Why celebrities & royals are wearing two watches (and why you should too)

If you’ve been paying attention to the many award shows that have been happening recently, you might have noticed that celebrities and royals have taken to wearing two watches. This latest watch trend is being dubbed ‘double-wristing’, where two watches are worn at the same time, either on the same wrist or separate wrists.

While this trend isn’t completely brand new, many people are becoming intrigued by the ‘double the watch, double the fun’ mentality. Initially, I thought wearing more than one of the best watches at once was rather strange, but after seeing Prince William and Richard E Grant following the trend in recent outings, it turns out the ‘double-wristing’ trend has been around for quite some time.

‘Double-wristing’ has been around for years and not just for stylish purposes. Many historical figures, including Fidel Castro and NASA astronaut Dr Edgar Mitchell, amongst other military personnel, all took to wearing two watches at a time. Why? Unsurprisingly, it’s all about time difference. For example, according to Everest, Fidel Castro wore two Rolexes (a GMT and a Submariner) which gave him a three time zone overview of Havana, Washington and Moscow.

Having multiple time zones on your wrist is one of the reasons behind Richard E Grant’s choice of two watches. While hosting the 2023 BAFTAs in February, the actor and presenter was spotted wearing two watches: a Cartier Santos and a Breitling Navitimer. Grant, who was born in Eswatini was given a watch by his father on his deathbed. To memorialise his father, Grant always wears one watch which is set to Eswatini time.

How Grant interprets this trend is not only a sweet and stylish tribute, but it’s also very practical. For people who travel a lot or who regularly contact their family and friends who live in a different time zone, it’s a cool and useful trend to get behind. But another key reason why people, namely Prince William, wear two watches at the same time is all down to the rise of the best smartwatches.

During The Prince of Wales’ most recent public appearances, he was spotted wearing an Omega Seamaster 300m (which holds the top spot in our best Omega guide) alongside a Garmin Forerunner 245. Similar to Grant, the Omega was given to Prince William as a gift from his late mother, Princess Diana, who was also a fan of the double-wristing trend.

This mix of luxury and practicality is the key ingredient to the two watch trend. As seen with Prince William, he wears the Omega Seamaster, a luxury timepiece that features a rotating bezel, luminous markers and an elegant strap which comes with a pretty hefty price tag. On the other wrist, the Garmin Forerunner 245 (which we gave 5 stars in our Garmin Forerunner 245 review) is packed full of running features, heart rate tracking and built-in GPS.

Having one watch that looks good and tells the time, along with another watch that counts your steps, makes payments and tracks your workouts, like the best fitness trackers is appealing to some… but will it appeal to your bank balance?

If this watch trend is something you want to try, you’re going to need to think about how much money you’re willing to spend. Smartwatches don’t come cheap and that’s without considering a luxury watch which could well come to the same price as something like the best Apple Watch. On the other hand, for avid watch collectors who want to show off their many timepieces, this trend is definitely worth indulging in.

So, are two watches better than one? They can be, especially if you have multiple watches that serve multiple purposes.