Ever since Vinnie Jones swaggered onto the screen in his leather trench coat in the gamechanging Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie’s films have been renowned for their approach to wardrobe.
From Brad Pitt’s gypsy chic to the bohemian reinvention of Sherlock Holmes to The Gentlemen being responsible for bringing back both the landed gentry aesthetic and Sergio Tacchini tracksuits, Ritchie’s films leave an impact on the popular psyche. And that extends to watches.
While said to have a great enthusiasm for watches (among other things such as fire-led cooking, country pursuits and antiques), Ritchie has mostly kept his timepiece taste private, letting his movies doing the talking for him.
Throughout his now almost 30 year filming career that has spanned nearly 20 movies and three hit TV shows, he has frequently used watches as a means of personality. It’s an attention to detail and commitment to authenticity he has retained whether he is making a serious war movie about brotherhood or a action-packed extravaganza about stopping a villain from attaining eternal life.
Working with costume designers such as Verity Hawkes, Loulou Bontemps and the Oscar nominated Michael Wilkinson, Ritchie understands that a watch can be as effective of words in conveying character and establishing their personality. It’s the part of an actor’s wardrobe often overlooked but not by Ritchie and certainly not on his recent projects.
Below, we have taken a deep dive into all of the watches featured across Ritchie’s films, featuring everything from Soviet era timepieces to a plethora of Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Snatch – Cartier Pasha
Mickey O’Neill is one of the most memorable characters in both Ritchie and Brad Pitt’s storied careers. A big part of that is his outlandish wardrobe. From his iconic leather trilby to the dramatic oversized shearling coat, Mickey is an unforgettable character. And on his wrist is an all-gold Cartier Pasha, which fits perfectly with his outlandish gypsy aesthetic and matches the gold crucifix he wears around his neck for most of the movie.
Revolver – Cartier Roadster
Not one of Ritchie’s best loved films but it has found the spiritually enthused, chess-inspired crime thriller has found a deserved cult audience in the 20 years since its release. At the centre of the film is Jason Statham’s con man gambler and his battle with both his own ego and Ray Liotta’s leopard print briefs wearing crime boss. The stylish film is exemplified by Statham’s watch choice – the Cartier Roadster, which was recently brought back by the iconic French brand. In the film, Statham wears his on a leather strap, which seems to work better than a bracelet.
RocknRolla – Breitling Winder Cockpit
A watch fit for a Russian oligarch, Karel Roden’s Uri haunts the London of RocknRolla like a spectre but he always looks good doing it. As well as his crisply tailored shirts, he wears a Breitling Winder Cockpit throughout the film with the functional watch proving that he does not have to flaunt his power and wealth.
The Man from UNCLE – Pobeda
For The Man from UNCLE, Ritchie has Illya Kuryakin wear an era appropriate Pobeda wristwatch. The brand was established on the order of none other than Joseph Stalin in the aftermath of the Second World War and they were built to be reliable but developed a reputation for being fragile. Suitably stylish in a retro setting, they have become something of a collector’s item in the West.
The Gentlemen – Rolex Day-Date
Adorning the wrist of Charlie Hunnam’s Ray, The Gentlemen saw Ritchie really step his watch game to a new level. As well as this stunning gold Day-Date, the film features Matthew McConaughey in an Omega Seamaster and Colin Farrell in a Rolex Date-just while lesser known brand, Pinion, supplied custom watches for the film. They made one for McConaughey’s character which was not used and another for Hugh Grant’s scoundrel journalist that he wears throughout the film.
Wrath of Man – IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceretanium
For their trip to the dark side of the American underworld, Ritchie and longtime friend and collaborator Statham brought out a watch to do a simple but brutal job. Straight from Statham’s own mammoth collection of IWC’s, the Top Gun is bulky, rigorous and suits the seriousness of the film, which stands as one of Ritchie’s very best.
Operation Fortune – Panerai Submersible Carbotech PAM01616
Continuing his 2020’s trend of going watch crazy, Ritchie’s take on James Bond features no shortage of watches, with a little something for everybody. Military brand CWC feature prominently on the wrists of Cary Elwes and Bugzy Malone while Josh Hartnett wears an always money Patek Philippe Nautilus. But, top of the tree is Statham and his trusty Panerai, with this futuristic looking Carbotech an apt choice for a spy who wants to look good dabbling in a bit of sabotage.
The Covenant – MTM Vulture
For his terrific war film about the bond between a Green Beret and his Afghan interpreter, Ritchie opted for tactical watches across his ensemble. Leading the way is Jake Gyllenhaal and his MTM Vulture, a $1500 customisable piece that features various light modes, functions as a flashlight and UV lights which can detect blood – basically everything you want from a watch that is likely to see some combat. This rigorous accuracy embodies the thought Ritchie and his team put into authentic details, especially with something as sensitive as the US military.
The Gentlemen Season 1 – F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain
A spin-off to the film, the first season of The Gentlemen rightfully received an awful lot of attention for its parade of watches. Featuring characters that are members of the British aristocracy as well as American billionaires and ne’er-do-wells of various nationalities, there is a seemingly endless parade of Patek Philippe’s vintage Omega and even a Girard-Perregaux. But it’s hard, if not impossible to top the F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain worn by Giancarlo Esposito, which will set any admirer back a nifty $60,000.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – Jaeger-LeCoultre Dirty Dozen
Again diving into the history of watches, Ritchie and his now regular costume designer Loulou Bontemps, chose authentic Dirty Dozen watches manufactured by Swiss watchmakers for Allied troops during the Second World War. In The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Cavill wears the pieces made by Cyma and Jaeger-LeCoultre, which fits the Superman actor’s own taste as he has been partial to one or two JLC’s when on the red carpet.
Fountain of Youth – Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronograph Calendar
Fountain of Youth is Jaeger-LeCoultre heaven. Worn by John Krasinski, Natalie Portman and Domhall Gleeson across the globetrotting treasure hunting caper, Gleeson and Portman wear the iconic Reverso while Krasinski’s leading man opts for the bigger and bolder Master Control, befitting a characrer that loves classical things but also has a sense of modernity and adventure – much like Ritchie himself.
MobLand Season 1 – Omega Constellation Globemaster
Watches in MobLand appear as carefully chosen as the moves of Tom Hardy’s Harry De Souza himself. While Harry wears a Rolex GMT-Master II, his boss, Conrad Harrigan (played with gusto by Pierce Brosnan), goes with a fine Omega Constellation Globemaster in gorgeous rose gold, fitting for a man that rules half of London and wants the world to know it, but also values quiet time with his trout in the Cotswolds.
In the Grey – Cartier Santos Dumont
Ritchie’s latest film to hit cinemas, it is a suitably stylish affair with the three leads – Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill and Eiza Gonzalez – spending the 90 minutes dressed to the nines even while getting shot at. Cavill and Gonzalez both wear JLC while Gyllenhall, at his own insistence, wears a Cartier Santos Dumont. An iconic design, it fits the new school American cool of his character – the amazingly named Bronco Beauregard – and poses as a contrast to the more traditionally gentleman Cavill.
The Gentlemen Season 2 – Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Lady
Jaeger-LeCoultre again but this one on one of Ritchie’s ballsy, sharp-tongued characters. Firmly within the lineage of Rachel McAdams in Sherlock Holmes, Alicia Vikander in The Man from UNCLE and Eiza Gonzalez in everything she’s done with the director, Kaya Scodelario’s Susie Glass is icepick sharp and has the wardrobe to match. In season two of The Gentlemen, Susie prioritises the Reverso Lady while on her various crime boss duties and it’s not a coincidence that her will they/won’t they counterpart Theo James wears a very similar watch in the show.
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