Feature: The best TV series for watches
It's only a matter of time before the title “Watch consultant” regularly appears in the closing credits of TV series, with wardrobe assistants and prop masters becoming increasingly aware that a carefully chosen timepiece can speak volumes about the character wearing it.
Whereas in times gone by, an actor might have worn their own watch or simply gone without, these days it’s almost as important as their clothing or haircut—which is why luxury watches are getting increasing visibility on the small screen.
Some of the biggest shows in recent years have capitalised on this subtle-but-effective way to bring a character to life, imbue them with a hint of adventure, affluence or refinement.
Occasionally the watches are symbolic, as with Don Draper’s Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso in Mad Men, and sometimes they can even be part of the plot, as in Netflix’s The Gentlemen where in one episode a character’s credibility rests on whether she can tell a fake Patek Philippe from the real thing.
Maybe you’ve seen some of the following shows already, but they’re all worth revisiting, if only to hit the pause button and take a closer look at the bountiful wrist candy on display.
Mad Men
Mad Men was perhaps the first TV series where a concerted effort was made to pair the lead characters with a watch befitting their personality. The show’s chief of props, Ellen Freund, was such a stickler for historical detail that for the fifth series she reached out to vintage watch specialist, Derek Dier, who supplied a number of period-correct models for the leads, including protagonist Don Draper.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is the watch we think sums up Don Draper the best
Dier chose a sleek Omega DeVille for Draper (played by Jon Hamm), a watch he barely took off for the final few seasons, while his sartorially impeccable boss Roger Sterling (John Slattery), was given a beautiful tuxedo-dial Tudor dress watch. But as one of Madison Avenue’s highest paid employees, Draper already had some fine watches in his collection before the DeVille came along, including a Rolex and a couple of Jaeger-LeCoultre classics. You can find out exactly what models they were in our dedicated Mad Men article.
Succession
Let’s face it, it’d be poor costume design if the family behind a global billion-dollar media and entertainment empire didn’t have an incredible watch collection. Thankfully, Succession’s prop department made maximum effort to match each character to their watch perfectly—to the delight of watch enthusiasts everywhere!
Media mogul, Logan Roy, opted for a Breguet like this one, a watch that whispers luxury as opposed to screams it
The notorious Roy family has an enviable collection from across the spectrum. We’re talking the elegantly understated Breguet Classique to the ultimate wealth-signifier, Richard Mille, as worn by Logan’s ambitious son, Kendall. Plus, everything in-between including a classic steel Rolex, some stunning IWC watches and a handful of Cartier icons modelled by Logan’s daughter Shiv and her unlikely husband, Tom.
The White Lotus
The colourful guests holidaying at the White Lotus hotels in both series one and two share the luxury of having deep pockets—as expected considering they’re staying at such a classy establishment. With no shortage of funds, the characters need something to spend their money on and judging by their wrists, luxury watches appear to have scratched that itch.
The impressive Rolex Submariner "Smurf", worn by Cameron Sullivan
We’ve spotted everything from a stunning 18k white-gold Rolex Submariner “Smurf”, worn by the egotistical Cameron Sullivan, to Ethan Spiller’s understated TAG Heuer Connected. The costume team did a great job here, picking watches that personify these characters to a T.
The watches of The White Lotus
The Gentlemen
The motley assortment of gangsters and aristocrats that appear in writer-director Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series wear some of the hottest watches of the past decade. Costume designer Loulou Bontemps is reported to have spent up to a week discussing watch choices with Ritchie, no slouch himself when it comes to luxury timepieces (he’s been spotted wearing several Rolexes, including a Daytona). As such, The Gentlemen is a watch spotter’s dream, with a number of vintage and contemporary models popping up from the first episode to the last.
The ultra-rare Patek Philippe 1518, a watch that's the topic of conversation in one scene but never shown
Watch lovers will relish the scene where two characters discuss the authenticity of a rare Patek Philippe reference 1518. It’s just a pity the watch isn’t shown. This might also be the first TV series where a character wears a watch by the doyen of independent high-end watchmakers, F.P. Journe. The props people really went the extra mile here.
The Sopranos
The Sopranos, despite the last episode airing in 2007, enjoyed a second wind during the global pandemic when half the world binge-watched classic TV dramas to stave off lockdown boredom. The New Jersey-based mob drama—hailed by many as the greatest TV series ever made— won a new audience, many of whom were newly watch-literate (watch-related YouTube content also soared in popularity during lockdown).
A yellow-gold Day-Date is patriarch, Tony Soprano's watch of choice
Most viewers spotted the yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date, worn by head of the family Tony Soprano, but plenty of other watches got a cameo. Tony gifts a family member an unspecified Patek Philippe in one episode for giving him a financial tip that pays off, while after returning from one business trip he presents his wife Carmela with a Baume & Mercier. And anyone paying really close attention will have clocked the several Cartiers worn by Tony’s wayward nephew, Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli (who also appeared in The White Lotus).
The Day of The Jackal
Anyone who has watched the 1971 film version of The Jackal would have expected the lead character in this Sky TV remake to have something decent on his wrist. Edward Fox’s original Jackal was a suave and deadly efficient assassin—James Bondesque, even. So the fact that the latest Jackal, starring Eddie Redmayne as the elusive hitman, wears a luxury watch comes as little surprise.
Even less surprising is the fact that he wears an Omega. After all, Redmayne has been a global ambassador for the brand for almost ten years, although this is believed to be the first time he’s worn an Omega on screen.
This is one of three Omegas worn by Redmayne throughout the series
As the Jackal, Redmayne sports no less than three different watches during the series, changing watches to match his alter egos. With the James Bond franchise on hiatus as they seek a new actor to play the role, this plugs a large promotional gap for Omega. But whether the brand brings out a limited-edition Jackal model remains to be seen.
The watches of The Day of the Jackal
Shop pre-owned Cartier watches
Shop pre-owned Patek Philippe watches
Shop pre-owned Jaeger-LeCoultre watches
Shop pre-owned TAG Heuer watches
Shop pre-owned Richard Mille watches
Shop pre-owned Breguet watches
