It’s hard to think of a bigger movie this year than Top Gun: Maverick. When it finally hit theaters this summer it was a smash – proving to be a coming out party for Glen Powell who plays Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the film. But due to some pandemic-related rescheduling, Powell has another film about naval aviators in 2022. Devotion is like Top Gun, but it’s real – a historical drama that takes place during the Korean War. I’m sure it wasn’t Powell’s plan to become “pilot guy” this year, but here we are.
The film isn’t necessarily centered around Powell, however. It focuses on Jesse Brown, played masterfully in a star-turning performance by Jonathan Majors. The two actors play each others’ wingmen while showing off a collection of interesting vintage high quality replica watches from stalwart brands.
Why We’re Watching
Devotion is in the throes of its first theatrical run. And while box office returns aren’t necessarily stellar, this is the kind of movie made for the holiday season. It isn’t quite Oscar material, but it tells an important story about bravery, friendship, and race relations in the American military. The film follows Jesse Brown (played by Majors), the best aviator in the Navy, and a group of pilots, all of whom saw little to no action in the second World War. They are being tasked with flying a mission to help keep the Cold War from getting hot. The central focus of Devotion is the relationship between Brown and Tom Hudner (Powell). We watch as they go from strangers, to colleagues, to friends in a landscape that is pretty unforgiving to Black service members. What I like about this movie is that it doesn’t position Powell as Brown’s protector. In fact, quite the opposite. It puts Brown prominently in the spotlight, showing him handling every situation with grace and courage.
Even though this is a historical drama, I won’t spoil the plot. But I will talk about the luxury fake watches. Both actors’ wrists are armed with timepieces. Majors wears two watches, and Powell wears one, throughout. Let’s start with Powell.
His watch is replica IWC ref. 436 pilot’s watch. This model was first manufactured in 1936. It has that quintessential pilot look in terms of the overall dial design, with Arabic numerals on the dial. The best copy watches features a small seconds subdial, the classic International Watch Company wordmark, and Anti-Magnetique text just beneath the hands. It also has a rotating bezel with an index for measuring short periods of elapsed time.
While the 1936 year strikes me as a bit of an odd choice for an American aviator in the early 1950s (when this film takes place), I’d like to think maybe it was a fictional heirloom. I always like to think that, because heirloom cheap UK replica watches are inherently special. But I also know this watch is legit because it came directly from the IWC museum for use in the film. It’s also neat to see IWC here, because we know that Powell also wore Swiss made fake IWC pilot’s watches in Top Gun: Maverick.
And then there’s Brown’s watch(es). Early in the film, he can be seen wearing what looks to be a military-issued timepiece on a steel bracelet. It’s hard to make it out, but some of the close-ups allow us to see what appears to be a Bulova MIL-W-3818A. It’s also possible that it’s an A17A. If any keener eyes out there are able to distinguish this one, let me know.
But that isn’t the watch that steals the screen from Majors. That would be certain wholesale replica Rolex Oysterdate Precision watches that comes into his possession late in the film as a gift. It’s given to him by a group of Black sailors on the ship as a show of solidarity and support. When he receives the watch, it’s in a box. He opens it and the camera puts it in an extreme close-up. This shot (the hero shot) gives us a glimpse at what appears to be a ref. 6694, though it might not be exactly period-accurate. The watch has uniform stick markers, a white dial, black text, and the signature cyclops date window. Rolex doesn’t supply 1:1 super clone watches to the film industry nowadays, so the exact year of this watch and whether or not it’s fully legit remains to be seen. I don’t have a photo of this scene to share with you, so you’ll have to check out the movie to see it.
The China replica watches also has a caseback inscription that reads, “Above all others.” While I hope this watch is real and genuine, I am a bit dubious due to the inclusion of the engraving. Would the production really engrave a vintage Rolex for a film? Hard to say. But at the very least, we are confident in the reference number of the watch.
And either way, as a story device, an on-screen Rolex gift is a very cool thing. Those sailors tell Brown that they pooled money together to buy the 2022 fake watches for him when they were docked at Cannes. It shows how special a gift it is. And Brown reacts the same way anyone would react to receiving a Rolex unprompted in real life. It means something.
When We’re Watching
Early in the film, when Brown and Hudner first meet, they are talking about their flying bona fides. Brown is asking Hudner if he flew in WWII to which Hudner says he did not. As they’re talking, we see Hudner fiddling with this shirt cuff, giving us an early glimpse of his museum-grade best quality replica IWC ref. 436 watches. And it won’t be the last time we see it.
Later on, we find Brown and crew in Cannes. Brown serendipitously has a run-in with Elizabeth Taylor on the beach and she invites him and his fellow pilots to her party. Cut to said party, and we see Brown and Hudner standing near the bar ordering drinks (well, Brown orders a ginger beer because he doesn’t drink). As they stand there, we can see their respective fake watches for men peeking out from the sleeves of their service dress whites. Ultimately, the bartender chooses not to serve Brown and the two leave for a more welcoming watering hole. But this moment in the film shows us both replica watches shop at once (Hudner’s IWC and Brown’s possible Bulova), as well as their budding friendship.
