We dreamed of them, we copied them, and many many times we empathized with them, their style, their behavior, and especially the objects they brought to the stage, which, witness history, marked timeless eras and fashions.
The attunement created between the actor and his faithful timepiece represents a crucial variable in the world of filmmaking; it influences artistic performance, defines the character of the protagonist and launches him through a metaphysical dimension within which it is difficult to distinguish what is stage and what is reality…
Understand well that it becomes almost impossible not to get wrapped up in the aura carried by the watches worn by various famous people in films that have made history. Paul Newman and his Daytona ref.6241, Christian Bale‘s two-tone Seiko 5 (according to GQ it is not a Date Just) in American Psycho not to mention Benedict Cumberbatch’s Jaeger Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar in Doctor Strange represent just a few of the examples that well define the importance of this tandem, unique details that have contributed to making immortal film, protagonist and of course the timepiece in question. To learn more about the history of watches in cinema I refer you to a wonderful article covered some time ago in our magazine. Click here.
One of the top watchmakers on the international stage that has made collaboration with cinema one of the pillars of its production is undoubtedly the Swiss house of Heuer. It is easy to remember the legendary Monaco worn by the great McQueen in the famous 1971 film Le Mans, a perfect combination of class and determination, in this regard you can regale yourself with the whole story by clicking here. But let’s play a game dear friends of IWS and try to name together at least one equally famous actor with an equally wonderful Heuer on his wrist. Can you think of anything?
I’ll give you a little help, what if I said James Garner and Carrera, what comes to mind?
Il protagonista: James Garner
An actor almost by accident and a legend of the western genre more out of passion than anything else, Mr. Garner has been overwhelmingly popular in the States essentially for two reasons. Garner has been overwhelmingly popular in the States for essentially two reasons: first, for representing one of the most pop faces of 20th-century American entertainment spanning virtually six decades of film and television productions, and second, the antithesis of the first, for being a highly reserved, introverted and distinctly family-oriented man unlike the fellow viveurs of his era, who divided their time between sets and five-star Hollywood parties in the company of the world’s most beautiful women.
His maturity as an actor depends heavily on youthful experiences in which he learns and brings to the table values such as rigor, steadfastness, seriousness, and punctiliousness. After a long military adventure in America grappling with the in World War II, Garner began his journey into show business through the back door, securing an extra role within a play scheduled for Broadway.
From here the escalation is short and full of great successes that will lead him in a short time to put the flag of conquest on some of the most celebrated productions on the international scene. One above all, probably regarded as the progenitor of all successes, is surely the TV series Maverick aired in the US in the 1950s: an unquestionably atypical western for which Garner plays a cynical and cold-hearted gambler who prefers poker and saloon life to the violent singles challenges more in vogue at the time.
But let us return to the boys’ watches and take a closer look at the reasons why the American actor is so strongly attached to this world. In order to do so, we must inevitably start again from the concept expressed in the previous paragraph, which recalls that special attunement between the actor and his timepiece, so unique as to create an indissoluble bond lasting over time. The faithful companion in question is the splendid Heuer Carrera ref. 3647N that first entered Garner’s collection in conjunction with the filming of the famous 1966 movie Grand Prix.
The passion for motorsport
I admit that I have left out a very important detail of James Garner‘s life, for all intents and purposes to be considered as the third incisive motivation for his marked popularity in America at that time, motorsports.
James‘s passion for cars is endless and comes to life most likely well before the well-known film Grand Prix that finally enshrined it. We have just entered the second half of the 20th century, the Great War is just a bad memory left behind, American diners are overflowing with Jukebox-dancing kids, and the economic boom is growing exponentially.
The world of cinema, in between western productions, began to make room for a new, more dynamic and youthful genre well represented by the world of auto racing. Grand Prix in 1966 and 1971’s Le Mans represent the best examples of how popular this genre is becoming. Add to this the fact that some of the pro drivers most beloved by international audiences participated in the filming, and one does not have to be a film critic to imagine the success of these films.
It was within this context that Garner fortified his passion for cars so much so that he received, for his driving skills, compliments from some of the sacred monsters of the Formula 1 circuit at the time such as Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, Jo Siffert, Bruce McLaren and Jochen Rindt, who related to Garner more as if he were a fellow track driver rather than a big-screen star. In fairness, it should be mentioned that the actor himself played all the driving scenes in the film, including the most dangerous ones, without any stunt double in tow.
Il co-protagonista: Heuer Carrera 3647N
The maison that most of all stands as a symbol of motor sport of the period was undoubtedly Monsieur Edouard’s Heuer, a Swiss house in those of La Chaux-de-Fonds, famous for its never-ending love affair with everything to do with the world of chronography. In this regard, by clicking here, I refer you to an article that well defines the spirit of the maison in this regard. Getting back to us, and how Heuer chronographs have greatly contributed to evolving the way we keep track of time, let’s introduce the other star of the film the Heuer Carrera 3647N.
Giving due importance to history let us start by saying that the Carrera model was first introduced in 1963 as a tribute to the “Carrera Pan Americana” car rally, also known as Carrera Mexicana or Carrera Mexico, a kind of Paris Dakar of the time born basically on the initiative of the Mexican government supported by some local car importers with the double objective of celebrating the works of the section of the Panamericana under Mexican jurisdiction and at the same time promoting tourism in the region.
Unlike the classic three-counter chrono ref. 2447, James Garner’s Carrera was presented to the public with a slimmer, more modern dial equipped with only two counters, one on a 30-minute scale and the other on a 45-scale. Initially passed into the limelight more as a chrono useful to ball referees rather than a motor racing judge, the two-counter model soon became known as the Carrera 45.
Given the concrete involvement in the racing world, in the mid-1960s several Carrera 45 timepieces were customized to specific requests from Heuer-affiliated sponsors and partners. The customizations of the timepieces varied fairly evenly, splitting between sponsor logos and emblems to classic ad personam designations printed either on the surface of the dial, on the caseback or, in some cases, on certain components of the caliber.
Concrete demonstrations are some 3647N references featuring the “Wheels and Wings” logo of the Indianapolis 500 as well as some dials printed with the logo of the well-known British car manufacturer MG that were so successful at the Phillips auction last 2021 in New York.
For all that said, it makes full sense to think that the Swiss maison, given the Hollywood star’s great passion for cars and especially the possible commercial business to be derived from the aura of such a witness, offered James Garner a customized Carrera 3647N bearing his first and last name on the dial.
The steel case of this iconic timepiece measures approximately 35 mm in diameter. The pushers that drive the chrono are inserted, like the winding crown, on the left side of the timepiece. The first, located at 2 o’clock, is entrusted with the tasks of starting and stopping, while the one located at 4 o’clock resets the large seconds hand to zero. The winding crown, embossed with the family crest, has knurled machining to clearly promote proper handling convenience, while the screw-down case back ensures proper compartmentalization of the movement.
Embraced by the case just described, the black dial is certainly the highlight of this timepiece. In addition to the two subdials placed at 3 and 9 o’clock, respectively, the artist’s designation “James Garner” extended within the object’s southern semicircle from 5 to 7 o’clock stands out above all others. Inscriptions, indexes and personalization are made through the use of a special white paint in such a way as to stand out against the raven black dial.
The heart of the movement is entrusted to the more than proven manual caliber, Valjoux 92, 17 jewels, featuring a column wheel. Its diameter totals 29.5 mm while its thickness is 6 mm. The beat is around 18,000 vibrations per hour for a power reserve of 39 hours.
Gigi Garner and his collab with Phillips
That Garner and her daughter Gigi were great animal lovers was common knowledge in the world of the Hollywood jet set at the time. And it is precisely for this reason that Gigi herself, driven in all likelihood by the goal of providing continuity to some of the projects she had hatched with her father, decided to follow up by opening a rescue center for animals in distress. The guideline is drawn, but although there are ideas and plans drawn up with Dad James, one key part to complete the puzzle is missing from the roll call, the financial one…
And what better way, Gigi thought, than to raise some funds by auctioning off some of the most prestigious items that belonged to the great American star? Thus began a close collaboration with the prestigious New York auction house Phillips, which reached its zenith in the session that took place at the turn of last June 11-12, within which, the legendary Heuer Carrera 3647N, estimated at the start at $20,000 to $40,000, was auctioned for the modest sum of $176,400, about six times as much, great testimony to how the American public is still extremely attached to one of its favorite sons.
Final take
Dear friends of IWS we have reached the end of our journey. After immersing ourselves inside one of the most exciting stories that the world of watchmaking has to tell us, reliving the life of one of the greatest American actors of the 20th century and retracing his passions for the world of motoring, it is time, as is the practice at the end of any self-respecting journey, to take stock overall and grasp in a deeper way the meaning of this story.
In order to do so, I must obligatorily connect to what has been recounted in the previous paragraphs, going on to add a small piece complicit in making the menu even more interesting and definitely more appealing. We have seen how fundamental is the attunement that is created between the character and his timepiece, but in this specific case Garner wanted to go further, literally breaking down the boundaries between film fiction and reality, wearing his magnificent Carrera not only on the set but also in everyday life.
It is precisely because of this visceral love for his faithful companion that audiences cannot imagine their James without Carrera and vice versa. Here it is that when circumstances of this kind mix, they are able to give birth to some of the most powerful and recognized icons on the international scene, and the duel of relaunches is full testimony to that.
Follow us on Instagram not to miss any real-time news from the world of watchmaking.
