Watches also make great gifts for one character to give to another. When Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan needed a way to convey that Gemma Chan’s character was a loving woman of great means and exquisite taste, the famed dealer Eric Wind recommended a scene in which she gives her (cheating) husband a Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona reference 6263.
But in texting with Milton, I found that prop masters are looking for watches to do really heavy lifting beyond serving as good gifts or establishing continuity. Prop masters aren’t trying to just communicate taste—they’re looking to distill a character’s entire identity or motivation into a timepiece. “More times than not, the question is less ‘what works style-wise’ and more ‘I want this to communicate that this was a watch his dad left him or her before he died’ or ‘he’s a rich finance guy now but this watch he bought with his first paycheck,’” Milton explains.
All this careful consideration can at times make shows and films now feel a little discordant with reality. Prop masters wanting to convey so much meaning through their protagonists’ watches helps explain why the timepieces in entertainment are so dang good nowadays. But most quote-unquote normal people do not get dressed with a prop master’s careful eye. They don’t have to worry about some watch forum poster whining about how their watch isn’t a fit for their personality. Sure, watch connoisseurs might think about what their piece means when out shopping, but most folks simply buy whichever watch they like and can afford, oblivious to the grander significance. Heck, the Apple Watch is the most purchased “watch” in the world, but I hardly ever see it on my screen—probably because no one has ever left a smart watch behind as an heirloom or purchased one with their first big paycheck. The Apple Watch is a blank slate, which is wasted space in a show or movie.
What you’re far more likely to see instead is a bit of Hollywood magic sprinkled on a character’s wrist. Milton recalled the final scene in Top Gun: Maverick as a perfect example of this. “[Jennifer Connelly’s character is] standing outside with a vintage tropical [Rolex] Explorer 1016 on her wrist, leaning on a pristine vintage Porsche 911,” he said. “Like, could this be more vintage core?”
And Hollywood’s favorite tool is only getting sharper. “I think we are seeing more prop masters and costume designers of our generation than ever before, and our curiosities, interests, and media exposures have so much overlap that we’re seeing them get into watches as a thing in real time with us,” Milton added. Costume designers and prop masters are dead set on getting it right—on choosing the exact correct vintage TAG Heuer models for Barbie’s Ken or an Omega Speedmaster for Eric on Industry—which I’m all for if it leads to more vintage grails on my screen.
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