Yes, Janelle Monáe’s Met Gala Monocle Was Actually a Working Clock

Rihanna, meanwhile, shared some big news during the Met: she is also a fan of innovating new ways to wear a watch. The singer-slash-empire-builder paired her Marc Jacobs look with Cartier jewelry, including two pieces embedded with watches—a long pendant with a teeny clock and a string of diamonds underneath it, and a gem-set watch brooch. The latter is like a reversible watch built for maximizing opulence rather than utility. Rihanna had hers flipped to the side set with diamonds, but the out-of-sight reverse face is a clock (you can see a similar watch here).

Meanwhile, Chris Rock wore a brooch as a tie from Fred Leighton. Back in the early 1900s, watchmakers would put time-telling devices in practically everything: lighters, tie bars, money clips, rings, pens, letter openers, you name it. It’s very cool to see Rock embrace that tradition with his own tiny clock accessory.

What was most exciting about the timepieces at this year’s Met Gala is the creative ways they were baked directly into the outfits. Rather than simply being an additional accessory strapped to the wrist, they were essential bits of the outfit, whether it was Dapper Dan’s clock pendant necklace or Monáe’s monocle.