What Watch Is Timothée Chalamet Wearing in 'Marty Supreme’?
Table tennis: it’s all in the wrist action. Timothée Chalamet know this, as the actor appears to be wearing a particularly tasty timepiece in the upcoming sports biopic, Marty Supreme. Directed by one half of the Safdie Brothers (Josh), the new A24 drama will see Chalamet take to the tables as Marty Reisman, a mid-century maverick of the sport who rose to ping-ponging prominence in 1950s New York City.
The film is currently shooting in Manhattan, where Chalamet’s wide-legged, spear-collared costumes are causing something of a stir. Sweater vests! Printed ties! Red leather gloves! And… a watch? Visible in scenes where Chalamet’s Reisman shins down a fire escape and chases a car down the street, we can see a golden grail strapped to his high-scoring, hard-hitting wrist. And, in a film that’s clearly taking menswear seriously, it’s surely a measured choice. Sadly, even with Chalamet’s cuffs undone, it’s tricky to make out exactly what watch it is.
What watch do the experts think Timothée Chalamet is wearing?
We waved some blurry set pics past the experts, and had suggestions including an Audemars Piguet ‘Edward Piguet’ and a Tank Louis Cartier (not a bad guess, as Chalamet is known to have a penchant for the French brand). Javid Butt, of London’s Vintage Watch Specialist, believed it to be a 1940s-era Omega. David Silver, from The Vintage Watch Company, put his money on a post-war Hamilton, or a 1950s Gruen.
Gruen — although not correct — was another good call. The first watch worn on screen by James Bond was a Gruen, with Sean Connery buckling up a Precision 510 for films from Dr. No to Diamonds Are Forever. Coincidentally, in 1977, the editor of bimonthly magazine Table Tennis Topics dubbed Marty Reisman “the James Bond of table tennis”.
An article in Sports Illustrated suggests another alternative. In a 1977 profile of Reisman (in which, when asked who he’d like to play him in a film, the table tennis legend responded with: "I think Bob De Niro could do it right”), the sportsman’s side hustle as a smuggler was revealed. While travelling for tournaments, he admitted to trafficking everything from Orrefors crystal to Arpège perfume. One of his last smuggling runs saw Reisman return to New York “wearing two dozen Rolex watches under his Bolero sleeves”. Georgina Godfrey, of Watch Specialists, guessed Chalamet was wearing a Rolex Precision in the set shots. Another good guess, but sadly still not correct.
So what watch does Timothée Chalamet wear in Marty Supreme?
After contacting the Marty Supreme crew in hopes of an answer, an anonymous source revealed that Timothée Chalamet will wear a watch made by the Elgin Watch Company in the upcoming film. Specifically, an Elgin from 1951 (likely Ref 6728A). It’s a tonneau-shaped model with a 10-carat gold-filled case. It has scalloped sides, a brown leather strap and the DuraPower logo — which first appeared in 1946 — on its dial. It’s got a manually wound movement, Breguet-style numerals, and a squared-off seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock.
Such Elgins were not overly expensive, with dozens of new, often unnamed models launched by the brand every year. Perhaps then, Chalamet’s Reisman may still rock a Rolex (or 12) when the film makes it to his smuggling years. Nevertheless, Elgin is a strong and solid choice for the character. The Mayor of Chicago helped found the Illinois watch brand back in 1864, and Elgin created many military watches during WWII, So, with its plum American pedigree and period-appropriate Art Deco design, it’s an excellent choice — angular enough to complement Chalamet’s boxy suits, but tough enough to withstand even the most misjudged paddle swing. We can’t wait to see it in action.
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