Summer 2024

hroughout the age of cine- ma, the silver screen has thrilled us with the right watch being strapped to the wrist of some of Hollywood’s most legendary actors. At times the studios placed a specific watch on an actor to create a distinct character while in some instances the actor made his own choice of a timepiece. Some of these luxury watches became stars in their own right.They have given us great movie moments and have identified with the eccen- tricity of their characters. This individuality crystallized in the ’20s and ’30s screen stars of that era.Watches were elegantly Art Deco, reflecting the bold, architectural contrasts of that design movement and were the must-haves of the beautiful people. Let us go back in time to the film “Casablanca.” The year was 1942. Humphrey Bogart was a man of easy elegance with a preserved expres- sion. It was fitting to spot his watch of choice in a Longines Evidenza engraved with his initials.This vintage watch is now valued in the thousands. The fifties era brought to the screen seven seasons of “Mad Men.” Don Draper’s watch choices provided a timeline in the development of ’50s and ’60s timepieces. A Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox, a Rolex Explorer and a Seamaster De Ville reflected his art of impressing the ad world. Watches featured in films aren’t just accessories. They connect to the story and characterize without words. At times they were beguiling, some- times extravagant, but always gave distinction to the actor wearing them. While hot watches are associated with mostly male actors in films, there have been a few female actors that have rocked these timepieces. In “The Queen’s Gambit,” Anya Taylor-Joy plays Beth Harmon, a teenage American chess wizard who rises to fame in the late 1950s. In a brief moment of the film, she is given a graduation gift from her adoptive mother. As she opens the box, her mother exclaims, “It’s a Bulova.” It was an American Girl watch, valued at $595 today. Mention must be given to gutsy Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley in “Aliens,” trying to deal with all that gross alien stuff in James Cameron’s sci-fi films of the ’80s. Her watch of choice was chosen by watch buff Cameron and is a much sought-after nostalgic time- piece by collectors of sci-fi.The Seiko Giugiaro 7A28-7000. Priced at around $1,999. Here’s a short list of some memorable films where the watch worn, became crucial obsessions to moviegoers worldwide. “Jaws” 1975 The biggest mystery of “Jaws,” was not how to find the rogue shark that was terrorizing Amity Island, but rather what watch Richard Dreyfuss, as oceanographer Matt Hooper, was wearing. It was a most fitting watch for a guy drenched in the sea, a water resistant Alsta Nautoscaph Superautomatic, first released in 1970. Priced today between $785-$1,900. “Top Gun” 1986 Featured in the movie is the Valjoux 7750-powered piece, where it is seen in many close-up shots. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, wore this same watch in both the original “Top Gun” and in “Top Gun: Maverick.” Priced around $3,650. 108 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 4 COLLECTING T E XT AND PHOTOGRA PHY B Y MAR J OR I E S OW In the Spotlight – Power Watches T A rare 1940s Crysler watch, Carter Swiss 17 jewels, with aquamarine faceted stones on face, in 10k rolled gold.