The best watches are a cornerstone of any movie wardrobe department. They can play a leading role, like James Bond’s gadget-packed OMEGA, or Murph’s Hamilton in Interstellar. Or they are chosen to subtly tell us something about their owner’s character, like the flashy, all-gold watch worn by Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, which despite looking like a mega-money Rolex, is merely gold-plated TAG.
Below we’ve gathered up some of our favourite movie watches of all time. And while, yes, there are a few entries from the world’s most famous spy, we’ve also included watches that starred in Glass Onion, Men in Black, Top Gun, Alien and more. So grab the popcorn and join us for a quick look at some of our all-time favourite movie watches.
1948 Omega Seamaster, Glass Onion
Danial Craig is an Omega man through-and-through. He wore various models of Seamaster during his stint as James Bond, and continued his ties to the brand as detective Benoit Blanc in Knives Out. The second instalment, called Glass Onion, saw Blanc wear an Omega Seamaster 1948, a limited-edition timepiece launched in 2018 to celebrate 50 years of Omega’s first water-resistant watch.
Limited to a fitting 1,948 examples, the watch has long-since sold out, but is available on the second-hand market for around £5,500.
Heuer Monaco, Le Mans
Dating from before Heuer merged with TAG, the Monaco and its square case has always been an iconic watch in its own right. But appearing prominently on the wrist of Steve McQueen playing the role of a steely-eyed 1970s racing driver competing at the 24 hours of Le Mans? It’s the stuff of horological legend.
Although praised for its dramatic and visceral action sequences, some of which were filmed during the actual race, Le Mans is often criticised as a vanity project from McQueen that ran over budget, over time and failed to deliver. All that said, the iconic square watch on the star’s wrist was a smash hit, and the actual timepiece sold at auction in 2020 for over £1.5m.
Hamilton Ventura, Men in Black
The Hamilton Ventura already looks like a sci-fi movie prop, thanks to its unusual design, triangular, asymmetrical case. The model worn by Will Smith in Men in Black was modified to pair its black dial with a lizard strap. Launched by Hamilton in 1957, the Ventura is an eye-catching piece of modernist design and even Elvis was a fan, and insisted he wore his in the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii.
Still in production, the Hamilton Ventura costs from around £700.
Hamilton Khaki Field ‘Murph’ Auto, Interstellar
Another entry from Hamilton, this time it’s the Khaki Field automatic that played a prominent role in Christopher Nolan’s space-travelling, science fiction epic Interstellar. Given to main character Murph by her father Cooper, the watch features the word ‘eureka’ printed in Morse code in lacquer on the second hand.
Although Cooper, played by Matthew Mconaughey, also wears a Hamilton, it’s the ‘Murph’ that steals the show. The watch is used as a key plot device throughout the movie, with its second hand used to communicate through space and time using Morse code.
Initially produced as a one-off for the movie, Hamilton later realised the potential for a general release, and the Khaki Field Murph Auto is still available today, priced at £940.
Swatch Q, No Time To Die
It’s time to jump into the world of James Bond, but not in the way you might expect. Instead of the inevitable Omega Seamaster, we’re focusing first on the Swatch worn by gadgets specialist Q in 007’s latest adventure, No Time To Die.
Released in March 2020, practically on the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Swatch Q sold out almost instantly. It features a metal, 42mm case and a skeleton dial giving a good view of the quartz movement within. The watch was presented in a box that opened up to look like a laptop, and although limited to a generous 7,007 examples, it sold out in a matter of days.
It proved so popular that Swatch released a second version in October 2020, this time with the red hour and minute hands switched from red – as seen on Q’s watch in the film – to blue. This model has also since sold out, but both are available on the second-hand market for around £200 to £300.
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M, No Time To Die
Another watch from the latest Bond movie, this time it's the Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M worn by fellow MI6 agent Nomi. This 38 mm timepiece is a tribute to Omega’s maritime heritage and features a stainless steel case with a black dial with a distinctive horizontal ‘teak’ pattern, inspired by the wooden decks of sailboats.
There’s a date window at the six o’clock position and the watch was worn by Nomi on a black leather strap. The exact model is no longer available from Omega, and although there are plenty of examples on the second-hand market for around £3,500, finding one on the same black leather strap is particularly tricky.
Porsche Design Chronograph 1, Top Gun: Maverick
There are a lot of similarities between the original Top Gun from 1986 and the 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. Tom Cruise is there, for a start, along with the same sunglasses, the same jacket and the same Kawasaki motorbike; there’s even the same soundtrack and the same passion for beach volleyball.
Cruise’s watch also returns. It’s a Porsche Design Chronograph 1 and is believed to be the exact same timepiece he wore in the original movie. Still available now, the Chronograph 1 is an all-black timepiece with white markings and a distinctive red second hand. The titanium case is 40.8 mm in diameter and inside you’ll find an automatic movement with 48 hours of power reserve.
Porsche Design says it produces a maximum of 1,000 examples per year, and it is currently priced at £8,950.
Omega Seamaster 300M, Goldeneye
Okay, fine. Here’s the movie watch to end all movie watches. It’s the Seamaster Diver 300M and, as you of course know, it’s famous for being worn by James Bond. He’s worn a whole bunch of different Seamasters over the years, but the 300M with a blue dial and bezel is where it all began, back in 1995 with Goldeneye.
There are plenty of 1996-vintage originals available on the used market, and even if you want a brand-new example, Omega’s latest Diver 300M looks pretty similar to the one worn by Pierce Brosnan. The exact reference you’re looking for is 2541.80.00 and you can pick up a tidy example for around £2,000 on the secondhand market.
There have been loads of Bond-branded Omegas since, and today the £7,900 James Bond 60th Anniversary Diver 300M is a real thing of beauty, complete with its mesh-style bracelet and clever 007 animation on the exhibition case back. Alternatively, today’s equivalent to the mid-90s original (with no Bond markings at all) comes in at a more attainable £5,600. All have a case size of 42 mm.
Omega Speedmaster ‘Moonwatch’, Apollo 13
Another Omega, and this time it’s a watch that appeared on the silver screen for historical accuracy, rather than because the wardrobe department fancied the look of it. We are of course talking about the infamous Moonwatch, the Speedmaster that went to the Moon and carries the unique marking on its case back stating it is ‘flight-qualified by Nasa for all manned space missions’.
The watch’s involvement in the Apollo space program means it of course appears in Apollo 13, the 1995 drama starring Tom Hanks that tells the story of how a crew destined for the Moon suffered mechanical damage, aborted their mission and returned safely to Earth by the skin of their teeth. And, thanks to the Moonwatch being used to accurately time fuel-burn of their stricken lander, the Omega had a starring role.
All manner of Speedmasters are available on the used market, and Omega still sells a model that looks almost exactly like the 1960’s original, albeit with a recently-upgraded movement and a price that starts at £6,200.
Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso, Batman
The Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso features a case that rotates through 180 degrees, so that the dial faces inwards, against the skin of the wearer’s wrist, and the stainless steel case back is exposed to the elements. Why? It was created in the early 1900s for British polo players who were fed up with their watches being damaged during games.
You can probably see where this is going, as the watch is a great fit for the dual personalities of Bruce Wayne and Batman; one is a stylish and immaculately dressed billionaire by day, while the latter dons protective clothing and fights criminals by night. Bruce Wayne has worn several versions of Reverso over the years, and naturally there have been some Batman-branded special editions too.
Today, the expansive Reverso range starts at around £6,400 and heads north of £30,000 when pink gold and diamonds are involved. There’s also a tourbillon model, which is price-on-application.
TAG Heuer 1000, The Wolf of Wall Street
Here’s a great example of how a watch was chosen to neatly fit a character, and even give a glimpse at their personality. We’re talking about the TAG Heuer 1000 worn by Leonadro DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street.
What at first looks like a solid-gold Rolex – as would befit a stock broker earning a claimed million dollars a week – is actually a far less valuable gold-plated TAG Heuer. This watch was chosen partly because DiCaprio is a TAG ambassador, but it’s also entirely fitting of Belfort himself; a gold-plated watch for a gold-plated man.
Belfort later wears an actual gold TAG Heuer, this time a 2000 with diamonds in the bezel and even a sapphire in the crown. It’s a flash piece worth tens of thousands of pounds, but which failed to elevate TAG into the premier division of luxury watchmakers.
Seiko x Giugiaro 7a28-7000 ‘Ripley’, Aliens
Picking a watch off the shelf wasn’t what the producers of 1986’s Aliens wanted. So instead they approached Seiko and legendary car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, responsible for numerous Ferrari and Aston Martin concepts, plus the DMC DeLorean that starred in Back to The Future, to produce something unique for Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver.
The result was a watch befitting of a film set in the year 2179, thanks to the outsized rectangular housing for a pair of pusher buttons.
Being an 80s Seiko, it’s a quartz watch and it features an aluminium and steel construction, with a black and grey dial and orange details. The Seiko Giugiaro ‘Ripley’ was most recently relaunched in 2015, when it cost around £300, and although now sold out it can be bought second-hand for closer to £2,000.
