We all go to the movies for entertainment. Part of the entertainment is also soaking up the fashion and the jewellery, and in particular luxury timepieces. Actors, both men and women, very often wear very beautiful watches because it adds such value to the character.
Let’s think about James Bond. James Bond, whether it was Roger Moore, Sean Connery or Daniel Craig, always wore a fantastic timepiece. Bond would not be Bond if he did not have a magnificent timepiece to check every so often. Picture Roger Moore looking at his Rolex Oyster Submariner, wearing a white tuxedo with a cigarette dangling from his lips. That was in the movie ‘Dr. No’ and it’s a really iconic scene.
In Skyfall, also a Bond movie, Daniel Craig wore an Omega Seamaster watch. And in Casino Royale he wore a Rolex. There is a strong connection between the character and his watch. Bond must be able to rely 100% on his timepiece, while looking suave, elegant and magnificent at the same time.
It’s not only the Bond movies where the stars feature luxury watches. In Glengarry Glen Ross, Alex Baldwin wore a gold Rolex Day Date, the most extraordinary of watches. And of course the Baldwin character in the movie is about style, luxury and showing off his wealth. A Rolex wearer does not have to ‘show off’ anything – the watch does it automatically, in a very stylish and elegant way.
Luxury watches are not just about elegance and style in movies. They’re sporty, just as they are in real life. Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the biggest action movie stars of all times, wore his Seiko H558 Quartz Diver in many of his blockbuster movies Predator, Commando and Running Man all saw him wearing a luxurious but incredibly sturdy Seiko watches. Arnold Schwarzenegger no longer acts in movies but he does have an astonishing luxury watch collection, including a Panerai Luminor, a U-Boat U1942 and a Rolex GMT Master.
‘Men in Black’ stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were not just famous for being the good looking, charming and very agile Men In Black. They were famous for their dark luxury suits, their dark stylish sunglasses and their fabulous watches. They posed, in real life and in the movie, showing off their perfect timepieces. The Hamilton Ventura XXL was a featured timepiece, and very deliberately so. The watch has style, elegance and sex appeal. The Omega Speedmaster also featured heavily. The action stars were always about style, speed and precision – just like their watches.
So many action movies – and think James Bond, Predator, Commando, Men in Black – are all about precision. None of these stars can afford an accident. They chase the bad guys, they jump out of airplanes, they’re in hectic car chases. They always come out of these action scenes on top – they win, just like their luxury watches.
Rolex, Omega, Seiko, Tag Heuer, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Bell and Ross, Zenith – they are all magnificent to look at, magnificent to wear and real statement pieces. Just like the movie stars. In fact, in Batman, the Dark Knight Rises, the Reverso Grande Taille was featured, and in true Batman style, it was even more magnificent than usual. Of course it had the Batman logo on it, for extra pizzazz. Imagine how much that watch is worth today. We’re not sure who has the watch in their private collection but we are sure it is someone who is a very smart investor.
Tom Hanks wore the Omega Speedmaster as his character who went to space in the movie Apollo 11. And in fact, the real astronauts who manned Apollo 11 did wear Omega Speedmasters. The Omega Speedmaster is a watch that can go to space, and return, and still function perfectly well. And look great!
Luxury watches are designed for endurance. A luxury watch is a real investment. They can be and must be worn, otherwise why have one, but they will also last for generations, and can be passed down from family member to family member. Luxury watches are often made with speed and sport in mind – and can go to great depths, or great heights – and still work perfectly well. The stars in action movies will always wear good timepieces, both to look good but also so their characters are realistic.
Next time you go to the movies, look at the watches that the stars are gracing. And it’s not just the men. Sigourney Weaver in Alien wore the Seiko Speedtimer and nobody was going to mess with Sigourney or her character. We are not sure what Sharon Stone has worn in her movies, but we do know she wears a Rolex in real life. Women are often seen wearing traditional men’s luxury timepieces; possibly as a sign of status and power.
By the way, in Ghostbusters, all three of the guys wore the Seiko M516 ‘Voice Note’ watch. Perhaps they knew something we didn’t!
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