TV pocket watch.

[Paul Sullivan]

I was recently watching Showtimes new series "Penny Dreadful" , which bring together Gothic novel figures together in 1890's London. About eight minute in there was a scene where Eva Green's character (Vanessa Ives) meets Josh Hartnett's character (Ethan Chandler) in a London pub to enlist his aid. Just prior to her meeting him (at minute 08:00) Chandler pulls out a hunter case pocket watch to take a look at the time. On the inside of the front cover was an engraving from his father, but much more interesting to me was the watch itself. This seems to be a high end production with good attention to detail, but they failed in the watch. After freezing the video I found it was a cheap moon phase, date Jean Jacot quartz watch . Ok call me anal but this is the kind of minutia I love finding in TV and film. The watch had a sweep second hand and the stilted movement of a quartz. Harnett's character is from the US so they could have probably found a cheaper vintage Waltham or Elgin HC for the scene. Still the show was quite entertaining, creepy and good effects.


Paul

 

[PJQL]

Hi Paul,
Yes...It certainly is very interesting to spot pocket watches used during TV or film production. One which comes to my mind is the recent (well....2013 anyway ) film Looper, where a full hunter pocket watch features many times...of a type with the Ottoman/Turkish figures on the dial. I presume they must use mass made reproductions.
I used to wonder if the real things were acually used during early Western films.....such as the type John Wayne and the like may have had tucked into their waistcoat pockets !
As a film director...or an actor...I wonder how far do you go in striving for an authentic production ?

Regards
Piers

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Piers,

I only noticed the discrepancy because I'm a pocket watch enthusiast. Film makers do tend to do a much better job nowadays with details such as wardrobe, hair styles, uniforms, cars etc. and cg has lent so much to the realism of film. I'll have to check out looper. Many Ottoman Turk pocket watches are still available on the used market. In the old westerns from the 1930's and early 40's pocket watches were still much in fashion, and many models from the early 1900's were still in production. I'm sure some of the old actors then wore their own LOL.

I would have thought for a close up of the watch a cheap vintage one would be readily available. For a long shot it doesn't really matter. I do remember watching the film dark City and a character pulled out his P/W to take a glance. It was a Waltham.

Paul

 

[Omexa]

Hi Paul, I have seen a few where the Pocket Watch is wrong for the date. This Company hires out Pocket Watches for TV or Film purposes. http://www.atlam-watches.co.uk/tvfilmrental.htm Regards Ray

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Ray,

I think that is what surprised me. I am a huge fan of UK TV (Downton, Folyle's War etc.) and they always seem to be spot on in detail. "Penny Dreadful" appears to be a mainly UK production. Hence I was surprised by the gaff with the watch. Long shots don't mean much, but giving a closeup and an engraving from the characters father lends a bit of weight to the watch itself.

Regards,

Paul

 

[Omexa]

Hi Paul, I have seen a few Cowboy Westerns with 4 Wheel Drive tire marks in the dirt; c1870's. Maybe Toyota have been going longer than we thought. Regards Ray

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Ray,

LOL, that was a good one. One Western I'd like to check out is "High Noon". There's gotta be allot of clocks and P/W's in it.

Paul