"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
In this 77th installment, we will be introducing " Rolex Datejusts that appeared in movies ."
*Source: blog.watchdealer.app
The Rolex Datejust (Ref. 4467) was born in 1945 as the first self-winding waterproof chronometer with a date display in a small window at the 3 o'clock position on the dial. Although it is an elegant solid gold model, it was born as the strongest practical dress watch with an Oyster case and perpetual mechanism, combining robustness and practicality, and is said to be the " most owned Rolex " today.
The Datejust is a truly popular model that made Rolex famous around the world.
This issue of "Actor's Watch" will focus on the " Datejust ."
The Datejust that appeared in the 007 series
Roger Moore in "A View to a Kill"
*Source: https://quillandpad.com/
Zorin ( Christopher Walken ), a genius billionaire, aims to destroy Silicon Valley and monopolize the digital industry. James Bond ( Roger Moore ), who senses Zorin's ambitions from a microchip found in the dead colleague spy "003", heads to San Francisco to thwart Zorin's plot.
Let's start with the obligatory "007" series. In the 14th film in the series, " A View to a Kill " (1985), Roger Moore, who plays the third James Bond, wears a Rolex Datejust (Ref. 16013) . In the early 1980s, he often wore sponsored Seiko quartz and digital watches, and in this film he also wears a Seiko watch, but in the scene shown in the photo, it is said that Moore forgot to change his watch, causing his own favorite watch to be reflected in the picture.
☞#4 Read "007" James Bond's Watches [Roger Moore Edition]
The Datejust in Movies from the 1970s and 1980s
Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky II"
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Rocky Balboa ( Sylvester Stallone ) was defeated after a full-round battle with the heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed. However, the public praised the unknown challenger, Rocky, and he became a popular boxer. However, Rocky's wife, Adrian, was worried about his health. Rocky was troubled about whether he should continue boxing...
" Rocky II " (1979), the sequel to the Academy Award-winning masterpiece " Rocky " (1976), features a Rolex in a scene where Rocky, who has become a "profitable boxer" with his wife Adrian after his matches have increased and he has started to get sponsors, visits a luxury watch store. On screen are the Day-Date , GMT-Master , and Datejust Ladies . All of them are solid gold Rolexes.
This scene perfectly captures the general public's image that "What do people buy when they start making a lot of money? A gold Rolex!"
Paul Newman in "The Hustler"
*Source: https://bamfstyle.com/
25 years ago, Eddie ( Paul Newman ), a skilled hustler who made a name for himself in the world of gambling billiards, and Vincent ( Tom Cruise ), a young billiards player whom he discovered. Under Eddie's guidance, Vincent emerges as a gambler, but a misunderstanding soon arises between the two, and he ends up participating individually in a tournament that they had aimed to play as a team. However, the two advance through the tournament using their natural skills, and a showdown awaits them in the quarterfinals.
25 years after " The Hustler " (1961), Paul Newman once again plays the legendary billiards master "Fast Eddie" in " The Hustler II " (1986). Of course, it is Paul Newman who wears the Rolex Datejust (Ref. 16234 ) in this film. When it comes to him and Rolex, the Daytona exotic dial " Ref. 6239 " is famous, but the Datejust, which combines dressiness and sexiness, suits the wrist of the elderly gambler very well.
Harrison Ford in "Frantic"
*Source: https://www.flickr.com/
American doctor Richard ( Harrison Ford ) and his wife Sandra visit Paris for a conference. There seems to have been a mix-up of their suitcases, and when they open their luggage at the hotel, they don't recognize it at all. Then, while he is taking a shower, his wife is kidnapped. Believing that the cause of the kidnapping is a mix-up of their luggage, he runs around the city of Paris searching for his wife, relying on the phone number of a match he found in the suitcase.
In Frantic (1987) directed by Roman Polanski , the master of absurd suspense mystery films, Harrison Ford, who plays a doctor searching for his missing wife, wears a Rolex Datejust (presumably Ref. 16014) . For a doctor who likely earns a high income, a SS/WG Datejust would be the perfect choice to subtly increase the trust of patients.
☞ Read #37 The watch of the No. 1 box office actor, Harrison Ford
Kurt Russell in "Tequila Sunrise"
*Source: https://www.spotern.com/
While investigating the background of former drug dealer Mac ( Mel Gibson ), narcotics investigator Nick ( Kurt Russell ) arrives at a restaurant where Mac is a regular. Nick marks the restaurant as a drug dealing site. However, he gradually begins to be attracted to the charm of the restaurant's female owner, Anne ( Michelle Pfeiffer ).
In this film, the narcotics agent played by Kurt Russell wears a combination Rolex Datejust model (presumably Ref. 16013) . Tequila Sunrise (1988) is more of a melodrama depicting a love triangle between an agent, a drug dealer, and a woman, even though it may seem like a detective suspense film. The Datejust combination model, with its mature sexiness, adds a touch of glamour to the romance.
☞Read #46 "I'm Snake" Kurt Russell's watch
The Datejust in Movies from the 1990s
Anthony Quinn in "Revenge"
*Source: https://www.rolexmagazine.com/
Jay ( Kevin Costner ), a former US Navy pilot, visits his former superior officer Tibby ( Anthony Quinn ) who lives in Mexico on vacation after his retirement. There, Jay meets Tibby's beautiful young wife Miriella. The two eventually fall in love, but when Tibby discovers his wife's betrayal, he inflicts mortal injury on Jay and sells Miriella to a brothel. Jay, who survives despite being on the verge of death, vows to take revenge on Tibby.
The Rolex Datejust worn in this film is by the great actor Anthony Quinn, who plays Tibby, a former soldier who emigrates to Mexico and becomes a local authority figure. Given the era, it is likely to be a model around the " Ref. 16233 " model. This is a gorgeous model befitting of a great actor who gives a powerful performance as a ruthless yet dignified authority figure. It accentuates the character who is the one being taken revenge on by the protagonist.
Datejusts in Movies Since 2000
Christian Bale in "American Psycho"
*Source: https://www.xupes.com/
*Source: https://timeandtidewatches.com/
In the 1980s in New York, a young executive ( Christian Bale ) is the vice president of a bank, living in a luxury apartment and with a beautiful fiancée. He is filled with a darkness in his heart and becomes addicted to murder for pleasure.
American Psycho (2000) is a psychological suspense film based on a novel by Brett Easton Ellis, a representative American author of the 90s. In this film, Christian Bale, who plays the main character Bateman, wears a Rolex Datejust (Ref. 16013) . The combination of the Datejust, which is intelligent and glamorous, is typical of successful people of the 90s, and it is a watch that strongly impresses the difference between an elite banker and a pleasure killer.
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Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation"
*Source: https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/
Bob Harris ( Bill Murray ), a fading Hollywood star, comes to Japan to shoot a commercial. He is not getting along with his wife of 25 years, and is unable to meet the director's demands on the set due to interpreter issues. Stressed, he meets Charlotte ( Scarlett Johansson ), the wife of a cameraman staying at the same hotel. Despite the age difference, the two get along well and spend the short time together while they are both in Tokyo.
Lost in Translation (2003) is an adult romance film that depicts the relationship between a man and a woman who meet by chance in an unfamiliar foreign land and become "more than friends but less than lovers." In this film, Bill Murray, who plays the role of a Hollywood star who comes to Japan, wears a Rolex Datejust ( Ref. 16234 ) . The simple Datejust with a black dial, Jubilee bracelet, and SS/WG decorates the wrist of the "mature old man" without any pretense.
James McAvoy in "IT: Chapter Two"
*Source: https://www.rolexforums.com/
27 years have passed since a series of child disappearances occurred in the small rural town of Derry. Pennywise ( Bill Skarsgård ), a clown-like monster who is said to be able to live for billions of years by eating children trembling in fear, is about to be resurrected. The children who made a vow at the time to "defeat Pennywise, who is supposed to be resurrected in 27 years," now that they are adults, gather in the city of Derry to fulfill their vow.
In "IT CHAPTER 2" (2019) , the children who survived the battle with Pennywise reunite after 27 years and fight to defeat Pennywise. Bill ( James McAvoy ), whose younger brother was kidnapped by Pennywise and who is still haunted by the regret , wears a Rolex Datejust (presumably Ref. 116234) .
"Adult Bill" overcame his childhood stutter and became a successful writer. It seems that the simple Datejust was chosen as a prop to symbolize "adulthood."
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summary
What did you think?
In movies, while sports models such as the " Submariner ," " GMT Master ," and " Daytona " have become props to portray "watches for the wealthy" since the 2000s, the Datejust has been portrayed as "the watch of those who make a lot of money" continuously since "Rocky II" in 1979.
Looking at it this way, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the current rise in prices of sports Rolexes is the result of the long history of the Datejust enhancing Rolex's credibility .
Nowadays, Rolex sports models are overwhelmingly popular, but the recent models of the " true talent " Datejust are truly amazing. We highly recommend that you keep an eye on them from now on.
see you!