"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
For the 131st installment, we will be looking at Kevin Spacey's watch .
Kevin Spacey attracted the attention of movie fans around the world with his role as the murderer John Doe in Brad Pitt's breakthrough film " Seven " (1995). When I was watching "Seven" at the cinema at the time, I remember being captivated by his performance while being dominated by the question, "Who is this unknown actor?"
*Source: https://whatculture.com/
Kevin Spacey, who has a brilliant career as a two-time Academy Award winner (68th Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and 72nd Academy Award for Best Actor), has been hit with multiple lawsuits for sexual harassment and sexual assault in recent years, forcing his career to take a hit. However, he was recently found not guilty in a London court and successfully cleared of all allegations. Production on his comeback film has already begun.
This time, we would like to take a closer look at the watch he wore in the movie.
The Usual Suspects
THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)
*Source: https://m.imdb.com/
A drug smuggling ship explodes in a California port. Investigator Quillan ( Chazz Palminteri ) is interrogating a conman, Kinto ( Kevin Spacey ), who is the only survivor of the explosion and has been arrested after many people died. Kinto, who is half-crippled, is terrified in the interrogation room and tells Quillan that the incident was orchestrated by the legendary crime lord Keyser Soze, and begins to tell the story.
One day, Kinto teams up with four fellow criminals who don't know each other to carry out a jewel robbery at the request of a fence. The job seems to be a success, but what is inside the stolen case is not jewels, but drugs. The four criminals confront the client, claiming that what they were told is not what they expected, and at the client's instruction, they meet with a lawyer named Kobayashi ( Pete Postlethwaite ), but it turns out that Kobayashi's employer is the legendary crime lord, Keyser Soze...
*Source: https://whatculture.com/
The Usual Suspects (1995), released a few months after Seven (1995), is another monumental suspense film that will surely go down in history. I was so impressed by his performance in Seven that I started following Kevin Spacey's work, and I went to see it at the now-defunct Ginza Theater Cinema, a movie theater that screened the film in a single theater with a "complete turnover system," which was rare at the time. I'm sure I still have the pamphlet, which was sealed when it was sold to prevent spoilers, still in its original packaging...
Well, the watch worn by Kevin Spacey, who plays a stingy con man in this film, is a Rolex Day-Date (Ref. unknown/reference image) . The model number is unknown as there are no scenes showing the dial or case, but the solid gold president bracelet is clearly visible in the film. Anything I write would be a spoiler, so I will omit details such as why he is wearing this watch. If you haven't seen the film yet, please do check it out!
L.A. Confidential
LA CONFIDENTIAL (1997)
*Source: https://deadline.com/
In Los Angeles in the 1950s, gangsters were engaged in a bloody power struggle following the arrest of a mafia boss. One day, a gruesome incident occurs in which a cafe in the city is attacked and six men and women, including a detective, are brutally murdered.
Bud ( Russell Crowe ), a strong and reckless detective, and Ed ( Guy Peirce ), an elite detective who is willing to inform on his colleagues in order to get promoted, are at odds with each other, but they investigate the case with veteran detective Jack ( Kevin Spacey ). Eventually, Bud, who was the partner of the murdered detective, cornered and shot dead the three men who were seen at the crime scene, and it seemed that the case had been solved.
However, when the false evidence is discovered, the detectives realize that the trio are not the real culprits, and they discover that behind the incident lies a huge conspiracy involving the higher-ups of the LAPD...
*Source: https://oracleoftime.com/
I also saw " LA Confidential " (1998) at the now defunct Yokohama Toho Kaikan in Kannai. I became a fan of Guy Pearce after seeing " Priscilla " (1994) at the now defunct Kannai Academy, and I remember eagerly waiting for the release of the film, in which he co-starred with Kevin Spacey.
The watch worn by Kevin Spacey, who plays Jack, a veteran detective who holds the key to the story, is a vintage Bulova Surf King (Ref. – / circa 1965) . Although it is a watch from a slightly older era than the 1950s, the setting of the film, the use of a vintage item from Bulova, a leading American watch manufacturer, effectively expresses the “ old America .”
The Lobbyist Conspiracy
CASINO JACK (2010)
*Source: https://www.npr.org/
Abramoff ( Kevin Spacey ), a big lobbyist supporting the Bush administration, teams up with his business partner Michael ( Barry Pepper ) and begins to wield great power as a fixer in the political world, using his connections with politicians and financial power as a weapon. Abramoff mows down opposing forces by entertaining and bribing politicians and influential people, and lines his own pockets.
His next target was a huge casino concession run as a preferential treatment policy for Native Americans. Abramoff acquired the concession through shady means, but it soon developed into a political scandal that shook the Bush administration.
*Source: https://productplacementblog.com/
One of Kevin Spacey's favorite roles is that of a man of power who is not afraid to commit illegal acts, such as the crazy boss in " House of Cards " (2011) and the corrupt president in " House of Cards " (2013). In " The Lobbyist's Cop " (2010), which depicts the casino concession fraud case that shook the Bush administration, he played Jack Abramos, a political fixer who wields his power according to his desires and is eventually imprisoned as a result.
The watch he wears in this film is the IWC Big Ingenieur Chronograph (Ref. IW378402) . Kevin Spacey, who has worn IWC watches such as the Portugieser and Da Vinci both in public and private, is said to be the No. 1 IWC enthusiast in Hollywood. I believe that the reason he chose the impactful 45.5mm Big Ingenieur rather than the Portugieser, which goes well with his suit, is because he wanted to express Abramos's extraordinary strength of character through the watch he wears.
summary
What did you think.
Kevin Spacey has been forced to retire from the film industry since he was sued for sexual assault around 2019, but now that the allegations have been happily cleared, not only Hollywood filmmakers but also movie fans around the world are eagerly awaiting his early return.
I've been a fan of Kevin Spacey since I was in my 20s, so writing about him brings back memories of the many movies I've seen. Many of those memories are from theaters that are now closed, and I'm reminded once again of how quickly the times move on.
*Source: https://www.koimoi.com/
Now, Kevin Spacey is known to be an avid IWC fan .
In the next issue, titled "Congratulations! Not Guilty Verdict!", we will be introducing the IWC watches that he wears both in public and private life.
Not only will Kevin Spacey fans enjoy this, but IWC fans will also enjoy it.
see you!