From silent films of the 1920s to today’s TV series, a journey through the world of cinema, actors and characters, told through writing and photography featuring 106 iconic timepieces. A book written by a collector for enthusiasts and collectors, including atmospheric photography, watch profiles, information on long-forgotten brands and their technical and historical significance.
The book covers inexpensive and costly watches alike — chronographs and digital — for anyone who enjoys wearing or gifting a watch with a story and a meaning.
Written by John Galt — a pseudonym chosen by a collector who preferred to remain anonymous — the book is the result of over 4 years of passionate research to identify the exact watch model worn in each film, with 9 international watch personalities interviewed: entrepreneurs, technicians, enthusiasts and collectors.
The majority of photographs in the book are original and purpose-shot, using period-accurate materials exactly matching (perfect match) those used in the film.
Could you tell us what sparked your interest in these watches?
Until I was 35, I hardly ever wore a watch. That was when I first wore my grandfather’s watch, which is pictured in the foreword of the book. I began to appreciate the beauty of its craftsmanship and the attention to detail that is now rarely found in watches. From that moment on, I became interested in the world of watches. However, as my first watch was so significant, I didn’t want to own a random watch – it had to have a story behind it. As I am also a fan of vintage posters, and I became interested in James Bond’s watches. From there, my interest expanded to cinema and the “perfect matches” of watches worn in films and TV series. Depending on the occasion and how I feel when I wake up, I might feel a bit like Fox Mulder wearing a 1990s Casio or like Ronin wearing a Jardur Bezelmeter fitted with the same Valjoux 72 movement used in the first Rolex Daytonas.
How did you come up with the idea of writing a book?
Before I became interested in watches, posters and vintage design, I was passionate about psychology and sociology. I asked the AI what might motivate a collector to write a book and selected these two ideas:
Could you tell us what sparked your interest in these watches?
Firstly, and undoubtedly, the challenge is to find the “perfect match” – that is, the exact model worn in the film or TV series. By searching online marketplaces, setting up alerts on numerous vintage websites and using Google Lens, I have sometimes managed to find and buy the watch pictured in the book after months or even years of searching.
Secondly, the vast amount of information on the web means that some models have been incorrectly attributed. Plausible identifications made before films were released in high definition have probably spread across the web and become established as fact. With Blu-ray stills at hand, some of these attributions are untenable. I have even had to inform a few auction houses that their attribution was incorrect. Ultimately, though, what matters is passion. If you like a watch and it has a story to tell, it’s always a pleasure to discuss it.
Will there be a follow-up with more volumes and more watches?
Some material did not make it into this book, so a second volume featuring a further 106 watches and exactly the same size as the first is a distinct possibility.
For now, though, I am happy with the result, and we are considering the best way to make the material available online for free. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been working on updating the ICONIC HOURS website. It will feature all the watches identified so far, as well as a street price, enabling enthusiasts to search by film, actor, watch brand or price. It will take a few more months to upload them all – it’s quite a job!
In the meantime, you can buy the book and enjoy the high-resolution photos, which won’t be published anywhere else, not even online.
Which watch from the book is your favourite? Why?
The Omega Seamaster No Time to Die that is featured on the cover is one of the few watches that I have bought brand new. I think it is stunning — the most beautiful Seamaster ever. It looks lovely in sunlight with its brown shades, lack of date display, lightweight construction, and stunning, comfortable, adjustable Milanese mesh bracelet.
As for vintage watches, there’s Sean Connery’s 6538 with a red triangle, a large crown, a black dial and gold lettering. The aged tritium swells and becomes golden and porous… pure poetry. In the special edition of the book, I created a box that can be used either way round. It has two sides from which these two watches emerge from the darkness. As the inks are luminescent, the box glows in the dark. The best of new and vintage, in my opinion.
| Title | ICONIC HOURS |
| Subtitle | A journey through almost 100 years of movies |
| Author | John Galt (pseudonym) in collaboration with Michele Rosa |
| Publisher | Amazon KDP |
| Release date | June 6, 2026 |
| Languages | Italian and English (first release); Spanish, French, German to follow |
| Pages | approx. 300, full colour throughout |
| Timepieces documented | 106 |
| Interviews | 9 |
| Photography | Vincenzo Finizola |
| Foreword | Andrea Casalegno (@iamcasa) |
| Afterword | Massimo Scalese (orologidiclasse.com) |
| @iconic.hours | |
| Website | iconichours.com |
| Distribution | Amazon (worldwide) |
