MR PORTER: Insiders Explain How Watches Get On TV
Chris Hall, journalist and Senior Watch Editor at MR PORTER, recently wrote ‘Insiders Explain How Watches Get On TV (And No, It’s Not Just Product Placement)’. Within the article, Hall speaks with Eric Wind about the process of sourcing and curating timepieces for television:
Costumer designers and propmasters have their own methods of sourcing watches, but often it makes sense to involve someone who really knows the watch world. Vintage watch dealer Mr Eric Wind, who provided period-specific watches for The Wonder Years, can sound like he’s on a one-man mission to make the film industry care. “Historically, outside of a few examples, it wasn’t taken that seriously by the crew. Brands don’t typically have the watches to spare, or understand the set-up. But I know actors who are watch people and when they get given a fake or incorrect watch, it drives them crazy.”
Through his relationships with actors including Messrs Daniel Dae Kim and Ronny Chieng, Wind has supplied watches to a number of productions, such as Crazy Rich Asians. By lending the watches, he covers their insurance, which can be just one hurdle to a smooth shoot. “A friend who’s a producer, he asked a brand for watches, and was told they’d be accompanied by two security guards at all times. Most producers can’t be bothered with that.”
Read the write up below:
To stay up to date on Chris Hall’s writings and his column ‘The Fourth Wheel’, subscribe to his newsletter below: