The watches in The Gentlemen (and what they say about the characters)

If The Gentlemen feels familiar, it might be because the series carries the exact same DNA as everything else Guy Ritchie does really well. British upper class meets organized crime. Old estates. Expensive cars. People who talk fast and solve problems even faster.

But what captivates me almost immediately is not the plot. It’s the feeling. How everything looks just a little too good without ever feeling stiff. How someone pours a whisky. How a jacket sits over the shoulders. And of course… what they have on their wrist.

For just like in Succession, the watches here are far from random. They convey things about the characters before they've even had a chance to open their mouths. Who is born into the world. Who is trying to maintain the facade. And who is still playing a game.

Eddie Horniman (the heir who never asked for the role)

Eddie, played by Theo James, feels like someone who could have easily avoided the whole situation. When we first meet him, he’s wearing a military uniform and a Bremont Broadsword on his wrist. A robust military watch that actually feels just perfect for him at that moment. Practical and discreet.

But quite quickly, everything changes.

After he unexpectedly inherits the family title and estate, the Bremont is swapped for something considerably heavier. A rose gold Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph ref. 5990. And yes… it’s pretty much exactly as expensive as it sounds.

The interesting part isn’t really that he wears it. It’s that he never even considers selling it, despite desperately needing money. It’s a detail that says quite a lot without saying anything at all. The watch isn’t a status symbol for Eddie. It feels personal, like something he inherited rather than chose for himself.

Freddy Horniman (chaos, yet well-dressed)

Freddy, spelad av Daniel Ings, är seriens påminnelse om att pengar och bra omdöme sällan är samma sak. Han är konstant ett dåligt beslut från total katastrof. Och kanske är det därför hans klocka också säger en del om honom.

Freddy bär sin fars gamla vintage-Omega Constellation från 50-talet. En riktigt vacker klocka egentligen. Elegant, klassisk och full av historia. Men samtidigt går det inte att ignorera symboliken. För medan lillebror Eddie går runt med en roségulds-Nautilus värd en mindre förmögenhet sitter Freddy kvar med familjearvet i stål.

Och man kan ana att det stör honom.

Bobby Glass (old power looks different)

Then we have Bobby Glass, played by Ray Winstone. And just like Logan Roy in Succession, there is something very interesting about older men and watches in TV series. True power almost always looks a bit relaxed.

Bobby essentially runs an empire from an open prison, strolling around in silk scarves, tailored coats, and a robust Bremont ALTI-ZT Chronograph with GMT function on his wrist. Big, British, and quite uncompromising.

Just like he is, really.

Susie Glass (the person who really runs everything)

Susie Glass, portrayed by Kaya Scodelario, perhaps exudes the most confident energy in the series. She never needs to prove that she’s the smartest person in the room. It’s evident nonetheless. And her yellow Cartier Tank fits perfectly into that image. Discreet, elegant, and completely free from the need to scream wealth. It’s a watch that feels more old-world than new money.

She’s also genuinely knowledgeable about watches. In one scene, she assesses whether a rare vintage Patek Philippe is authentic or not, and she does so effortlessly. Small details perhaps. But exactly the kind of details that make the world feel believable.

Stanley Johnston (the man who knows exactly what he's doing)

American billionaire Stanley Johnston, played by Giancarlo Esposito, is probably the most underrated watch collector in the series.

And it's clear that the production has done its homework. Instead of just slapping a classic gold watch on him, he gets to wear pieces like a platinum F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain and a rose gold Girard-Perregaux Ferrari Chronograph with a red leather strap.

It’s choices like these that make watch enthusiasts pause the series and rewind a few seconds.

At one point, he also mentions that he wears a Patek Philippe ref. 1518. One of the world’s most legendary vintage watches. We barely get to see it properly. But perhaps that’s the whole point.

Henry Collins (the only one who actually wears a gold watch like a gangster)

Someone in this series had to wear a gold-colored Rolex on an oyster link.

And that would be Henry Collins, played by Max Beesley. Corrupt boxing promoter. Money launderer. A bit too loud. Exactly the right energy for a gold watch on an oyster link.

And you know what? It works anyway. Because even though it might be the most expected watch choice in the series, it says a lot about him right away.

Florian de Groot (the smuggler with better taste than most)

It almost feels like everyone in The Gentlemen is unreasonably well-dressed. Yet Florian de Groot, played by Kristofer Hivju, manages to stand out. A bearded Belgian smuggler might not sound like someone who should wear rose gold, but his Cartier Santos-Dumont strangely works perfectly.

It makes a discreet appearance under his shirt sleeve in a restaurant scene and feels instantly right for him.

A bit old-fashioned. A bit eccentric. Very self-assured.

And perhaps that's precisely why Cartier works so well in this series overall. There is something timeless about the models that never feels trendily wrong.

It's never just a watch

What I like most about the watches in The Gentlemen is that they never feel out of place just for being expensive. They feel worn. Natural. Like a part of the characters rather than something the stylists added five minutes before filming.

And that's probably why you start to notice them after a while. Because just like the rest of the series, it's not really just about luxury. It's about people trying to navigate power, status, and identity without losing themselves along the way.

The watches just happen to say it a little quieter than the dialogue does.