The use of Rolex watches in the movies is a favorite topic of perennial interest on watch collector forums. Many watch collectors can trace their fascination for a certain brand of watch to a particular movie or a brand’s sponsorship by a famous celebrity. A good example of the latter is the well known association of Sylvester Stallone with Panerai. Sly became a big fan of the then small Italian boutique brand in 1995 while shooting the movie Daylight on location in Rome. When the star began giving the unique, oversized watches to actor friends like Arnold Schwarzenegger, the obscure watch brand took off in popularity. Such is the star power of both the movies and the celebrities in them.

Rolex in the Movies - Charles Bronson in The Mechanic.

‘Watches in the Movies’ topics on the forums usually consist of long lists of famous and not-so-famous actor’s names along with movie titles and the watch models they wore in them. I thought it might interesting to do something a little different here and talk about one of my favorite Rolex movies and why the watch works so well for the character. After all, it is one thing to just slap an expensive watch on the wrist of an actor—and that is certainly done often enough—but sometimes we find a method to the selection of a particular timepiece for a character in a movie.It can help define the character.

Although it would be obvious to start with Sean Connery and his use of the Rolex Submariner in the early Bond films, I decided in this installment to discuss another action star and his less well known use of a Submariner. The action star in question is, of course, Charles Bronson and the movie is the early 1970s action classic, The Mechanic.

Bronson plays the main character Arthur Bishop, a professional crime syndicate assassin or “mechanic” in the parlance of the criminal underworld. Bishop is a cold, deliberate man who lives a solitary existence and has become isolated from any personal relationships due to the secretive, dangerous nature of his work. He lives in a large and secluded house filled with expensive art and masculine décor like antique arms and armor. We come to find out Mr. Bishop—besides being a cold-blooded killer—is a man of cultivated good taste in art, music, wine, and literature.

Lest we forget, the late ‘60s and early ‘70s was the era of the “anti-hero” in Hollywood and the Bishop character certainly fits that description to a T. He is in effect the “anti-James Bond” as both characters are intelligent, sophisticated men of the world who are deadly efficient in performing their dangerous missions. The only difference is Bond does his killing for Queen and Country with a license, and Bishop does it for money with no license at all.

Both choose to use Rolex Submariners, too.

Bishop’s character actually wears an attractive but unknown make of chronograph throughout much of the movie, but when the action shifts to Italy and the plot calls for scuba diving, his watch changes to a Rolex Submariner No Date. (Probably a Reference 5513) This is eminently sensible; Bishop’s character had been shown to use split-second timing in planning his “hits” so the chronograph would have been very useful to him. In the “Tool Watch” days of the early 1970s, the Submariner would have been appreciated by a man like Bishop who liked good equipment and could afford the best. It was the ultimate tool for the job at hand, and he chose it. Character development can be subtle like that in a well done movie, even an action flick.

When you’re watching The Mechanic today it’s easy to see why Bronson was such a huge star in his day, and continues to be an icon. The ruggedly-built actor exuded strength and charisma onscreen in a quiet, understated kind of way. Kind of like the Rolex Submariner he wore. One good icon deserves another.