Imagine a scene from the latest James Bond movie where Bond is wearing the Gear (that’s what he calls his watch), at the same time where Nicole Kidman is looking at him. The hero and the hero have met each other for the first time. There is an atmosphere of innocent feeling, which comes out at every glance…there is nothing else in their eyes, but joy and passion. The woman looks in amazement not just at Bond’s necklace, Rolex watches, and Omega Seamaster watches, but at his personality. James Bond — a male hero — is not only in his looks …
Watches are ubiquitous. We see them all the time: on wrists, decorating wrists, hanging from belts, being proudly displayed on the walls of men who do not wear watches. But it’s not just the fashion statement that they make; they also often play a crucial role in movies. Today we’re going to find out which watches did the best in the film: which ones were the most popular and which ones had the most screen time!
The fake Rolex Datejust in Pulp Fiction
In 1994, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction hit the big screen and changed the face of cinema forever. It was also the film that introduced the world to an especially important watch: the fake Rolex Datejust worn by John Travolta’s character Vincent Vega.
The watch wasn’t just for show, however; it was an integral part of the movie’s plot line. In Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega is a hitman working for his boss Jimmy (played by Samuel L Jackson). When he gets hired by mob boss Marsellus Wallace (played by Ving Rhames), he needs to get a new watch as his old one has been damaged in an unfortunate tumble down some stairs while he was trying to impress his date Mia (played by Uma Thurman).
To replace his old timepiece, he goes straight to his local pawnshop where he finds a perfect replacement in the form of an imitation Rolex Datejust. The shopkeeper explains that it looks good enough to fool anyone who doesn’t know any better and Vincent agrees to buy it immediately before heading off to meet Mia at Jack Rabbit Slim’s diner where they enjoy burgers and milkshakes together.
The Omega Seamaster 007 in James Bond
James Bond has been a fan of Omega watches since the 1960s. The first time he wore one was in Dr. No when he strapped on an Omega Seamaster 300m watch. That model was designed specifically for the film and is now available only to collectors.
Since then, Omega has supplied watches for every Bond movie from Live and Let Die to Specter. In Skyfall, Bond wears the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Master Co-Axial Chronometer, which features a blue ceramic dial with a 24-hour indicator at 9 o’clock and a second’s hand that jumps when it changes direction to show a leap second has been added or subtracted from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This makes it ideal for work in marine environments because it can withstand up to 3,000 Gs of shock resistance (or pressure). The watch is also water resistant up to 600 meters (1,968 feet) deep, which is useful when you’re diving or skydiving.
In Specter, Bond wears another special edition: an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Big Size limited edition with blue dial and orange accents. The watch was designed by Pierre Boutros specifically for this film’s release.
The Tag Heuer Carrera in Le Mans
The Carrera is a classic racing watch, and it’s great to see it on the wrist of Steve McQueen in Le Mans. The film tells the story of a group of drivers as they take on each other and the elements at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. McQueen plays Michael Delaney, owner of a Ferrari dealership who is forced by his wife to drive for her brother’s team to save their businesses. He drives a Ferrari 512S with a white dial and a blue racing stripe down its bezel.
The watch worn by Steve McQueen in this classic racing film needs no introduction. It’s one of the most iconic on-screen timepieces ever and has been replicated by countless brands ever since its release. Even though it may look like a simple stainless steel chronograph, the Tag Heuer Carrera was quite advanced for its time — it was the first watch to feature a tachymeter scale on its dial, which measures speed over a given distance (1/10th of a mile per hour), making it much easier to calculate times while driving at high speeds.
In addition to being an excellent movie about racing, Le Mans also has an amazing soundtrack featuring Pink Floyd’s “On the Run”.
Since then, many actors have worn the Carrera, including Tom Cruise in “Top Gun,” Robert Downey Jr. in “Iron Man” and Brad Pitt in “Fight Club.”
In 2010, Tag Heuer launched its limited-edition watch inspired by this famous model called the Monaco V4 Limited Edition, which was inspired by the car race scenes in Le Mans.
The Bell & Ross Aviation BR 01-92 in Headhunters
In this Norwegian thriller, Nikolai (Aksel Hennie) is a corporate recruiter who is offered a $3 million bonus to find a new job for his friend Roger Brown (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). When Nikolai discovers that Brown has been lying about the size of his company, he decides to kill him. The Bell & Ross watch that Nikolai wears during the film is a replica of an actual Bell & Ross watch from their Aviation series.
All these watches featured in this article are iconic, but some more than others. As you can imagine, the Rolex Datejust is by far the most popular watch to appear in the film, with countless appearances. Ultimately, it’s up to you which watch is the best one to own, but there’s no denying that they all make for valuable investments.
