Watch Top Gun
Now, there's no Oscar for best watch, or even best prop (sigh), so last year I nominated some excellently watch-y movies myself. And this year, the imaginary Best Watch Picture statuette goes to Top Gun in a runaway.
Watch Top Gun
The movie brings so much to the table in terms of how a watch gets on screen in the first place. There's a bit of product placement at work, sure, but if there's such a thing as "great product placement" that's what we're getting here. On top of that is a watch with both cinematic and horological provenance, in addition to a killer vintage Rolex obtained through sheer happenstance.
How do I know all this? I went straight to the source: Robbie Duncan, property master on the film. In my initial Watching Movies post, I wrote about the IWC models that appeared wrapped around the wrists of actors like Miles Teller and Glen Powell. Those watches were the what. With Duncan, I got to the how.
This is where the idea of great product placement comes in. Duncan fell into a scenario where one of the most popular watch brands on the planet was granting him full access to its watches for use in the film. That's nothing new though. What's different here is the legitimacy angle. IWC has a relationship with the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (real-life Top Gun), supplying watches to instructors that are unavailable to mere mortals like us.
There was something of a selection process for the watches based on the rank of the characters on-screen. "Higher-ups got Portuguese, and the pilots wore Pilot's Watches," he said. To mix things up, some of them would have a green strap and some would have a black strap on either a "Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor" Mark XVIII or a "Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor" Chronograph.
In addition to utilizing authentic IWC models, Duncan was also able to design a special stopwatch in conjunction with the brand. "The stopwatch was fun and tricky because I had to convince IWC that someone could actually put it in their hand and break it when in reality that wouldn't happen," Duncan said. "It was such a cool process. IWC was able to 3D print me outside casings to allow the non-working prop watch to function as we needed in the film."
Speaking of Porsche Design, let's talk about Tom Cruise's watch. In my previous story, I wrote that the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina worn by Cruise appears to be the exact one he wore in the first film. Well, guess what? It actually is.
"Jerry Bruckheimer had this watch in his safe, and this is the exact watch Tom wore in the first Top Gun," Duncan said. "And this one went from the set to the safe in the trailer. It had to be taken care of like crazy. The hardest part was getting doubles. There was no stuntman for Tom, but we still needed doubles of the watch."
Of course, there's one last watch that caught everyone's eye while they stuffed their face with popcorn in a packed theater. That would be the vintage Rolex Explorer worn by Jennifer Connelly in the film. Where did that one come from?
Top Gun: Maverick is now finally available to stream online after becoming the highest-grossing Paramount film ever made. If you're wondering how and where you can watch it yourself, take a look at the information below.
Top Gun Maverick has hit streaming and you can now watch it free with a Paramount+ subscription. If you don't have that streaming service, however, you can still rent or buy the film on various other platforms.
If you want to watch or re-watch the first Top Gun movie before diving into the sequel, you have a few options. If you currently have a Paramount+ subscription, you can stream Top Gun for free on either platform. If you don't have that streaming service, you can also rent or purchase the film on Amazon or Apple TV. You can go to the links below to watch the movie.
Top Gun: Maverick is one of the biggest blockbusters of all time, and with good reason: It brings back most of the original cast of the 1986 iconic film, including Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, with additions including Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Miles Teller and Jay Ellis, to name a few, and reviews so far have been stellar. That said, if want to refresh yourself on the original Top Gun before streaming Top Gun: Maverick (or if you just have a real need for speed), here's where to watch Top Gun.
IWC Pilot's Watches introduced the cockpit-instrument look for classic pilot's watches and enjoy global renown as precise timepieces with outstanding technology. Ceramic case. Diameter 41.0 mm. Height 11.4 mm. Screw in crown. Water resistance 6 bar. Black dial with luminescence. Automatic, self-winding. 72 hours Power Reserve. Date display. Black textile strap. Strap width 20 mm.
In a departure from its standard black ceramic cases, the latest model relies on a colour combination that is very similar to the camouflage battle dress used by the military in desert warfare. During Operation Desert Storm, US Armed Forces relied on arid-environment camouflage with a mottled colour combination that is echoed on to the Big Pilot TOP GUN watch we have here.
There is not a trace of nostalgia on the TOP GUN models, which eschew the vintage appeal of a Spitfire model and stick to their guns as action-ready watches resilient enough to handle just about any foe. In this case, the foes are rugged environments, extreme temperatures, magnetic fields and the odd roadrunner or giant desert hairy scorpion that frequent the driest desert in North America.
Notoriously complicated to produce, high-tech or technical ceramic is one of the hardest substances on Earth. The properties of high-tech ceramic are quite extraordinary and many brands have developed their own proprietary mixes (IWC also has its very own ceramized titanium known as Ceratanium). Harder than steel, scratch-resistant, lightweight, skin-friendly, fade-resistant, available in multiple colours, the only real disadvantage of ceramic cases is that they are somewhat brittle and if you were to drop your watch from the a great height, it could shatter.
If you need a refresh of the 1986 film, you can watch it for free on Amazon Prime Video as a part of your subscription. But act fast, as it leaves the streaming service on Aug. 31, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Top Gun: Maverick," the sequel to the 1986 movie "Top Gun," is now available to watch at home on Paramount Plus and Epix. You can also buy or rent the movie from digital retailers like Amazon and Vudu for a starting price of $4.
Made at the peak of Cruise's career in the 1980s, Top Gun is still exciting to watch. For all of the serious drama in the film, it's also heavy on action and charisma. Adults of a certain age will remember how it spawned a fashion movement of aviator glasses and bomber jackets and what a huge star Cruise was. More than The Color of Money or the Mission: Impossible franchise, this well-directed, well-acted film is the one in which Cruise proved that he could play more than an arrogant jerk with a killer smile. Cruise imbues Maverick with so much warmth and depth that you can't help rooting for him.
As the first woman watch journalist in America, I have authored six books on timepieces, watchmaking and wristwatch history, have founded my own watch site called ATimelyPerspective and regularly write for the world's finest newspapers and magazines. I travel the world in search of cutting-edge new innovations and behind-the-scenes news about people, products and the places they go.
You really should watch or re-watch the first Top Gun movie before going into the sequel. If you currently have a Netflix or Paramount+ subscription, you can stream Top Gun on those platforms at no additional cost. Or you could also rent or purchase the film on Amazon. See the links below to watch the movie.
If you currently have a Netflix or Paramount Plus subscription, you can watch Top Gun for free on either platform. If you don't have that streaming service, you can also rent or buy the movie on Amazon or Apple TV. 041b061a72