Marvel comic book and Kingsman film series fans are already jumping at the bit in anticipation of the new Hollywood film The King’s Man due out in the United States on December 22, 2021. It is the third instalment of the Kingsman film series based on Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar’s comic book series The Secret Service.
‘The King’s Man’
The King’s Man was originally scheduled to come out in November 2019, but was pushed at least four different times due to the pandemic and will finally land on this Christmas-friendly release date. Europeans will only be able to see the film in early January.
In honor of the next instalment of this highly entertaining film series finally getting released, let’s take a look at the watches created in honor of each of the three films – three watches that are as diverse as if they had come from Marvel’s multiverse!
And they heralded a very interesting debut: e-shoppable product placement as all the watches from these movies were available exclusively on Mr. Porter. A new concept at the time, it has become relatively ubiquitous now.
Kingsman: The Secret Service / Bremont (2015)
England’s favorite watchmaking duo – brothers Nick and Giles English, founders of Bremont – were so deeply involved with Kingsman: The Secret Service that Nick English even had a small cameo in it.
Directed and adapted by Matthew Vaughn, Kingsman: The Secret Service starred Colin Firth in the main role as Harry Hart and Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Caine in other main roles. Kingsman: The Secret Service is a thriller about an ultra-secret, and very well-dressed, British spy organization recruiting a promising street kid (Taron Egerton) just as the agency is thrown into a life-and-death fight with a wealthy megalomaniac threatening a global catastrophe (Samuel L. Jackson playing Richmond Valentine).
Bremont Kingsman Special Editions in steel, black DLC-coated steel, and pink gold
The film also featured several British luxury brands, including Bremont, who supplied the wrist technology that played an important role as a spy gadget à la James Bond.
The trainee spies wear stealthy black, slightly modified Bremont ALT1-B models on NATO straps called the Kingsman Special Edition DLC, including the movie’s starring debutante, Taron Egerton (Eggsy). Once the trainees graduated, they received pink gold Bremont Kingsman Special Edition Rose Golds, while The Kingsman Stainless Steel model is worn by Merlin (Mark Strong), the young super spies’ trainer. These watches launched to the public on Mr. Porter just before the film hit theaters in early 2015.
Colin Firth wearing a pink gold Bremont Kingsman Special Edition in ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’
The watches were tool instruments for the agents and played roles in the film. Director Vaughn was deliberate in choosing his props for this film, saying, “Kingsmen are first and foremost British, which made Bremont watches the perfect fit. Apart from making fantastic mechanical watches, Bremont have links to the military and their special forces around the world, making them the perfect timepieces for the modern spy.”
Nick English was delighted at Bremont being chosen. “And it was wonderful to see how proactive Matthew [Vaughn] has been in the whole process. We pride ourselves on making durable, mechanical chronometers in Henley-on-Thames and so the whole British connection is spot-on,” he said at the time. “We pride ourselves on the work we do manufacturing for the military, so the connection is very relevant.”
Kingsman: The Golden Circle / TAG Heuer (2017)
For 2017’s sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the Bremont watches were replaced with models from TAG Heuer, including a special version of the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45.
TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 in ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’
In this sequel, the British Kingsman agents were wearing the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45, while the American Statesman agents wore the legendary Monaco Calibre 11.
Features unique to this version of the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 included pink gold lugs, a brown leather strap with “Kingsman” embossing as well as an orange velvet strap inspired by a dinner jacket Egerton wore in the movie, and “Kingsman” dial functions including the Kingsman inscription and logo at 9 and 3 o’clock; at 10:10 the dial vibrates for 10 seconds and the “K” logo appears; and the original Android Wear lighting function is replaced by the film’s logo on the dial in gold against a white background.
American Statesmen agents Channing Tatum and Halle Berry wearing TAG Heuer Monaco models in ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’
According to a TAG Heuer press release, the Connected Watch was personally chosen by Vaughn as the timepiece of choice for his Kingsman agents in the second movie. It was worn by main character Eggsy (Taron Egerton).
Many of the other characters wore the TAG Heuer Monaco, including Halle Berry (Monaco Lady Kingsman) and Channing Tatum (Calibre 11) as seen in the photo above.
The King’s Man / Jaeger-LeCoultre (2021)
The stylish Kingsmen need watches to match their tailored outfits, and for many specialist pundits the bulky Connected Watch wasn’t quite the right thing, even if the TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 was a great choice for the American agents.
For the very soon-to-be-released The King’s Man, the horological role is taken over by Jaeger-LeCoultre, who created an extraordinary watch for the occasion.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch on a well-tailored wrist
Diving into its brand history, Jaeger-LeCoultre transformed a pocket watch design from its rich past into a wristwatch. This was very appropriate as the 1907 pocket watch in question is nicknamed couteau, knife in French, as a reference to its razor-thin edge.
Jaeger-LeCoultre couteau pocket watch from 1907
This barely-there style is made possible by an ultra-thin movement designed by Edmond Jaeger. Before joining forces with Jacques-David LeCoultre, he developed quite a few movements for Cartier, among others, to make couteau pocket watches. One could say that this was one of his particular areas of expertise.
Fast forward to the current day and the realization that transforming a pocket watch into a wristwatch is not an easy thing to do. However, the Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch is a benchmark for how to do that well.
Jaeger-LeCoultre indeed succeeded in translating the razor-thin profile of the pocket watch to a wristwatch. The subtly stepped case allows the watch to rest on the wrist unlike any other (ultra-thin) watch.
While at a height of 4.25 mm it is slim, but not the slimmest watch on the block – it is not even Jaeger-LeCoultre’s slimmest timepiece (that honor belongs to 2015’s Master Ultra Thin Squelette, coming in at 3.6 mm). Brands like Piaget and Bulgari might regularly produce thinner watches than Jaeger-LeCoultre, but the Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch looks slimmer on the wrist than it actually is.
It is the knife-edge design that accomplishes this.
Jaeger-LeCoultre knew very well what it was doing when its designers worked on this watch. They cleverly kept the crown at 12 o’clock, including the gold ring to which one would typically hook a chain if it were a pocket watch. By even letting that interesting component, which by the way also protects the crown, cut into the strap, they created a quirky detail that makes the watch interesting without it being alienating.
Fortunately, Jaeger-LeCoultre decided to update the dial’s design, giving it a clean-cut look with blued sword-shaped hands. This strikes just the right tone as the watch looks contemporary yet based on old values, perfectly in line with the style of The Kingsman universe and that of many other modern, discerning gentlemen.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch
The Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch also marks the return of Caliber 849. This manually wound movement and its direct predecessor, Caliber 839, was in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s catalog for about four decades. At only 1.85 mm high, it became mainly known for powering Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin collection.
The case construction of the Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch is quite different as it is 1.65 mm thinner than the 5.9 mm thickness of the movement used in the current Master Ultra Thin line, Caliber 896.
Caliber 849 has a reputation for being precise and sturdy, quite handy given a Kingsman’s very active lifestyle, and something we can unfortunately not say of every ultra-thin movement. It is a pleasure to see it return in the Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch – even if the designers kept it from prying eyes by giving this timepiece a closed case back.
Don’t miss Jaeger-LeCoultre’s starring role in The King’s Man, soon coming to a cinema near you. And if you haven’t already, I highly recommend watching Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, both of which are excellent entertainment despite (or, in my opinion, also because of) the comic book and horological connections.
Quick Facts Bremont Kingsman Special Edition Rose Gold
Case: 43 x 16 mm, pink gold
Movement: automatic Caliber BE-54AE (base ETA 7754), 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, 42-hour power reserve, officially certified C.O.S.C. chronometer
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, chronograph, 24-hour display, world time
Price: £14,250
Remarks: launched in collaboration with Mr. Porter
Quick Facts TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 Kingsman Special Edition
Case: 45 mm, pink gold
Movement: Android
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds (digital); date, second time zone, times of sunrise/sunset, power reserve; pulse sensor, compass; “Kingsman” dial functions
Remarks: launched in collaboration with Mr. Porter
Quick Facts Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch
Case: 40 x 4.25 mm, pink gold
Movement: hand-wound Caliber 849, 1.85 x 20.2 mm, 19 jewels, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency, 35-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 100 pieces
Price: £26,900/€29,600/$29,800
Remarks: launched in collaboration with Mr. Porter
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Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch: Cutting A Sharp Edge
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