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FeatureWatches At The Movies: Behind The Scenes With Your Favourite Timepieces On The Big Screen

Some movies have made cinematic history and, along with them, some watches have too. Seen on the wrists of many a film star as they captured hearts on the big screen, a few watch brands became household names. Here’s looking at a few horological icons from the movie business

Priyam Bagga March 17, 2020

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It’s safe to say that the silver screen has influenced almost every facet of our lives—from our hairstyles and our clothes to the way we talk. There are few things that have a bigger or more direct cultural, and yes, commercial impact, than cinema does. Even the world of watchmaking is no exception. Over the years, a number of sought-after timepieces have risen to stardom, not only in horological conventions, but even in movie theatres. Let us take you through a few prominent watch brands that have become a part of our everyday lives because, along with the actors that strapped them on, the timepieces too shone brightly on the big screen.

Breitling: Flight Of Fancy

Breitling has had a few memorable appearances on the silver screen. In the movie Blood Diamond (2006), Leonardo DiCaprio plays a mercenary and diamond smuggler who has to fight his way through Sierra Leone, an area at the cusp of civil war, in order to find a rare pink diamond. Accompanying him on this treacherous journey is the Breitling Chrono Avenger, encased in a heavy-duty 44mm titanium case—one that can surely take a blow or two—attached to a brown leather strap. Hardy, durable and dependable, the Chrono Avenger fits seamlessly into the storyline, as we can think of few other watches that could withstand such a high-adrenaline and punishing environment such as that of Sierra Leone in the 90s.

Breitling Avenger Shop the Collection

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention another famous Breitling movie moment—the limited edition Bentley 6.75 Midnight Carbon was worn by Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

Casio: The Future Is Now

Casio finds a firm place in the action genre of the movie industry—especially movies that tend to look forward into the future and are riddled with sci-fi elements. Perhaps this is because of the watches’ futuristic and sporty designs that are quite unlike anything else in the market even today.

Casio makes its first iconic appearance gracing the wrist of Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) in the movie Back to the Future (1985). The Casio CA53-W Twincept Databank, more popularly known as Casio’s digital calculator watch, was a watch worn by Fox’s character before he took his time-travelling excursion. That watch, along with his orange puffy jacket, would become icons unto themselves. Since time plays such an important part in the movie, the quirky wristwatch grabs that much more attention when it appears on screen. It’s also important to note that it was in the 1980s that the quartz crisis was at its peak and digital watches had taken the world by storm. It seemed that mechanical watches were on their way out. It makes sense then that a young, hip and forward-thinking character like Marty would choose to wear a digital watch as he goes on his adventure.

The brand also makes brief appearances in movies such as Alien vs Predator (2004), Avatar (2009), American Sniper (2014) and a plethora of other films.

Jaeger-LeCoultre: Mystique And Majesty

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s horological offerings are infused with creativity, grandeur and awe-inspiring elements of design. It makes sense then that their watches would make fleeting appearances in the artistic and inventive world of cinema.

Let’s start with the two cinematic universes borne out of comic books—Marvel and DC. Both have superheroes that have donned Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces. In 2016, horological fans caught a glimpse of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual on the wrist of Doctor Strange—a superhero who can alter time itself. The iteration of the watch worn in the movie is quite different from the watch in stores—here, it was shown with a solid caseback, rather than a clear caseback, with a beautiful etching, presented to Benedict Cumberbatch’s character by Christine (Rachel McAdams), that says, ‘Time will tell you how much I love you’. Doctor Stephen Strange carefully chooses this watch from a box that has other luxurious beauties—including a Jeager-LeCoultre Reverso in burgundy. Since time is the most important element in the movie, the placement of the Jaeger-LeCoultre watch within the storyline is product placement at its very best.

DC isn’t far behind though. It’s none other than Batman who dons a Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece. In both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne has the Reverso Grande Taille on his wrist—representing prestige and sophistication, which Wayne exuded aplenty. In fact, in 2012, the brand released a Batman edition of the Reverso watch for The Dark Knight Rises, which comes with the Bat symbol etched on the reversible caseback—for die-hard fans of the caped crusader.

Omega: Action-Packed Adventures

When it comes to movies and watches, it just doesn’t get more iconic than the relationship between Omega and James Bond himself. Ever since the iconic agent leapt from the pages of the books written by Ian Fleming and made his on-screen appearance, every action-packed iteration of 007 has been the epitome of machismo. For 25 years now, Bond has had Omega watches strapped to his wrist, helping him in his race against time to save the world. And this year, with the release of No Time to Die, it will be the ninth time that Bond will don an Omega on his wrist.

It was costume designer Lindy Hemming who chose the first Omega as part of Bond’s guise for Goldeneye in 1995. This was an Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Quartz Professional, a hardy and durable dive watch. Apparently, commerce and branding was not a part of the decision-making process, as the designer chose the watch because of its dapper looks. But 25 years down the line, Omega owes a lot of its visibility and success to James Bond.

If you’d like to read more about Omega’s association with James Bond, click here

However, it’s not just Bond who we see donning an Omega on the silver screen. Omega’s Speedmaster collection gets a vigorous nod in Apollo 13—and it’s not just about showmanship; it’s about historical accuracy. For those not in the know, the Apollo 13 mission was the seventh crewed mission to our satellite. After the craft was launched into space on April 11, 1970, the on-board oxygen tank failed two days into the mission. Despite this, after looping around the moon, the crew was able to get back safely to Earth. A fact known to aficionados around the world is that the Omega Speedmaster was used to time a 14-second manoeuvre that was needed to bring the crew safely back to terra firma. The watch, thus, gets a fair amount of screen time in the movie, having been worn by the three astronauts—played by Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton. Ryan Gosling, who plays Neil Armstrong, also dons an Omega Speedmaster over his astronaut suit in First Man (2012) to keep things historically accurate.

First Man was based on humankind’s first trip to the moon. To read more about the real story of Omega and the moon landing, click here

In more recent cinematic offerings, Omega Speedmasters find a place on the wrists of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Avengers movies. And it makes sense too. Supremely accurate and tough enough to be able to take a beating, Omega watches fit well in Marvel’s cinematic universe where the villains are strong but the heroes are even stronger.

Panerai: Machismo Unloaded

According to horological lore, when Panerai had stopped supplying its watches to the Royal Italian Navy, and it was trying to enter the commercial market, it met with little success. Fortunately, Sylvester Stallone, like in his movies, came to their rescue. At the time, he was in Rome shooting for Daylight (1996), when a Panerai Luminor watch in a shop window caught his eye and his fancy. Consequently, Stallone, a Panerai loyalist to the core, wore Panerai watches in all the action flicks he starred in—thus, ensuring Panerai’s place in the cinematic world as well as in the watch drawers of movie buffs.

It just doesn’t get more masculine and enigmatic than Panerai—with its signature cushion-shaped case and bold looks. In more recent cinematic memory, Stallone wore a 47mm Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Rattrapante 332 in The Expendables—a 44mm chronograph, with looks to kill. The Expendables 2 saw Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and a host of supporting actors, including Randy Couture and Terry Crews, don the Luminor 1950 Submersible Bronzo.

Seiko: Versatile And Vivacious

Seiko has not only made its name as a bigwig in the horological industry, it also has some pretty cool appearances in iconic movies. One of the most famous, perhaps, is when it graced the wrist of Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now (1979). Sheen plays the character of Captain Ben Willard, an army officer serving in Vietnam—so a rugged-looking watch with a bold dial was just what he needed. The Seiko 6105 is a dive watch that packs quite a punch too, water resistant as it is to 150m. And so famous is this watch that it’s still quite coveted in the vintage market.

It’s not just simple action movies where Seiko found its calling. Like Casio, Seiko also did well in the science fiction spectrum of the action universe. None other than Arnold Schwarzenegger’s meaty wrist presents to us the Seiko H558 in the movie Predator. Interestingly, he wore the same watch in Commando too. But it doesn’t just end there. The cult science fiction thriller Aliens also had a brief screen appearance by a Seiko. Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, dons the futuristic-looking Seiko Giugiaro, which was crafted in collaboration with automotive designer Giorgetto Giugiaro.

TAG Heuer: The Choice Of Champions

This highly respected watchmaker is no stranger to the silver screen. From the legendary film Le Mans to the slick thriller The Bourne Identity, TAG Heuer has had its timepieces displayed rather prominently on the wrists of some of the world’s biggest stars. TAG Heuer has made a place for itself not just in watch boutiques but pop culture as well.

One of its most famous timepieces is the TAG Heuer Monaco, one of the first automatic chronographs in the world, which was seen adorning the wrist of golden age legend Steve McQueen in the movie Le Mans (1971), a movie about the high-adrenaline sport of motor racing. In fact, so strong is the Monaco catalogue that it’s still extremely popular to this day.

If you’d like to read more about the TAG Heuer Monaco, follow this link

Another rather iconic offering is the TAG Heuer Professional 1000 worn in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) by Leonardo DiCaprio. The gold-toned watch makes perfect sense for DiCaprio’s character, who is a controversial Wall Street trader-turned-mogul. Interestingly, DiCaprio is a former TAG Heuer brand ambassador as well. The brand also makes an appearance in the action-packed Mission: Impossible movies.