Top 6 WATCHES Perfectly Cast in TV SHOWS ???? Blacklist, Succession, Breaking Bad, Billions…

These are some of the best watches from your favorite actors in your favorite TV shows. Let’s get right into it.

These are some of the best watches from your favorite actors in your favorite TV shows. Let’s get right into it.

Blacklist

Now, what’s the perfect watch for a global crime boss?

Well, to me, it is without a doubt the Rolex GMT-Master II, which is the watch worn by Raymond Reddington in the Blacklist. I think it’s such a fitting choice given the status and the nature of the watch and that he dominates the world of global crime.

The Blacklist itself has been running for about eight seasons and I’ve watched every single episode. It’s amazing and I highly recommend it. The watch that Raymond Reddington wears in the show is the reference 16710 GMT-Master II from Rolex. It’s a watch that was made from about 1989 to 2007, so it’s one of the longest-running GMT-Master II references.

One thing to note is, of course, that aluminum bezel and that very nice oyster bracelet. Now, these came both on Oyster and on Jubilee bracelets, which is how modern GMTs are. However, the main distinction is, first and foremost, the quality of construction, because those older kinds of pre-ceramic Rolexes aren’t necessarily known for being the highest quality. Secondly, that aluminum bezel, which I think has such a great vintage charm and aesthetic to it that it is really lost with modern ceramic bezels.

Pricewise, this can vary dramatically, first and foremost, with respect to the bezel. You can get an all-black aluminum bezel, a Coke bezel that is no longer done today, or an aluminum Pepsi bezel, which Raymond Reddington wears in the actual show. Secondly, it’s important to mention that this is a very long-running reference, but there was a period in between when Rolex was transitioning from Tritium to Super-LumiNova. That is in the reference 16700.

Typically, these are seen with Swiss-only dials and are a little bit rare, so they typically demand a slight premium on the secondary market. However, you can find these reference 16710s at what I feel is actually quite a reasonable price, for about $15,000 or so on the secondary market.

Obviously, it depends on the condition and if it comes as a complete set. All things considered, I think it’s quite a good value if you were to compare it, for example, to the modern reference GMT-Masters.

Overall, I think it’s one of the most functional and frankly the best watch Rolex makes, although the Daytona’s more iconic and more collectible. For that reason, I think it’s a great watch overall and a perfect choice for a global crime boss like Raymond Reddington in the Blacklist.

Succession

Next up is Succession, another show that I love to watch, which is pretty well known for its overall watch choices, from Datejust to Cartier to Vacheron Constantin.

There are several watch brands that are featured in this TV show. The actor who plays Tom wears quite an important watch historically, and that is the Cartier Santos, which is the first-ever men’s wristwatch. It was created in 1904 for Alberto Santos-Dumont, and it was pictured on his wrist in flight in 1906.

Overall, it was the first-ever men’s wristwatch, the first men’s pilot watch, and the first men’s sports watch. In 1911, when this watch was released to the public, it was also the first watch that was made in serial production, so there are a lot of firsts with this watch respectively.

Now, Cartier updated the Santos line back in 2018 and I really think they achieved a great design overall. I think they modernized the design and added some really nice quirks to it, such as the integrated bracelet that you can change very quickly, and the leather strap option that really elevates the design. Pricewise, this is about $8,000 and I think it’s really quite a fitting choice because it is underrated, just like how Tom is in the show.

Now onto my favorite character in the show, Kendall, who wears quite an impressive watch. It is the Vacheron Constantin Harmony Mono-pusher Chronograph. This is an extremely complicated watch, in that it’s a mono-pusher chronograph, which means that you operate the chronograph through the crown in the middle.

This is a manual wind chronograph that’s finished to the high standards one would expect from Vacheron Constantin and has the General Seal. It’s cased in rose gold with a beautiful white dial. I think this is a stunning watch totally under the radar and definitely not one’s first choice when talking about manual wind chronographs. Overall, I really appreciate it.

All things considered, manual wind chronographs can be some of the most expensive watches on the market today. You can fetch this watch for around $40,000. We’re talking about half the price of, for example, 5070 from Patek Philippe, which also has a manual wind chronograph movement in it.

Overall, it makes sense for the character given the fact that he is the son of a giant media mogul who owns a national television and news chain.

Breaking Bad

Next, we move on to the legendary Heisenberg and that is for the man who cooked meth in Breaking Bad, one of the greatest shows of all time. The watch he wears is quite a nice and quirky one as well, which kind of fits his character, and that is the TAG Heuer Monaco. The original Monaco became quite famous because it was featured in the movie Le Mans in 1971 on the wrist of Steve McQueen. The style icon himself, ultimately, made that watch quite famous.

Now, this is a watch they made 50 million iterations of, similar to the Speedmaster, and it’s quite an affordable one. It can be bought for under $5,000. I think it’s quite the bargain because the design itself is unmistakably TAG Heuer and a Monaco that it lends itself to be, in my opinion, one of those underrated watches that watch collectors really should look at more closely.

Now, the watch that Walter White is given in the show by Jesse Pinkman is not the exact version that Steve McQueen wears in the Le Mans, however, it does feature that same kind of blue dial in the same way he used to cook up that blue meth. Overall, it’s a quirky watch that has a lot of blue to it and is apt for the character. It’s a totally underrated watch and more collectors should take a closer look at it.

Billions

Next up is Billions, a show that I absolutely adore. It’s awesome because you get to see the inner workings of an absolute mastermind and manipulator in the hedge fund manager, Bobby Axelrod.

He wears several watches on the show, ones that Roman would really like because he mostly wears Audemars Piguet. The watch that I really like the most is the 26320ST, which is the Royal Oak chronograph with a blue dial. Particularly, I like the fact that the subdials are all in blue, that’s lost in the new reference 26331, and it also has a matching date wheel, which is one of the biggest things that I love about a watch because so many brands get that wrong, and I don’t understand why.

At 41 millimeters, it’s definitely a beast of a watch. It’s totally badass and fits the persona of a hedge fund manager billionaire like Bobby Axelrod. Overall, I think it’s an apt choice. This is a watch we have in stock here at Luxury Bazaar that is available for about $85,000. It’s definitely only affordable to a billionaire hedge fund manager.

Another character on the show that wears a really impressive watch is Taylor, and she wears a 5270 R. This is the perpetual calendar chronograph in rose gold by Patek Philippe. It was the successor to the famed and very collectible reference 5970. Now, my heart is still set on the 5970 reference because it is the last of the Lemania-based chronographs and the design is just faultless.

I think it is perfect. However, that’s not to say that the 5270 is any pushover at all. The design is inspired by that 5970 reference and has the first in-house perpetual calendar chronograph movement from Patek Philippe. That’s going to be important historically.

Overall, it’s a perpetual calendar chronograph from Patek. Not much else needs to be said other than  they’re frankly the masters of this complication and that it is an intriguing and complicated watch for Taylor, who is quite a complicated character in the show. This is a watch that sells on the grey market for about $185,000.

Not a cheap watch, but it’s one that merits its price tag given the fact that it’s an extremely complicated movement by arguably the most prestigious brand of all the watches.

Sopranos

Now, the next watch is arguably the most iconic ever worn by a TV show character. It is the Day-Date worn by Tony Soprano himself in the TV show, The Sopranos.

It’s perfectly fitting for his character. It’s gaudy. Over the top. It screams in your face, just like Tony Soprano’s character. The Day-Date is such a classy, beautiful, and elegant watch for its time and it’s arguably one of the most iconic watches in the Rolex catalog today.

I think it’s a watch that has become quite underrated, especially in the classic case size. Those 36-millimeter Day-Dates can be bought for quite the bargain, in most cases under $25,000, which is, for an all-gold watch, quite a good value overall.

I really think that the classic 36-millimeter case size is starting to come back. In many respects, it already has, given the fact that watch size trends have really been trending downwards in recent years. We’re seeing more collectors gravitate towards those smaller case sizes.

Although this is technically a smaller size Day-Date, I think it has a larger-than-life personality and it dawns the wrist of a larger-than-life character. Overall, it’s the aptest choice that could have been made for a watch on the wrist of Tony Soprano.

Mad Men

Lastly is Don Draper, the mad man himself, who played the character of a marketing guru in the show Mad Men.

Now, he actually wore a number of interesting watches, namely a Rolex Explorer, an Omega DeVille, and a JLC Memovox. However, my favorite from the show is an elegant and sporty watch- the JLC Reverso. His example is in yellow gold and more of a classic case size, and I think it really fits the elegant nature of his character quite well.

It’s a watch that was originally made and designed for Indian polo players so that they could reverse the case and, ultimately, protect it from shock and damages that would break the glass. However, in modern times, I see the Reverso more so as a dress watch and a casual watch, which is how he wears the watch in the show.

Overall, I think this is a great choice for the character Don Draper because it’s a watch that’s sporty yet still very elegant in its yellow gold case. It’s two-faced, similarly to the character of Don Draper.

The Reverso itself has quite a clean aesthetic to it that is very representative of the era in which they shot the TV show. Overall, I think it’s a perfect choice.