As Max Verstappen crossed the line first (again) in Abu Dhabi to draw a curtain on the most predictable F1 season ever, thank goodness for Chris Hemsworth and his brothers – who were largely responsible for raising pulses and adding some much needed adrenaline down in the pits. Indeed, the sight of Liam, Luke and Chris Hemsworth trackside was arguably the most eventful thing to happen after lap one where Charles Leclerc tried in vain to get past Verstappen to leave the result of the race in little doubt – a win for the flying Dutchman for a record 18th time of the season.
But it wasn’t just the mere sight of the Hemsworths that attracted attention – the all gold perfect replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches on Chris’s wrist was impossible to miss. Specifically, it is the new 1017 ALYX 9SM limited edition chronograph fake waches that Audemars Piguet dropped earlier in the year in collaboration with designer Matthew Williams.
If you’ve seen Saltburn, you’ll know that Jacob Elordi’s character, Felix Catton – the film’s dreamboat aristo with a heart of gold and come-to-boudoir eyes – is not especially concerned with the concept of time. (And for those that haven’t seen it, beware of incoming spoilers.)
For Catton and for his landed cohort, life is one long, hazy summer peppered with pints and japes and dalliances with distant cousins. Punctuality isn’t high on the agenda, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have nice 1:1 UK fake watches. In fact, the film’s timepieces are crucial to the story.
Smith settled on 1950’s Yellow Gold top replica Rolex ‘Bubbleback’ 6084 watches with tan leather strap, but after trawling vintage stores and auction sites, the watch turned out to be closer to home. “This was actually Jacob Elordi’s own watch, which he put forward as an option for his character,” he says. “I was on the hunt for a vintage Rolex for Felix anyway and when Jacob showed me his gold Bubbleback it just worked.”
“Felix’s old gold Rolex reinforces his chilled nonchalance to the audience. The watch probably doesn’t keep the best time, is on the small side [34mm], and is gold when most people at that time were wearing stainless [steel] – all things I’m sure Felix couldn’t care less about,” explains Smith, adding that he and director Emerald Fennell liked the idea of the perfect copy watches being a family heirloom that he just grabbed from his father’s dressing room one day.
‘Bubblebacks’ first emerged in the ‘30s, and were nicknamed for their bulging screw-down case backs, which allowed space for Rolex replica watchs’ new ‘perpetual’ movements. They were the precursor to the Explorer and the Oyster, and were especially collectible in the ’80s, but gradually drifted down the pre-owned pecking order.
“The Rolex Bubbleback was not expensive high quality super clone watches, especially in 2006,” says Brynn Wallner, writer and founder of watch platform, Dimepiece. “So, on the surface, it doesn’t seem like a flex [for a rich kid like Catton], but it actually signifies generational wealth.”
