"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
In this seventh installment, let's take a look at the wrists of aviators and pilots who appear in movies.
The history of wristwatches for general use began with the Santos, created by Cartier in 1904 in response to a request from aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont for a watch that was easy to read while piloting an airplane (although wristwatches had been made to order for aristocrats and as military equipment even before that).
*Source: https://www.robbreport.com.sg
As you may know, many manufacturers have since released watches with enhanced functions necessary for pilots, such as the Breitling Navitimer , which is equipped with a rotary slide rule for speed calculations required during flight, and the Rolex GMT Master , which has a second time zone display function for knowing the time zone of the destination. Pilots can be said to be a profession that is very closely linked to watches.
*Source: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2014/december/pilot/f-watches
Furthermore, being a pilot is a "profession directly linked to life and death" in which even a momentary error in judgment can lead to a major accident, and piloting an airplane has been the subject of many films in a wide range of genres, from war movies to panic movies and human dramas.
This time, I would like to introduce movies in which the story and clocks are involved in a memorable way.
Omega in Dunkirk
"Dunkirk," released in 2017 and directed by Christopher Nolan, is a war film that depicts the 1940 "Operation Dynamo" from three perspectives: land, sea, and air. The operation rescued 400,000 British and French Allied troops who were trapped in France by the invasion of Nazi Germany on the Western Front during World War II and led them to retreat to the British mainland.
In the film, the pilot of the cutting-edge fighter plane "Spitfire" heading to France to support the operation wears an OMEGA "CK2129." There is a scene where the pilot uses this watch to calculate the remaining fuel, realistically depicting how essential a watch was to a pilot.
*Source: https://www.ablogtowatch.com/omega-ck2129-watch-dunkirk-film-omegas-role-ww2/
Omega's "CK2129" was actually used by the Allied forces at the time, so the choice of this watch can be said to be a faithful reproduction of historical fact.
As the war progressed, Omega developed the UK/CK2292 Spitfire Watch , which reduced the effects of the strong magnetic forces generated by fighter plane engines, and the CK2444, a waterproof watch that would later lead to the development of the Seamaster. It is not difficult to imagine that the foundations of Omega's growth were laid during this period.
*Source: http://forumamontres.forumactif.com/t139942p25-les-www-focus-sur-omega-ck2444
The Spitfire pilot is played by Tom Hardy, who is popular for playing heroes in "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Venom." He is also a regular actor in Christopher Nolan's films, such as "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises."
*Source: https://www.professionalwatches.com/tom-hardy-wears-1940s-omega-ck2129-in-dunkirk/
Tom Hardy is a man of few words but has a strong sense of responsibility and is a dependable older brother figure who gets the job done. The CK2129, with its two rugged crowns that prevent accidental rotation and improve accuracy, suits him perfectly.
Porsche Design and IWC from "Top Gun"
In the 1986 film "Top Gun," the elite pilot played by Tom Cruise wears a chronograph with a strong military feel, rare for the time, with the entire watch coated in matte black, from the case to the bracelet.
*Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/fashion/watches-top-gun-tockr-bremont.html
This watch is the chronograph "Ref. 7176" jointly developed by Porsche Design and Orfina. It is one of the earliest watches to use PVD technology, which was developed as a reinforced coating for military use, and the entire watch is coated in matte black to prevent enemies from realizing your position due to reflected light.
*Source: https://www.watchprosite.com/collectors-market/sold-porsche-design-orfina–chrono/712.774598.5162568/
By the way, "TOP GUN" stands for the U.S. Navy's N7 Department, or "U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School," which educates and trains top fighter pilots.
Although it does not appear in the film, IWC has been developing the "Top Gun" pilot's watch, which can only be purchased by graduates of the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, since 2007. The company continues to design pilot's watches using the latest materials and technologies to meet the demanding and specialized requirements of elite jet pilots.
*Source: https://www.ablogtowatch.com/iwc-pilots-watch-chronograph-top-gun-edition-mojave-desert/
It is rumored that this IWC Top Gun model will appear in the sequel, Top Gun Maverick, which is scheduled to be released in July 2021, the first in 34 years, and is attracting the attention of watch enthusiasts around the world.
Extra: Rolex from "The Right Stuff"
The Right Stuff, released in 1983, depicts the seven astronauts who worked on the manned space flight program Project Mercury, and features the real-life pilot Chuck Yeager (played by the great actor Sam Shepard ), who was the first person in human history to break the sound barrier.
*Source: https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/sam-shepard-right-stuff/
Unfortunately, no Rolex watches appear in "The Right Stuff," but Yeager himself was known to be a big Rolex enthusiast, and he was wearing an Oyster Perpetual when he completed the first level supersonic flight in 1947.
In 1997, at the 50th anniversary of his breakthrough in sound, Yeager once again flew at supersonic speed in an F-15D, at the age of 70. He wore a specially made Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 16700 “Chuck Yeager” model in his honor.
*Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/chuck-yeager-first-pilot-to-break-sound-barrier-dies-at-97/GQCUGXYZMI4XHTO252VPTENZFY/
This model has been released in limited quantities by The Real McCoy's . The first model, released in 1997 , was limited to 50 pieces each of the blue and red bezel (Ref. 16700), black bezel (Ref. 16700), and black and red bezel (Ref. 16710), while the second model, released in 1999, was limited to 150 pieces each of the black bezel (Ref. 16700) and black and red bezel (Ref. 16710).
The dial has "CHUCK YEAGER" written in red and "THE REAL McCOY'S" in white at the bottom. The included Real McCoy's warranty card is a must-have for fans, and the watch is currently traded at a premium price.
※Click here for the "Rolex GMT Master Chuck Yeager (Ref. 16700)" available at Commit Ginza.
Rolex, endorsed by the world's fastest man, who has even broken the sound barrier, can truly be called "the ultimate practical watch that combines precision and robustness" in both name and reality.
■ Summary
The Omega CK2129 that appeared in Dunkirk later evolved into the UK/CK2292 and CK2444, evolving into a tougher and more accurate watch. The Porsche Design that appeared in Top Gun and the IWC watches that developed the Top Gun model are generously made with the latest materials and new technologies without being bound by tradition or common sense.
In an aircraft cockpit, where a split-second hesitation and a one-second error can mean the difference between life and death, it is only natural that watches must always use the latest technology and be extremely precise and durable.
It may not be an exaggeration to say that by looking at the watches worn by pilots in movies, you can tell what state-of-the-art watches were used at the time.
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