In grad school, I took a class on Cold War–era novels. As a longtime James Bond devotee, I was thrilled to be assigned Casino Royale. Upon reading 007’s inaugural romp, I discovered something fascinating: Author Ian Fleming didn’t style his titular character with the Rolex Submariner he’s iconically associated with—in no small part because the Sub didn’t even exist when the novel debuted, in 1953. It was a mystery Rolex, possibly an Explorer I, Fleming’s choice watch. The following year, in Live and Let Die, he name-checks the Oyster Perpetual.
Ever since that class, I’ve taken notice of watches in books. What can I say? I have fun making conjectures. Speaking of, the Live and Let Die watch could’ve been a Sub. Most Rolexes are based on the Oyster Perpetual, the Submariner flaunting the OP moniker on its dial. (I may also be hopelessly fabricating continuity between the books and films.) But I’m even more excited by the unnamed timepieces throughout fiction, which may pull from real-world inspirations, may never have existed at all, or a bit of both.
Here are a few of my favorite speculations on mystery watches in literature.
Nick in ‘The Great Gatsby’: Hamilton Officers’ Trench Watch
Nick Carraway wears pocket watches in many onscreen and stage adaptations of Fitzgerald’s novel. Regardless, I see him wearing the 1917 Hamilton Officers’ Trench Watch in the book. Nick’s timekeeper is first mentioned when he notices how late it’s getting at Tom Buchanan’s infidelity pad. Toward the story’s end, he checks his watch, purposefully missing train departures, to be with Gatsby a bit longer before his friend’s demise.
Nick served in the Ninth Machine-Gun Battalion during World War I, which is why I think he was an early adopter of the wristwatch, originally considered ladies’ jewelry. Soldiers needed quicker access to time than a pocket watch could afford. I imagine this was particularly true in machine-gun battalions. By 1916, a quarter of soldiers wore wristwatches. In 1917, two years after Nick’s Yale matriculation, the U.S. entered the war.
I also considered that Carraway, a Midwesterner, might wear a Chicago-based Elgin watch. However, Hamilton created their military watch line at the request of the US Army. Naturally compliant, Nick would certainly avail himself of standard issues.
Even after the war, many Americans considered wristwatches feminine or dandy. Ever-pragmatic Nick wouldn’t care. And while he’s too passive to seek out shiny new things, he’s certainly open to them. He’s clearly intrigued by Gatsby’s foppish aesthetic and fanciful lifestyle. He even describes Gatsby’s pink suit, an affront to Tom Buchannan’s blue-blooded mores, as “a bright spot of color.”
The original Hamilton Trench Watch featured always-practical, all-Arabic numerals. While its cathedral hands and onion crown are also utilitarian, they’re considered more ornate today. That Carraway-like balance is also found in the modern Hamilton Khaki Field Murph.
Arthur Dent in ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’: Casiotron X-1
My Casiotron X-1 theory goes against many who believe that Hitchiker’s protagonist, Arthur Dent, wears a Hamilton Pulsar. I understand the Pulsar hypothesis. It was incredibly popular in the late ’70s and early ’80s, it’s sufficiently sci-fi, and Arthur is of the “ape-descended life forms … so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.”
Respectfully, I think the Pulsar is too in-vogue for Dent’s easygoing nature. He’s also far too incredulous to pay high luxury prices. Don’t forget that he left London because it made him nervous and irritable. We’re talking about a gent who ultimately becomes a sandwich maker here.
Still, his past career in radio suggests some interest in communication and technology. The highly engaging Casiotron X-1 was the first digital watch to have five functions, including a stopwatch, counter, world time, and dual time display. When Arthur’s body starts to warp, it’s no wonder that his immediate concern was no longer being able to operate his digital watch.
The Casiotron X-1’s most iconic descendant is the Illuminator B650WD-1A. While the rounder X-1 has a ’60s–’70s retrofuturism look, the sharper B650WD-1A is more ’80s–’90s retro-cool.
Atticus Finch in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’: Tissot Pocket Watch
Atticus Finch is a quintessential Southern gentleman. His choice watch would be elegant and elite, but also tasteful and traditional. I immediately nixed high-luxury names like Patek and Rolex. I considered Omega. Then, I remembered Tissot and Omega formed what we now know as Swatch around the time of To Kill a Mockingbird’s events. It must be a Tissot.
Even today, pocket watches are a hallmark of the brand. Tissot introduced several pocket-watch innovations in the late 1800s and into the Depression era, including the first pocket watch with two time zones. It was a go-to watchmaker for the discerning and upper classes, but didn’t have the big celebrity endorsements that Rolex did. This is exactly Finch’s style.
Fun fact about me: In junior high, I wrote a paper on the symbolism of Atticus Finch’s watch (though I wasn’t preoccupied with its brand yet). It represents his social standing in Southern society, values, and traditions, which is why he plans to give it to his son, Jem.
Finch’s Tissot was likely gold, with stately Roman numerals and Breguet-style hands. At the time, Breguet hands were fashion shorthands for noble tastes. In fact, I imagine it to look just like the modern Tissot Savonette.
‘Bonfire of the Vanities’: Vintage Swatch and Cartier Panthère
While Sherman McCoy is the book’s main character, Edward Fiske III is essentially his avatar—a young, naive, overly privileged idealist who Sherman was probably a lot like in his youth. To me, Sherman’s cheap watch at the story’s end, compared to Edward’s luxury timepiece, symbolizes the protagonist’s downfall.
Edward’s watch is described as having “enough gold to read a meter by.” In 1980s Wall Street, there were two watches a young man like him would wear. It’s either the gold Datejust or the Cartier Panthère, a la Gordon Gekko. I’m going for the Panthère, due to its old-money associations. It’s hardly discreet, but less gauche than a solid-gold Rolex; Edward fancies himself a man of the people.
Towards the end of the novel, Sherman’s privileged life has fully unraveled. Before putting him in a holding pen, his arresting officers take his shoelaces, belt, and his watch. At first, Sherman says he doesn’t care about the watch since it’s cheap. It’s described as having a plastic case and nylon band. However, as soon as it’s taken away from him, he panics and asks for it back, to no avail.
Though inexpensive, his watch was likely fashionable, given Sherman’s Park Avenue sensibilities. I think it looked a lot like the Swatch New Beach. In the ’80s, this affordable watch was all the rage. Since the strap is nylon, I assume it was a sporty waterproof NATO. The New Beach is wallet-friendly but perfectly preppy with its bright nautical aesthetic. (After all, McCoy seems like the kind of fellow who did crew at Yale.) The fact he wanted his low-cost timepiece back makes me think there’s something meaningful about it—he’s finally learned to appreciate things money can’t buy.
