We all recognise the body language of a red-carpet stance. Shoulders back, head up, body at a slight angle to the camera, feet planted in an open position. But a few years ago, something changed. Leading men started arranging themselves with a hand tucked into a pocket just so, or with one arm braced across their torso in an almost military gesture. It was all about bringing visibility to the wrist – and more importantly, what was on it.

Sleeves were pinched and shirts tucked to make sure the watch got its moment in the limelight. We’ve even seen a return to the classic “footballer” pose, arms crossed in front of the crotch, a move that guarantees good watch spotting. You might have seen Will Ferrell sending the whole thing up with his fist raised firmly in the air, Timex (or later, Omega) front and centre.

The invasion of the red carpet by watch brands – which have inked contracts with dozens of A-list actors – is only one part of it. Social media has made watch-spotting an armchair sport for horology enthusiasts and watch companies have learnt that it’s more effective to tease, leak or just outright launch a new model with no fanfare, just an appearance on the right wrist. Central to this stealth wrist candy is the stylist: there’s no point trying a watch flex if you don’t know your Cartier from your IWC Schaffhausen.

Enter Ilaria Urbinati, the Hollywood stylist whose sartorial magic has been influential in the watch choices of everyone from Donald Glover to Dwayne Johnson. Here, we chat to Urbinati about the effortless rise of the red-carpet watch.

“When I was starting out, you always had your guys that know a lot about watches, but overall, the watch wasn’t an important aspect,” Urbinati says. “I feel like that game has evolved so much. Men are more into collecting styles that might go with various outfits now, and I also think men know more brands. It used to just be a Rolex or an Omega. Now they know a lot more about Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre and Audemars Piguet and all these different brands.”

Watches, in this sense, were an inevitable part of greater stylistic freedom, she explains – and there was a major pop culture moment that kicked things off.

“I know this sounds silly, but when I started, Mad Men was such a big show,” Urbinati says. “All of a sudden guys wanted to wear a suit to dinner and when you see that in LA, a very casual city, something’s happening. When men start to dress up, whether it’s the clothes or the watch, when they go out in the world and they’re getting compliments, they would come in for fittings and just trust me that much more.”

Nevertheless, it’s easy to assume that our most talented actors are simply wearing what Switzerland has told them to wear. Not so, says Urbinati. “Barry Keoghan has an Omega contract, but he’s still very specific about which styles he wants from Omega. So, there’s still a lot of room to play with. When Aaron Taylor-Johnson has an Omega contract, the watches he’s choosing are different from the ones Barry is choosing. Rami Malek has a contract with Cartier, but he loves them more than anybody. He’d wear them no matter what.”

We can’t all land a sponsorship deal with a major watch brand, or be given the Hollywood treatment, however. So, what’s Urbinati’s advice for anyone trying to seamlessly incorporate a well-chosen watch into their personal style?

“If you’re just starting out, then the no-fail rule is to go by proportion. Skinny suit, skinny lapel, thin watch. If you’re going for something big and bolder or a more casual look, you go for a rugged watch or a bigger watch. As you get to know your stuff, then you can play against those rules a little bit. It can be fun to have a sportier watch with a suit but proportions are everything. When pants got wider, shoes had to get wider. We used to pair skinny little Louboutins with skinny Dior pants; that doesn’t work with bigger pants – you don’t want that little Miss Piggy foot. So, for watches, you don’t want that tiny little Tank if the suit gets to be more American Psycho.”

Another key piece of advice? Get over any fear of colour. “I love a tonal look, I’m obsessed. You give me a blue suit with a blue watch with a blue dial and a blue band and I’m like, we’re done; we’re going home. I also really like brown. Men are so scared of brown, but it really is the best colour.”

Whatever style you choose, remember: shoulders back, head up, sleeve artfully pushed up. The best watches are worth really showing off.