Watch Paparazzi

Actor Taron Egerton spotted wearing Montblanc

At the 2020 BAFTA Los Angeles Tea Party, held at the Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills — one of the awards season's most photogenic pre-ceremony gatherings — Taron Egerton arrived in a brown pinstripe suit and a blue-striped open-collar shirt, his wrist carrying a Montblanc Heritage Automatic with a warm salmon dial. The choice is quietly confident: not a status-signalling sports watch, but a piece that rewards the informed eye.

The Montblanc Heritage Automatic draws directly from the brand's archival design language, referencing pocket-watch aesthetics that Montblanc's predecessors — particularly Minerva, the storied Swiss manufacture it acquired in 2006 — were celebrated for. The case measures approximately 40mm in polished and brushed stainless steel, with a domed sapphire crystal that amplifies the sense of vintage depth. The salmon dial — technically a warm copper-pink tone that shifts beautifully under different light — features applied hour markers, a subsidiary seconds register at six o'clock, and restrained printed text consistent with dress-watch convention. The movement within is based on the MB 24.17 automatic calibre, itself derived from a Sellita base, offering 42 hours of power reserve and oscillating at 28,800 vph.

For collectors, the Heritage line represents Montblanc's most coherent argument for its place in serious watchmaking conversation. The salmon dial variant in particular has attracted attention among enthusiasts who value the 'saumon' aesthetic without paying Patek Philippe or A. Lange & Söhne premiums. It is a gateway piece that carries genuine design integrity.

Egerton's selection is in character. Since his Rocketman breakthrough, he has demonstrated a wardrobe sensibility that blends British tailoring with considered accessories — never ostentatious, always purposeful. A salmon-dialled dress watch worn without a tie at a BAFTA event reads as someone who understands the rules well enough to bend them tastefully.

On the secondary market, Montblanc Heritage Automatic pieces in steel with salmon dials remain accessible, trading at or slightly below retail — a reflection of the brand's positioning rather than any deficit in quality. For a working actor building a watch collection with an eye on longevity, it is a sound and characterful starting point.