Emma Fraser examines the best watches in modern cinema history in issue 15 of Something About Rocks – check them out below.
- READ MORE: BAFTA Film Awards 2026: The best watches on show.
Whether saving the world, solving a murder, scoring intel or simply trying to get home for the holidays, a watch can say a lot about a character.
A connection between Tinseltown and prized timepieces dates back to Old Hollywood glam, with contemporary stars following in these glitzy footsteps.
But how a watch ends up on the wrist of movie stars is a matter of collaboration. Rather than falling directly under the costume umbrella, it is often the Props Master who is responsible for sourcing the timepiece a character wears.
Still, the costume designer, director, and actor are integral to this conversation, leading to some of the most celebrated and memorable horological and cinematic pairings.
DANIEL CRAIG IN OMEGA (CASINO ROYALE, 2006)
Given the myriad James Bond options across the 60-plus year cinematic span, it would’ve been easy to go for one of the Q-modified gadgets. Instead, it is Daniel Craig’s debut as 007, wearing a stylish Omega Seamaster with no tricks up its sleeve, that points to the beauty of this partnership.
It was Pierce Brosnan’s Bond who first wore Omega, passing the license to kill and Swiss watch mantle to Craig the following decade.
When meeting Vesper Lyn for the first time, Bond’s accessory is part of a back-and-forth wit-matching flirtation. “Easy smiles and expensive watches,” Vesper comments before guessing it’s a Rolex. “Beautiful,” she replies when Bond corrects her.
The Seamaster 300M selected by Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming taps into the new era of the legendary covert agent while winking to Brosnan’s depiction.
Honor Blackman in Rolex (Goldfinger 1964)
Before Omega became the signature James Bond brand in 1995’s GoldenEye, Ian Fleming’s novels cited a Rolex Submariner as 007’s go-to timepiece.
The movies went a similar route, including Honor Blackman’s iconic turn as villain-turned-Bond girl.
Now known as ‘the Rolex Pussy Galore’, Blackman sports a chunky Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542 in Sean Connery’s third outing as the British spy.
What makes this pairing so special (and sexy) is that Blackman wears an alluring metallic waistcoat (sans blouse) with the men’s watch, speaking to its universal appeal and the character’s ability to keep up with Bond in the style stakes.
After all, Pussy is a pilot, and she needs a wristwatch worthy of her skills and those of a British aviation legend, Sheila Scott, who is said to have inspired Fleming’s wingwoman.
In a life-imitates-art-imitates-life moment, Scott wore a men’s Rolex GMT Master ref. 1675 in 1966 when she became the first Brit to fly solo around the world and became a Rolex spokesperson.
Steve McQueen in TAG Heuer (Le Mans, 1971)
More than 50 years after Steve McQueen zipped up the Hinchman Nomex racing suit while playing Michael Delaney, this image remains the epitome of cool: ditto his choice of watch, sourced by Le Mans props master Don Nunley.
Aesthetics alone didn’t inform the selection of the clearly visible, avant-garde square-face red, white, and blue TAG HEUER chronograph.
The luxury Swiss watchmaker also represented what racing drivers wore, having established a connection to the automobile industry in the early 20th century, and scored its first Formula 1 sponsorship deal in 1971.
One of six Monacos worn by McQueen sold at auction in 2024 for $1.4 million, proving that the model, first released in 1969, still puts the watchmaker in pole position.
Sigourney Weaver in Seiko (Aliens, 1986)
Timepieces have a long, storied connection to space exploration, and this future-set franchise is no different. Between Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien and James Cameron’s sequel, Weaver’s Ripley has been in hypersleep for 57 years; fashion has evolved.
Ripley’s dual-face digital Casio F-100 from Alien (the props team modified an existing design to give a 2122 flavour) is out, the blocky analog Seiko Giugiaro 7A28-7000 is in.
Given that it matches the harsh-edged 2179 setting, it was not custom-made for this movie. In fact, it came out three years earlier.
Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro (the man behind the DeLorean car), this aluminium and steel quartz watch won’t save you from a Xenomorph. Nevertheless, it was reissued in 2016 for those on Earth.
James Stewart in Tissot (Rear Window, 1954)
In Alfred Hitchcock’s sweltering New York City thriller, Stewart’s photojournalist L.B. ‘Jeff ’ Jefferies has nothing but time on his hands.
After breaking his leg while on assignment, Jeff has one week left in a whole leg cast and the pyjamas-only attire. To add a touch of normalcy to this forced loungewear, he wears a Tissot field watch that he never removes.
An unassuming leather strap is a no-frills contrast to model girlfriend Lisa Fremont’s (Grace Kelly) jangling luxe statement jewelry, underscoring their sartorial differences and the opposites-attract dynamic.
Steve Martin in Piaget (Planes, Trains and Automobiles, 1987)
Gold watches are a 1980s given, particularly for an advertising executive like Steve Martin’s Neal Page.
After the ‘Two Days Before Thanksgiving’ title card, the first shot of the John Hughes comedy classic is a close-up of Neal’s 18K gold Piaget Polo 8273 on a black leather strap, signifying his refined taste and desire to leave his Manhattan office for his flight home to Chicago.
Instead, Neal finds himself stuck on a cross-country odyssey with a shower curtain ring salesman, Del Griffith (John Candy).
During this saga, Neal successfully uses his “hell of a nice watch” to pay for a motel room. The Piaget and $17 are accepted; Del’s Casio A159W (and $2) are not.
Christian Bale in Jaeger-LeCoultre (The Dark Knight Trilogy, 2005, 2008, 2012)
Much like Bruce Wayne, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso has two distinct sides. This staple piece is ideal for the billionaire vigilantes’ luxury closet.
Val Kilmer and Christian Bale’s Caped Crusaders differ greatly. Still, both wore the Grande Taille during their stints protecting Gotham City, while Christopher Nolan’s trilogy taps up two different Reverso designs (such as the Grande Date in The Dark Knight Rises).
The Reverso was born out of a desire to protect a watch during polo matches, and its hardened exterior is much like Bruce when he dons his custom-made suit.
Underneath, its design speaks to the nearly 100 years since this horological beauty first hit the market in the 1930s; the same decade Batman made his first comic book appearance.
Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain in Hamilton (Interstellar, 2014)
Hamilton has a storied connection to Hollywood (including Elvis Presley’s beloved Ventura), but Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi film triumphantly combines quantum physics, refined elegance, and enduring parental love.
Time is relative when wormholes become reality, and a father’s gift proves to be more than a keepsake; not every watch can claim to have saved humanity.
Matthew McConaughey’s Cooper gives his daughter, Murph (Mackenzie Foy), a wristwatch to compare to his Hamilton Khaki Pilot Day-Date upon his return, as time will run differently where he is going.
Years later, adult Murph (Chastain) realizes this keepsake is now a message receiving device (using the seconds hand to send a Morse code signal). Hamilton custom-made the model with Interstellar prop master, Ritchie Kremer, remaking it for on-screen use.
After popular demand, the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph was released in 2019 (‘Eureka’ is printed in Morse code in lacquer on the seconds hand).
Cate Blanchett in IWC (Ocean’s 8, 2018)
Planning to steal a Cartier necklace worth $150 million from the Met Gala doesn’t require lavish personal taste, but it helps.
Take Cate Blanchett’s nightclub owner and high-end thief, Lou, whose stainless steel IWC Mark XVIII is far from the only jewellery on her wrists and fingers.
Costume designer Sarah Edwards pairs Lou’s menswear-leaning tailoring with enough statement accessories to pull attention without setting off alarm bells.
There is nothing try-hard about this, adding another layer to Lou’s fearless rock-and-roll energy that will aid this heist.
Zendaya in Cartier (Challengers, 2024)
Tennis and watch partnerships go hand-in-hand. Still, a career-ending injury on the court doesn’t stop Tashi (Zendaya) from building an ‘It couple’ brand.
As her husband Art’s (Mike Faist) coach, Tashi is decked head-to-toe in luxury labels, from Chanel espadrilles to the dynamite Cartier combo: a Trinity necklace and Panthère de Cartier watch.
Released in 1983, discontinued in the early 2000s, and then given a new lease of life in 2017, this timeless and flexible link bracelet timepiece references the Cartier signature animal motif.
It is part of Tashi’s enviable closet, and a design Zendaya herself wears, proving its 21st-century Gen Z appeal.
Like this? See the full issue 15, available now.
