the kind of straightforward, no frills watch that has earned the nickname “the people’s watch.” It has a 35mm silver tone brass case, a cream dial with Arabic numerals, a date window, and a quartz movement with Indiglo backlighting. Seeing someone under 75 wear one is either a time warp, a nostalgic choice, or a deliberate gesture against the Swiss watch establishment. Either way, it is delightful.
Jaylen Brown’s Patek Philippe
Jaylen Brown, freshly introduced as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, knows how to make an entrance. At his introductory press conference late last week, he wore a Patek Philippe Complications ref. 5235/50R-001. That annual calendar features a regulator style display, with separate subdials for hours and minutes, a central running seconds hand, and apertures for the day, date, and month arranged symmetrically at 10, 2, and 6 o’clock. The watch is powered by Patek’s automatic cal. 31-260 REG QA with a micro rotor, all housed in a 40.5mm rose gold case paired with a black alligator strap. It is one of the most distinctive and elegant annual calendars in Patek’s current lineup.
From Brady’s radiant IWC to Brown’s refined Patek, this week’s celebrity sightings reminded us that a watch can be a canvas for personal expression. Whether the choice is glowing, practical, or haute horlogerie, these pieces prove there is no single way to wear a great timepiece.
