It is one of the coolest examples of a classic watch being used in a movie. The opening scene shows Ryan Gosling taking a call in an empty hotel above Los Angeles. He instructs the person on the other end that they will have a certain amount of time and then he will leave. He’s basically laying out the parameters for his getaway driver detail.
So Gosling pulls up outside a building in a somewhat industrial area. He then takes the watch off of his waist and puts it on the steering wheel. This begins the countdown.
It was unusual to see a classic dress watch being used as a stopwatch. You will usually see people using something like a Timex or Casio with a stop watch. Sometimes you will see a high end chronograph. The watch in Drive was modeled on a Patek Phillipe. It doesn’t have any of those complications.
If you want to own the wrist watch from Drive, then you are going to want to look at a dress watch with a brown strap and little or no extra complications. You want a clean dial, very little adornment.
There is no real watch, it was made specifically for the movie.
Even so, most people don’t have the money for a real Patek Phillipe. They cost more than a car. So what I did was select those watches that look like the watch Ryan Philipe wears in Drive.
There are several choices. I selected some that are around a hundred dollars, and then some that cost more. What I made sure was that all were good brands. You don’t want a novelty watch made by some cheap factory. There are some people who buy replica Philipe Pateek, but unless you spend a few hundred, you are probably not going to get a decent watch. Personally, I don’t care for replicas. I prefer to own an original. So I would rather have a Citizen, Tag, Tissot or Bulova over a replica watch.
My personal choice would be the Tissot.It’s an amazing piece of craftsmansip. It is sleek, refined, classic, and versitile. A close second would be the Daniel Wellington model.
So here are my picks for watches if you are looking for something similar to the watch from Drive:
Tissot Classic
This is a real find. Tissot is one of my favorite brands. They are a fine Swiss watchmaker, and they make some of the most stunning and elegant watches.
The watch has a 44mm case diameter. That is a decent size. It’s pretty large, but not over 50mm which is where the really big watch sizes begin.
Overall, I like the look. It has a date window, a nice size and weight, and looks super elegant.
Daniel Wellington
This is another classic looking watch that has the sleek and sophisticated design. It has an elegant look. The case diameter is 40mm. That’s a nice width. You don’t want something too large if you are going for the look that Gosling wore in Drive.
Bulova Two Tone
This is a two tone classic design. It has a 37mm wide face. This features a two tone design, with Gold as one of the prominent colors. Bulova’s well known for making very affordable high end watches. I like the clean look of this watches face design. It’s minimalist without being too modern.
Classic Citizen Design
This is my choice for those looking for an Eco-Drive watch. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s basically a solar powered watch. It’s a nice rose gold colored watch. The case width is 40mm which is about right for this style. It works well as a stylish dress watch as well as one that you could wear while relaxing.
