Watches In Movies & Television

Like it or not, we are all very much influenced by what we see on movies and TV. It might be the latest catch phrase, a trendy hair style, a hot new motorcycle… or a watch.

A Watch?

That's right, as watch brands become savvier about marketing and promotion, you can expect to see more watches while you're watching movies or your favorite TV shows. And maybe you'll sit up and take notice.

Watches are one of the ways that men and women can showcase their style and taste, so it makes sense that the entertainment industry uses watches on the wrists of stars to delineate their characters. There have been some huge success stories in the world of watches and entertainment, and more and more people are paying attention to what watches are on the wrists of their favorite stars.

In the best product placements, watches are key components to the discussion of character in movies. After all, characters are defined by the choices they make: dialog, jobs, clothes, actions, cars and yes, watches.

Product Placement: How It Happens

Watch placement can happen any number of ways. Some watch brands have relationships with actors who wear their products, and when that actor is in a movie, he or she makes sure the watch ends up in front of the camera. Other times, companies have representatives who lobby for product placement with studios and production companies. Sometimes, a production company will approach a watch brand about using its products for a particular project.

Some product placements make sense historically, as well as for character development. With "Pearl Harbor," Disney wanted something authentic and Hamilton Watch was a major supplier to the US military during World War II. The result? A huge close up of a Hamilton watch in the final cut of the movie. When product placement works, it can be much better than any advertising a company could do. The impact is greater, because the audience is caught up in the plot of a great movie. For every successful, noticed product placement, however, there are many placements that go relatively unnoticed. You might be able to make the case, however, that an "unnoticed" product placement is still noticed on some level by the audience, like subliminal advertising.

Some watch placements just naturally make sense. As an example, in "Batman Begins," Bruce Wayne wears a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch, the famous watch which flips over, put on his wrist to represent his dual personality. The use of this watch makes sense for the story - and begs us for a close up so the audience can make the link from the watch to his character.

The James Bond series of movies have become famous for product placement, especially with high-profile cars. Omega has been working with the Bond films for many years, and it's an association that has been profitable for all those involved. After all, a tough sports watch with an elegant look for James Bond makes sense. In other cases, authenticity comes in, like the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, which played a part in the real Apollo 13 mission - it was the only correct choice of watch for "Apollo 13."

A Patek Philippe watch was featured on the sitcom "Frasier," a good example of a product placement that the brand was very pleased with - the type of person that Frasier is, a very discerning character who only wants the best, receives a Patek Philippe watch and exclaims, "Oh, my goodness, it's a Patek Philippe, how fabulous!" It's also possible that a watch supplied for a movie or TV show and worn during the shoot will never appear on the screen, despite everyone's best efforts. After all, movies aren't edited with watch placement in mind, and what was a great shot for the watch might not make it into the final edit. It's all part of the way things go in showbiz.

Watch Creation For Movies

Some watches, like the famous watch for the movie "2001," are designed specifically for films. Hamilton Watch Company designed the "2001" watch for the film and never even considered selling the watch commercially, as it was too complicated. Surprisingly, Hamilton Watch announced recently that it was finally making the "2001" watch in a limited edition.

Then action star now governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has worn Audemars Piguet watches in movies for quite some time, movies including "End of Days," "Terminator 2" and more. For "End of Days," Audemars Piguet created a new watch called the Royal Oak Offshore. Schwarzenegger had considerable input into the watch's design, and the company produced a limited series of 500 to be sold by their dealers throughout the world.

Benefits

In most cases, product placement is a win-win for everyone involved. The production company wins because they get product that says something about the character wearing it, and the watch company wins because its product gets on the silver or small screen. This can help build awareness and put a brand on the map. No one knows, however, how well a movie or TV show is going to be received. Watch companies have to make decisions about product placement well in advance of production and sometimes the length of time from that decision to the finished product appearing in theaters or on TV can be as long as a year or more. To quote Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman, "Nobody knows nothing." It's a crapshoot, and watch companies have to make informed decisions based on cast, story, the way the product will be used and many other considerations. If a movie bombs, chances are that the watch featured in the movie will escape unscathed. So, is there a downside? Well, there certainly could be, if the watch featured prominently is used as a murder weapon by a psychopathic killer, chances are sales might not go up (though, given today's fascination with villains, you never know).

Does that mean that serial killers or movie bad guys don't wear watches? Of course not, but not many watch companies want to be on the wrist of the bad guy.

Impact On Watch Sales

Though watch manufacturers are reluctant to say that the appearance of their product boosts sales dramatically, watch retailers do mention that an increase of interest, if not sales, occurs. Hamilton Watch has had several movie tie-ins, the most successful and visible being their involvement with "Men In Black" - where they took a classic Hamilton Watch design and put it on the wrists the most forward thinking, technologically advanced characters in the film, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. The result? The watch became a sales leader.

Retailers report customers coming in and asking for the watches by the name of the movie or the character, not even knowing the brand name. The use of watches in movies is good for individual watch companies and good for watches in general. At a minimum, watches are a measure of personality, an indicator of taste, and they are often woven into the narrative, becoming more than just a fashion statement. Next time you're in the theater, or just watching TV at home, pay attention to the wristwatches that the characters wear. If you can barely see the wristwatch, chances are it's not a product placement. If you can see the brand clearly, and the watch itself has its own tight shot, then it's more than likely a product placement. So, look forward to seeing more of the watches we love in the movies and TV. After all, if the show is any good, you won't be looking at your watch during it.

Movies And TV Watch Match

Here are some of the more high profile watch placements:

TV:

Frasier - Patek Philippe
The Sopranos - Oris, Patek Philippe, Ebel, Cartier
CSI: Miami - Ritmo Mundo
Will & Grace - Maurice Lacroix
American Idol - Various on the wrist of Randy Jackson
Six Feet Under - Roadster
The West Wing - Hamilton Watch
Rescue Me - Patek Philippe
24 - Maurice Lacroix
Gray's Anatomy - Girard Perregaux, JeanRichard
Desperate Housewives - Girard Perregaux
Numb3rs - IWC

Movies:

Men in Black (I and II) - Hamilton
The Recruit - TAG Heuer, Tutima
Into The Blue - Hamilton
James Bond Series - Omega
Batman Begins - Jaeger-LeCoultre
Enchanted - Girard Perregaux
A Perfect Murder - Patek Philippe
The Bourne Identity - TAG Heuer
Le Mans - TAG Heuer
XXX - Swiss Army
X-Files (Movie and TV Show) - Swiss Army
Terminator 2, Terminator 3 - Audemars Piguet
Daylight - Panerai
Eraser - Panerai
Into The Sunset - Panerai
Basic Instinct 2 - Chopard
Constantine - Oris
The Island - TAG Heuer
Apollo 13 - Omega
Stargate - Breitling
Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Tissot
Something's Gotta Give - Cartier
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days - Cartier
Just My Luck - Cartier
A Perfect Murder - Cartier
Miami Vice - Vacheron Constantin, IWC
Syriana - IWC