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Post by NoShear on May 29, 2023 17:43:59 GMT
Thanks for this, NoShear. Been watching some Rat Patrol have we?
I can't really tell from these pics, but I've been doing some deducing. (And take everything I say with a grain of salt, for I'm no horologist.)
My initial reaction is that Christopher George certainly could be wearing a Seamaster 300.....but I hope he's not.
Omega first introduced the Seamaster in 1948 based on British naval designs. It is a dress watch, sleek and lovely.
The Seamaster 300 made its first appearance in 1957, along with the Speedmaster and Railmaster. The North African campaign in WWII was from early summer 1940 through May of 1943. So, we have some dates in conflict here.
It looks to me like George is wearing his watch on a Bund strap. The Bund was first issued to German aviators in WWII. The timing (see what I did there?) is appropriate for such a strap, and the purpose of the design was to keep watch cases from getting too hot, too cold, or too wet on the wearer's wrist. Such a design definitely would serve well in North Africa during WWII, but I don't really want to see Sgt. Troy wearing it while he's fighting Nazis. I would rather see his watch on a pull-through strap because it was the prefered American strap (though open-end straps certainly were worn) rather than on the strap of choice of the Luftwaffe.
So I did a little snooping to see what other characters in the program are wearing, and it looks like they are using various sorts of watches, though again, I'm seeing them only in flashes and not very close up. But I think I'm seeing a variety of watches on these guys, accompanied by a couple different strap varieties. Because military issued watches are designed to withstand environments "ordinary" watches are not, and because synchronizing was important for troops, I would much rather see all of these characters wearing the same watch.
I also think I saw George wearing a different watch from this one in some episodes, but I'm not sure if I am imagining that or just can't see it clearly.
I have come to the conclusion that the wardrobe department for The Rat Patrol was not very particular. Even if Christopher George is wearing his own watch, in which case it certainly could be a Seamaster 300, I think that falls in the realm of a not-so-particular costumer because it still is not period appropriate.
For the context of The Rat Patrol, I really want this watch to be an American military issued A-11 field watch, but I just can't say if I think that's what this is.
BunnyWhit, with yesterday's screening of THE NAKED AND THE DEAD on TCM, I was admiring Cliff Robertson's watch which he wore well:
You know me: I thought of the OMEGA Seamaster 300 with it. (I couldn't find a close screenshot of it.) |
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Post by NoShear on Jun 24, 2023 15:28:23 GMT
You're observant in that there was stretching when it came to the wardrobe department - most notably with the Sgt. Troy headwear which Australians found objectionable.
So many varieties of headwear are objectionable to so many people, yet they are often one of the first garments a costumer reaches for because they so immediately tell the viewer where and when the action is taking place, even if the association is a stereotype or mark of oppression.
Even if the rest of the costume is not spot-on, film and television makers could do a better job at making costumes accurate by getting headgear right. It's hard to overlook a hat.
There is a growing community interested in seeing properly attired characters in film. As a sewist myself, I am always interested to see if costumes are period correct in their style, fabrics, color choices, and construction methods. Some get it very right, but most get it anywhere from a little wrong (which I typically chalk up to artistic license) to blatantly wrong, to violently offensive. I believe this is not often (probably rarely) the sole fault of the wardrobe department, as so often their hands are tied by budget restraints or the whims of producers. Certainly stylistic license is to be expected, but if I am to take a story seriously, I want to see that all the characters are wearing what would have been worn in the period. Period.
Slouch hats, pith helmets, nón lás, toques, sombreros, the various styles of cowboy hats, and other hat styles say so much about the film characters wearing them.....but I think they say even more about the filmmakers.
(Please pardon the rant, NoShear. You unknowingly poked the bear!) A pair of pith helmets and Stewart Granger's slouch hat in "KING SOLOMON'S MINES" were on view on TCM this past Thursday's screenings of a big batch of Stewart Granger films, BunnyWhit, but much more to the point, I thought of you with the watch worn by Granger in "GREEN FIRE" through much or all of the 1954 movie:  |
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Post by NoShear on Aug 13, 2023 16:19:01 GMT
BunnyWhit, with yesterday's screening of THE NAKED AND THE DEAD on TCM, I was admiring Cliff Robertson's watch which he wore well:
You know me: I thought of the OMEGA Seamaster 300 with it. (I couldn't find a close screenshot of it.) BunnyWhit, thought of you with another green fatigues sighting:  Even though he wears it well, Robert Mitchum is seen too much with his watch on in Heaven knows, Mr. Allison: His character takes a pair of scavenger runs where its reflective element would be unwanted.  |
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Post by NoShear on Mar 11, 2024 3:19:17 GMT
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Post by BunnyWhit on Mar 11, 2024 18:32:04 GMT
Thanks, NoShear. Looks like a place where Scorsese's Kermit would be right at home.
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Post by NoShear on Mar 11, 2024 23:21:45 GMT
Thanks, NoShear. Looks like a place where Scorsese's Kermit would be right at home.
You're welcome, BunnyWhit. |
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Post by NoShear on Mar 12, 2024 13:46:17 GMT
Thanks, NoShear. Looks like a place where Scorsese's Kermit would be right at home.
If I knew him and could converse, BunnyWhit: "There's a woman that you ought to know... " -
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Post by NoShear on Jul 14, 2024 0:28:41 GMT
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Post by BunnyWhit on Jul 14, 2024 2:43:39 GMT
Bridges might have picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue, but I guess he'll never stop wearing his Rolex.
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Post by NoShear on Jul 14, 2024 3:10:44 GMT
Bridges might have picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue, but I guess he'll never stop wearing his Rolex.
Laughing, BunnyWhit!! |
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Post by BunnyWhit on Jul 21, 2024 15:48:02 GMT
Sagebrush posted this nice pic of Robin Williams on the occasion of his birthday, 21 July. Nice to see him here wearing the Franck Muller tonneau.
 
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Post by NoShear on Jul 21, 2024 16:53:08 GMT
Sagebrush posted this nice pic of Robin Williams on the occasion of his birthday, 21 July. Nice to see him here wearing the Franck Muller tonneau.
I was wondering about you with that photo, BunnyWhit!! |
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Post by BunnyWhit on Jul 21, 2024 16:59:42 GMT
I was wondering about you with that photo, BunnyWhit!! |
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Post by Fading Fast on Jul 21, 2024 17:11:07 GMT
I didn't even know we have a watch thread. I just went through it, what fun. Glad to know others here do this too.
I freeze way too many movies trying to identify what watch an actor is wearing.
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Post by NoShear on Jul 21, 2024 17:23:03 GMT
I didn't even know we have a watch thread. I just went through it, what fun. Glad to know others here do this too.
I freeze way too many movies trying to identify what watch an actor is wearing.
BunnyWhit's a watch wizard, among all her other attributes, Fading Fast. She also was one of the members who made up the "James Bond Trivia" quartet on the old TCM Message Boards... If her avatar wasn't so mesmerizingly beautiful, I would suggest something to the following for her - the left-side of the image:  |
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