Editor’s note: Like you, we also witnessed one of the most controversial moments of Oscars history, with Will Smith allegedly hitting Chris Rock. Hereby on referred to as the Will Smith Oscars 2022 Slap. Here’s our purely in jest and horological take on the incident. For our actual watch related hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here.
Will Smith Oscars 2022 Slap
Unless you are living under a rock, you probably heard about how “Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock at Oscars 2022 After Joke Gone Wrong”. The Will Smith Oscars 2022 Slap will perhaps be trending for a while, and we all wait to see what Chris Rock’s formal statement is on this.
Given we are watch people and not celebrity gossip peeps, our second reaction — first being that of shock considering neither were we expecting that slap nor do we ever approve of the idea of assault or violence — to seeing that now viral clip was to ponder on whether Will Smith was wearing a wrist watch at the Oscars 2022 or not. If he wasn’t, well, that’s good for the watch. But if he was, unless it was a specific Swiss mechanical watch with added shock protection, chances are that it probably would have sustained some damage during the the Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap.
Many are theorising that this could have been a pre-planned publicity stunt, which also got us thinking, if someone famous knew they were pulling off a stunt like this, and also had to wear a fancy Swiss mechanical watch at the event, what watch could they wear?
So here are four timepieces that the now Oscar-winning actor could have been wearing that could have withstood the damage during the Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap incident (if this was a stunt).
Richard Mille Charles Leclerc Prototype
Lightweight and extra-flat, powered by the calibre CRMA7, it is presented with a white and red Quartz TPT® case. The Richard Mille Charles Leclerc Prototype Only Watch 2021 is a timepiece that from a distance appears to be a gimmick what with its rather large 47.25 x 38.70 x 7.80mm dimensions. But get closer, study the artistry and mechanics that have gone into making this prototype, and you need up leaving amazed.
As always is the case with RM watches, it is extremely lightweight, a rare quality in horology. This is also assisted by the use of a seamless and non-slip comfort strap that makes this (and other RM 67-02) timepieces the lightest in the RM automatic watches catalogue. The RM 67-02 launched in 2017, some five years ago. Solely based on how light and sleek — about 32g with strap and 7.8mm — and simplistically functional these sports watches are, and the fact that one can play ACTUAL sports in these, it is the stuff they should teach in horology schools. It is also the most expensive and hard to find in this list of watches that could withstand the Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap.
The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL
The ref. IW357201 retails for $119’400 and features a 44m diameter and 12mm thick Ceratanium® case with 100m water-resistance. It is powered by the 32115 Calibre which provides a very good 120-hour power reserve. Most impressively, to potentially withstand the Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap, it features a SPRIN-g PROTECT system protecting the movement from acceleration forces in excess of 30’000 g. For Chris Rock’s sake we hope that the slap was nowhere near that level of force.
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Ultra Light
Based on the foundations of their extensive portfolio of sports watches, Omega recently launched the Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Ultra Light, a mechanical watch designed for those who like to play some light sports while wearing their mechanical watches. It is Omega’s first titanium movement watch, featuring the Master Chronometer certified Calibre 8928 titanium which is a manual-winding movement offering 72-hour power reserve and beating at the frequency of 3.5Hz. Retailing for AU$74’250, the third candidate to perhaps counter the force of the Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap features a 41mm diameter titanium case with 150m water-resistance.
Formex Essence Thirty-Nine
This is the least expensive option in our list of watches that can perhaps counter the force of the Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap. The collection comes in six varying dial colour options — mother-of-pearl, white, blue, green, dégradé, black — and retails for between 2’050 to 2’250 AUD. The Formex Essence Thirtynine features the Sellita SW200-1 movement that has been COSC-certified (again for about 2k AUD that’s very impressive).
The movement is encased inside a 39mm diameter and 10mm thick 316L stainless steel case with an impressive for slim wrists lug-to-lug spacing of only 45.6mm. But most importantly, to potentially survive the force of the Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap, it features a patented case suspension system. This is one of Formex’s trademark design features, one that I am yet to see on other brands. Besides making for a cool feature to show off, it is practical when it comes to challenging shocks and also allows more flexibility on the wrist.
So there you have it; four watches we reckon could potentially withstand Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap.
Please note that this is written in jest and does not promote violence or promote any brand’s — mentioned in this article — role or connection in the Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap incident. But it’s always good to know that your watch is a bad boy too.
