After four decades in the spotlight, Tom Cruise knows that newer isn’t always better.
Just look at the star’s left wrist during the international press tour for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. He could probably get ahold of one of the year’s hottest watches, like the IWC Ingenieur, if he wanted to, but he’s instead opted to wear two old favorites—a Cartier Santos de Cartier and a Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin.
Cruise wore the first of the two watches while promoting his seventh turn as Ethan Hunt in Seoul last Thursday. The rectangular-shaped Santos was designed at the behest of pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont during the first decade of the 20th century. It has a 39.8 mm rectangular case made from stainless steel that houses a silvered opaline dial with Roman numerals, a date window at 6 o’clock and blue sword-shaped hands. The water-resistant timepiece comes with a matching bracelet and is powered by the calibre 1847 MC automatic winding movement. It’s available now directly from the jeweler for $7,750.
Three days later, while appearing at a press event in Sydney, Cruise went with his Overseas Perpetual Calendar. The sports watch is a descendant of the legendary Ref. 222 and has a 41.5 mm case made of 18-karat white gold that is just 8.1 mm thick and connected to an integrated bracelet made from the same material. Underneath its crystal, you’ll find a blue sunburst dial with a moon-phase complication at 6 o’clock, along with three sub-dials. It’s powered by the caliber 1120 which keeps its sub-dials accurate for up to 78 years. It’s pricier, though, with the watchmaker asking $102,000 for the model.
If you paid attention to the publicity blitz for Top Gun: Maverick last year both watches should look familiar. Cruise showed off the Overseas’s remarkable versatility when he paired it with a tuxedo at the Cannes Film Festival. He could also be seen wearing the Santos at an event for fans in Seoul a month later.
Of course, Cruise’s latest press tour is just getting started, so there is plenty of time for him to wear other watches before the film hits theaters on Wednesday, Julye 12. There’s also the press tour for Dead Reckoning Part Two, which will open next June, to think about as well.