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4 top watch moments in August, from Drake’s Daytona to Sam Altman’s bespoke Vanguart

STORYJosiah Ng
From left: A bespoke seven-piece Vanguart series for OpenAI; Ryan Reynolds wears an F.P. Journe Automatique Lune; Legare’s debut timepiece, the Chapter 1 AGP Inverted. Photos: Handout; Getty Images
From left: A bespoke seven-piece Vanguart series for OpenAI; Ryan Reynolds wears an F.P. Journe Automatique Lune; Legare’s debut timepiece, the Chapter 1 AGP Inverted. Photos: Handout; Getty Images
Timepieces

Watch Ho & Co founder Jackie Ho channels personal yum cha memories in a Selten collaboration, while Ryan Reynolds steps out with an F.P. Journe Automatique Lune

August may traditionally mark a midsummer lull, but high horology showed no signs of slowing down. Celebrities are getting into watches more than ever, from Sam Altman’s custom order of Vanguart pieces to Drake’s one-of-one “iced-out” Daytona. Meanwhile, high-horology heavyweights Wei Koh and Guillaume Tetu launched Legare with a piece inspired by a dual-escapement pocket watch, as brands like Selten collaborate with Watch Ho & Co to release a stunning dim-sum-centric piece for their third anniversary. Here are our favourite timepiece moments from August.

Sam Altman’s Vanguart commission

A bespoke iteration of the Orb model, crafted by Swiss maison Vanguart for OpenAI. Photo: Handout
A bespoke iteration of the Orb model, crafted by Swiss maison Vanguart for OpenAI. Photo: Handout
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In an era where celebrity wristchecks are routine, and tech titans like Mark Zuckerberg are serious about high horology, OpenAI founder Sam Altman is taking his own turn. To show he’s been bitten by the watch bug, Altman commissioned seven custom pieces from Swiss independent brand Vanguart.
The OpenAI-branded Vanguart Orb is limited to just seven pieces. Photo: Handout
The OpenAI-branded Vanguart Orb is limited to just seven pieces. Photo: Handout

The Vanguart x OpenAI collection is limited to the seven pieces and is based on the brand’s titanium Orb model, which starts at US$180,000, according to The Wall Street Journal, or CHF150,000 per watch, according to industry media. The model is known for its distinctive curved case, which features a function indicator (between manual and automatic) at 12 o’clock. It also features a cambered “winding mass”, which rotates to wind the watch in automatic mode. Altman’s pieces are modified to sport the OpenAI logo at 12 o’clock, and the winding mass is inscribed with a quote from Altman – “Compute is Destiny”.

The caseback also features a line of code in Python, suggested by Vanguart CEO Axel Leuenberger. As Vanguart president Mehmet Koruturk explains, “This means that artificial intelligence must be used for peaceful purposes. This commission will remain unique in our history.”

Celebrity wrist games

Canadian hip-hop star Drake made headlines when he posted on August 15 that Rolex had sent him the One of One Piece Unique Ice Gradient Daytona with the words “Freeze The World” engraved on the caseback. The piece itself appears to feature entirely gem-set parts – from dial to indices, bezel and bracelet – all in a careful gradient going from blue to white. “Crafted to celebrate the record-breaking milestones of 2026. Please do not get your local jeweller to recreate,” Drake captioned his Instagram post.

Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds (left) and Rob Mac at the Sky Bet Championship match in Wrexham on August 22. The Deadpool star wears an F.P. Journe Automatique Lune “Nacre” in pink gold. Photo: Getty Images
Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds (left) and Rob Mac at the Sky Bet Championship match in Wrexham on August 22. The Deadpool star wears an F.P. Journe Automatique Lune “Nacre” in pink gold. Photo: Getty Images
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