1969 was a really big year in history. To name a few highlights, we landed on the Moon. Woodstock and Abbey Road defined a generation of music. The Manson murders struck fear into the hearts of good people around the world. And, horologically speaking, the first-ever automatic chronographs hit the market. While seemingly disparate events, the latter two are relevant to Quentin Tarantino?s ninth film, Once Upon a Time ? In Hollywood.

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio star in Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood. Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

If you haven?t seen the film, don’t worry, there are no spoilers ahead, but to generally summarize, it?s a cameo-filled sequence of events taking place in Hollywood in 1969, loosely centered around Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt?s characters, a fictitious actor and stuntman, respectively. As they go about their business, so to speak, they encounter real stars of the era played by stars of today, from Steve McQueen played by Damian Lewis, to Sharon Tate played by Margot Robbie. It?s entertaining in a way that only a Tarantino film can be and very much worth the price of admission. But, this isn?t a film review.
For watch nerds in the audience, including yours truly, there was an unintended star of the film. Sitting prominently on Cliff Booth?s (Brad Pitt) wrist is a gold watch on a leather cuff. A solid stylistic choice, the watch/strap combo clearly rings of Paul Newman, who ...