A watch tells you a lot about the man who wears it. And, not
surprisingly, watches do the same for the leading men in our favorite
movies. In the golden age of Hollywood, many actors wore their own
watches in films, helping to get recognition and boost sales not just
for the watch style they chose but also for watches in general.
The Cartier Tank
Roaring twenties heartthrob Rudolph Valentino wore the first
wristwatch ever to be shown on the silver screen in the 1926 silent film
The Son of The Sheik. The Cartier Tank Watch, the first timepiece to be
designed as a wristwatch, reportedly belonged to Valentino himself,
since it had nothing to do with the costumes or the script. Back then,
men were still flipping open a pocket watch to tell time. Valentino
helped to change that: his example boosted the popularity of
wristwatches enormously. The Cartier Tank, inspired in name and design
by World War I tanks, began to replace the pocket watch in the 20s. The
sleek Tank is now available in approximately 250 variations. Many of the
most dapper leading men of the early to mid-20th century owned Cartier
watches and also wore them on screen. Cary Grant owned a Tank and also
wore one in Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller North by Northwest. Gary Cooper
owned and wore the Tank Basculante, the ‘tipping’ Tank. Warren Beatty
wore Cartier Tanks in real life and in various publicity stills in the
60s and 70s. Steve McQueen also owned and wore a range of watches
including Cartier Tanks and Rolex styles in film.
Tank Basculante worn by Gary Cooper from the pages of If These Jewels Could Talk
Clark Gable might have personified rugged sex appeal, but he also
understood luxury. His collection included Cartier (Tank), Patek
Philippe (Triple Date Moonphase), and Rolex, one of which he wore in the
1953 film Mogambo. Most extraordinary is what ownership by a major
actor can add to a watch’s value at auction. Bonhams’ “What Dreams Are
Made Of” sale in November, 2013 included the 14k gold Rolex Oyster
Perpetual Ref. 6011 that Gable owned and wore in the film. It sold for
$28,750, plus premium.
Rolex Men
The sexiest men of film during the sixties through seventies – Steve
McQueen, Robert Redford and Paul Newman—all were Rolex men in their
choice of personal timepieces. However, in the 1968 film The Thomas
Crown Affair, Steve McQueen starred as a stylishly bored millionaire who
is also a sportsman and who likes to live on the edge. McQueen’s
character is projected through the sophisticated choices of the watches
he wears: a Cartier Tank, a gold Patek Philippe pocket watch, and a
Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox. McQueen wore a Rolex in real life, yet the one
named after him (The Rolex Explorer II) was mistakenly promoted to be
the Rolex he owned, causing this model to command outstanding prices.
The Rolex, McQueen did in fact wear was the (chronometer rated) version
of a no-date Submariner, seen in many of his publicity stills.
The
Rolex Explorer II called the “Steve McQueen Watch” even though the star
wore a Rolex Submariner. Worthy recently sold this Explorer II for
$9,600
Robert Redford also wore a Rolex Submariner, model 1680, in his private
life and also in at least two films: The Candidate in 1972 and All the
President’s Men in 1976. Paul Newman’s watch story was also one of
mistaken identity. He did wear the Rolex Daytona, which was named after
him, but not in the film that supposedly inspired the watch’s name. Talk
about dashingly handsome men and Rolex in one sentence and you can’t
help think of James Bond. Ian Fleming describes a Rolex in his 11th book
in the series, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1963: “James sees a
heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual on a metal watch bracelet as he awakes in
the middle of the night.” In all future 007 adventures, Fleming remains
true to Rolex. Sean Connery, the original Bond man, wore a Rolex
Submariner in 1962’s Dr No and the next seven Bond films he starred in.
Contemporary
version of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner, the archetype of the
divers’ watch, epitomizes the historic link between Rolex and the
underwater world. © ROLEX
When Roger Moore became the new 007, he wore Seikos that helped him
survive and performed fictionalized tasks. Then in 1995, Omega won the
bid to become the official 007 watch. Pierce Brosnan was the first Bond
guy to sport an Omega Seamaster Professional 300m in Golden Eye. In
Casino Royale, Daniel Craig wears two Omega models: a blue Omega
Seamaster300m chronometer and a Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Co-Axial
chronometer. I guess if moviegoers can believe that Connery and Craig
are both the same MI6 agent as were all the Bond men in between, they
can believe that a man, even one with such a clear identity, can change
his watch brand. For Bond, product placement replaced the inspiration
from book to film.
Then and Now
Where would the manly male characters in today’s action adventures be
without their watches? Bremont designed three watches based on the
brand’s existing chronographs for the 2015 spy action adventure
Kingsman: The Secret Service. Founded in 2002 by brothers Nick and Giles
English, Bremont is a U.K.-based company takes pride in its British
tradition of watch making and works with the military, also
accessorizing the wrist of many celebrities.
Modern day Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M James Bond. © Omega.
Not all watches appear on secret agents or hot cops, but still wrap
around the wrists of men who prefer danger—perhaps those who have an
affinity for handcuffs? Staying true to the books for which the film is
based, Omega watches are described as being on Christian Grey’s (Jamie
Dornan) wrist. The film version of the E.L. James best-selling novel
Fifty Shades of Grey has main character Christian sporting an Omega
Seamaster Aqua Terra Chronograph and black-faced Omega Speedmaster
Moonwatch Co-Axial Chronograph. The younger generation of actors in
leading roles, like Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ben
Affleck, all wear on-screen watches that convey the personality of their
characters. But they still today prompts men to think about their own
style and purchase timepieces that express the confidence, dignity or
casual chic they want to project.
About The Author
Beth Bernstein is the author of If These Jewels Could Talk: The Legends
behind Celebrity Gems and this article is partially based on that book.
Her other books include Jewelry’s Shining Stars (Fine Points
Publishing) and My Charmed Life (Penguin). Beth is also a journalist
whose articles have appeared in The Jewellery Editor, Four Seasons
Magazine, Accent, InDesign, Departures, Elite Traveler, Lustre, and The
Huffington Post.
vedere di piu
rolex replica e
Replica Bell & Ross 38mm Model
