By 
Summers are all about relaxing on the beach, drinking margaritas by the pool, and having romantic picnics by the lake. However, on those unfortunate rainy days, we love to sit inside with a movie that we can recite from beginning to end.
Here are some of our favorite summer movies that, of course, feature luxury watches:
1. TOP GUN
“I have a need… a need for a pilot watch.”
During his first briefing, Maverick mentions to his instructor that the date of the MiG plane is inaccurate. When she asks him to explain, he swiftly takes off his aviators. He shows his classic Orfino in full view, before explaining in style.
A daredevil Navy pilot (Tom Cruise) successfully joins Top Gun, an elite Fighter School. There, he must give his all if he wants to prove he’s the best and win the Top Gun trophy. Considered to be the best tribute to aviation ever shot, this iconic film also features luxury timepieces.
Maverick wears his signature Orfina x Porsche Design Chronograph. (Even after 30 years in the newest installment, his character continues to show off the same watch.) Popular in the 70s and 80s, the Orfina chronographs featured a Valjoux movement.
It was the first all-black watch, and its crisp interface was easier to read than previous chronos. The stainless steel 41 mm case is assembled with a steel bezel. This timepiece is powered by the self-winding lemania 5100 calibre and can be purchased at $4,200.
IWC equipped the rest of the Top Gun cast with authentic Pilot watches. These timepieces were actually only available to graduates of the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School in real life. We love a good aviator-accurate film!
Maverick (Tom Cruise) and his Orfina x Porsche Design Chronograph
2. JAWS
“You’re gonna need a bigger watch.”
A Great White shark unleashes chaos on a beach off Amity Island. A local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer team up to defeat the shark once and for all.
A simple plot? Yes. A timeless cinematic masterpiece with one of the most iconic theme songs in film? Also yes.
Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) wears an Alsta Nautoscaph Superautomatic, an affordable water-resistant watch perfect for shark-slaying. The watch is most visible as Hooper ogles at the shark from the boat. It’s also most prominent when he is tying a rope to a yellow barrel to follow the shark escapee.
First released in 1970, Alsta released a limited number of 50th Anniversary pieces in 2021 priced at about $1,880. The stainless steel 38 mm case is assembled with a triple lock mechanism and a unidirectional bezel. This type of bezel prevents the risk of turning it while underwater.
While there was a cyclops lens above the date on the movie’s watch, the updated version opted for no lens. This timepiece features a Seiko NH35A calibre and can withstand the pressures of the ocean floor.
Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and his Alsta Nautoscaph Superautomatic
3. BACK TO THE FUTURE
“Your future is whatever you make it so… wear a watch!”
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) falls back from using too much power playing his guitar. He slowly sits up in shock, calculator watch unharmed. This top grossing 1985 film saw Marty with a Casio Calculator CA53W.
The resin 43 mm case and matching bezel is assembled with a water resistance of 165 feet. A quartz movement powers this timepiece, providing a 5-year battery life.
Marty McFly and his Casio Calculator CA53W
Doc, the time traveler himself, wears not one, but three timepieces. On his right wrist, he wears a Seiko A826 Training Timer which can record split-second timing with a remote trigger.
On his left wrist, he sports a silver calculator watch, an invention of the characters. Finally, Doc carries a Seiko stopwatch used to demonstrate the time traveling DeLorean. Not a bad collection for the Father of Time-Travel!
Doc and his Seiko A826 Training Timer
4. APOLLO 13
“Houston, we have a luxury watch problem.”
We traveled into the water, the air and the future. Now, let’s venture through space.
Based on an accurate true story, NASA's spacecraft to the moon undergoes internal damage from an oxygen tank explosion. NASA must figure out how to get their three astronauts on board of Apollo 13 home. In the film, the crew (including legendary Tom Hanks) is seen wearing the OMEGA Speedmaster. This is the watch choice of NASA's space expeditions.
The stainless steel 42 mm case is assembled with a steel bezel and a water resistance of 164 feet. The manual-winding OMEGA 3861 calibre powers this timeless design, providing a 50-hour power reserve.
Many astronauts still wear these watches on missions today. Their ability to resist extreme temperatures, vacuum and zero gravity allow for great accessibility. Also known as the Moonwatch, the OMEGA Speedmaster was also worn by Neil Armstrong, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins.
Jim Lovell and his OMEGA Speedmaster
5. PULP FICTION
One of the key props in the film is a WWI Lancet trench watch from 1918. People carried these timepieces on a chain before inventing wrist watches. WWI popularized the 36 mm trench watch for the soldier to keep an eye on the time. To complete their missions as planned, aviators and soldiers needed practical wristwatches.
Pulp Fiction is said to have the best watch story in cinema. “This watch I got here was first purchased by your great-grandfather during the first world war," Christopher Walken's character begins.
"It was bought in a little general store in Knoxville, Tennessee, made by the first company to ever produce wrist watches. Up until then, people just carried pocket watches. It was bought by Private Doughboy Ryan Coolidge the day he set sail for Paris.” Watch the rest of Christopher Walken’s iconic monologue here: The Gold Watch Monologue.
Captain Koons and the Lancet trench watch
6. INCEPTION
A summer blockbuster in 2010, Inception blew everyone’s minds. The film showcased stellar acting, writing, and directing. The action/thriller went on to win 4 Academy Awards.
Spotted in the movie was a TAG Heuer Carrera automatic worn by protagonist and extractor Cobb. (Leonardo DiCaprio is coincidentally a TAG Brand Ambassador). The stainless steel 44 mm case is assembled with a water resistance of 100 meters. The Heuer 02 calibre powers this timepiece.
Cobb and his TAG Heuer Carrera
Partner-in-crime and point man Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) sports a now discontinued IWC Mark XVI. It was assembled with a silver jubilee band and black dial. The stainless steel 38 mm case is assembled with a screw-in crown. This timepiece is powered by the self-winding 30110 calibre with a 42-hour power reserve.
Sure, they incepted people’s minds, but at least they did it in style!
Arthur and his IWC Mark XVI
7. BLUE HAWAII
Blue Hawaii was Elvis’ most successful film at the box office. This romantic comedy oldie was shot on Oahu and Kauai, making this the perfect summer day flick. Elvis’ character wears a 14k white gold Hamilton Ventura with a black dial and leather strap.
This distinctive shield-shaped watch was the first electric, battery-powered watch, reflecting the singer’s preference for cutting edge technology. He later purchased the same model for himself, and both watches are in the Hamilton historical collection.
For Elvis’ 87th birthday, the Hamilton Ventura watch was remade and currently sells for $725. All four main characters in the Men in Black series also wear the watch on their wrists. We love a good surfer watch turned sci-fi!
Elvis and his Hamilton Ventura
8. DOCTOR STRANGE
In his first superhero blockbuster, we see Doctor Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) open a drawer of a dozen high-end luxury watches. Amongst the watches is a TAG Heuer Monaco, Rolex Cosmograph Daytona and a Jaeger LeCoultre Grande Reverso Rouge 1931. The drawer is a watch collector’s dream.
Doctor Strange and his Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual
Pre-Superhero
The one he chooses to wear is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual. Originally a transparent sapphire crystal caseback, a solid caseback was created specifically for the film. The stainless steel 39 mm case is assembled with the year, month, date, hours, minutes, seconds, and moon phases. These complications add a touch of multi-dimensional adventures that becomes more prominent later in the series.
This $25,000 timepiece is powered by the self-winding movement with a 38-hour power reserve. His on-screen girlfriend (Rachel McAdams) gives it to him. It's inscribed quite fittingly with the message: ‘Time will tell you how much I love you.’
Doctor Strange and his Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual
Post-Superhero
Rainy day at the end of the week? Kick your feet up and binge watch some of these classic hits. If you also enjoy spotting easter eggs throughout cinema, then you’ll enjoy keeping an eye out on the characters’ wrists. Tell us about your favorite cinematic timepiece below!
