Michael B. Jordan’s 'Sinners' Watch Couldn't Be More Authentic
WatchesThe film’s prop master sourced the piece to add to the character's military backstory.By Ollie CoxMay 9, 2025Save this storySaveSave this storySaveWho knew Ryan Coogler's most successful film to date would be about gangsters and blues-loving vampires? Michael B. Jordan must have had an inkling when he signed up to play the lead in Sinners. The movie shines a light on themes like race and religion in the American South with a solid attention to detail that makes it highly rewatchableThe film is set in 1932. Jordan plays twins Smoke and Stack, who both fought in World War I before they came back to America and stole a venue in Clarksdale, Mississippi, from Al Capone. The finer details make the film so engaging, so it's perhaps not surprising at all to learn that there is significant meaning behind Smoke's military watch.For most of the film, he wears a vintage Elgin trench watch (but switched to a vintage watch with no identifiable name for the gorier later scenes). It’s a piece that perplexed Reddit watch nerds in the aftermath of the film. Some thought it was a Hamilton field watch, while others considered a Longines or Omega. But here's the back story from the man responsible for sourcing the Elgin piece.“When I read the script and got some of the back story from Ryan [Coogler] that the brothers were part of the 369th infantry, I wanted to give Smoke something that still ties them to WW1," says Sinners prop master Douglas Ware. "I didn't think Smoke would have that watch before he shipped off to France but something he acquired after being there a while. Maybe he arrived with chocolates or American cigarettes and traded with a French soldier. Maybe he won it in a card game or got some French soldiers out of a dangerous situation. To show their appreciation, someone gave him their watch. I wanted to give his watch some history to show how important it is to him.”Douglas Ware If we take Ware's backstory on board, an Elgin watch is a perfect fit. “Elgin was founded in 1864, primarily manufacturing pocket watches. By 1913, they were producing men's strap watches. However, it was still considered somewhat effeminate for men to be wearing a wristwatch rather than a pocket watch. That all changed with the advent of America joining the fighting,” says Leslie Fleischman, managing director of The Vintage Watch Room. “Towards the end of the war, Elgin produced three models, all named after the three principal Allied Generals; the Kitchener (UK), the Foch (France), and the Pershing (USA). These were open to public ownership after the armistice in 1919.”Smoke dresses more hardcore, in workwear-style tailoring, compared to his twin, who wears sharp Italian suits. And the trench watch is an outwardly visible signifier of his military roots and how his character will develop into a gun-slinging vampire killer. Weirdly, in a movie about blues-loving vampires, it helps add to a sense of reality.“Ryan [Coogler] wasn't too particular about what the watch looked like. He was more concerned with it being period-appropriate for the time. We showed him a few watches he was happy with. However, he deferred to MBJ and said to let him pick,” says Ware. “During a camera test, initially, Michael was happy with the first choice. However, when he put on his suit jacket, the sleeve would catch on the watch face and look a little sloppy. He didn't care for that. So the watch that made it into the movie was our second choice. It worked much better for Michael.”Douglas Ware Watches snagged on more than just shirt sleeves over the course of filming. 100-year-old military watches don’t work like modern-day G-Shocks, and things can go wrong. “The one he [Jordan] wears in the movie did actually work. Until he goes into the water to stab [spoiler alert] Remmick. We quickly found out it was not waterproof,” says Ware. But that’s actually more common than you might imagine. “Elgin watches were not really waterproof. During WW1 there were trench watches where the case was made by Francois Borgel, [and were] considered waterproof. But we’ve never seen a Borgel-cased Elgin,” says Fleischman.With a high-octane thriller like Sinners, having a watch that is grounded in reality is a constant, albeit subtle, reminder of Smoke’s past life and military credentials. Sure, it’s not a direct point of reference in the dialogue, but just like watches IRL, it is a poignant and present signifier to the world. In Smoke’s case, he is showing that he fought for his country, and is a capable guardian of those close to him, which comes in handy when shit goes down.This story originally appeared on British GQ.
Who knew Ryan Coogler's most successful film to date would be about gangsters and blues-loving vampires? Michael B. Jordan must have had an inkling when he signed up to play the lead in Sinners. The movie shines a light on themes like race and religion in the American South with a solid attention to detail that makes it highly rewatchable
The film is set in 1932. Jordan plays twins Smoke and Stack, who both fought in World War I before they came back to America and stole a venue in Clarksdale, Mississippi, from Al Capone. The finer details make the film so engaging, so it's perhaps not surprising at all to learn that there is significant meaning behind Smoke's military watch.
For most of the film, he wears a vintage Elgin trench watch (but switched to a vintage watch with no identifiable name for the gorier later scenes). It’s a piece that perplexed Reddit watch nerds in the aftermath of the film. Some thought it was a Hamilton field watch, while others considered a Longines or Omega. But here's the back story from the man responsible for sourcing the Elgin piece.
“When I read the script and got some of the back story from Ryan [Coogler] that the brothers were part of the 369th infantry, I wanted to give Smoke something that still ties them to WW1," says Sinners prop master Douglas Ware. "I didn't think Smoke would have that watch before he shipped off to France but something he acquired after being there a while. Maybe he arrived with chocolates or American cigarettes and traded with a French soldier. Maybe he won it in a card game or got some French soldiers out of a dangerous situation. To show their appreciation, someone gave him their watch. I wanted to give his watch some history to show how important it is to him.”
If we take Ware's backstory on board, an Elgin watch is a perfect fit. “Elgin was founded in 1864, primarily manufacturing pocket watches. By 1913, they were producing men's strap watches. However, it was still considered somewhat effeminate for men to be wearing a wristwatch rather than a pocket watch. That all changed with the advent of America joining the fighting,” says Leslie Fleischman, managing director of The Vintage Watch Room. “Towards the end of the war, Elgin produced three models, all named after the three principal Allied Generals; the Kitchener (UK), the Foch (France), and the Pershing (USA). These were open to public ownership after the armistice in 1919.”
Smoke dresses more hardcore, in workwear-style tailoring, compared to his twin, who wears sharp Italian suits. And the trench watch is an outwardly visible signifier of his military roots and how his character will develop into a gun-slinging vampire killer. Weirdly, in a movie about blues-loving vampires, it helps add to a sense of reality.
“Ryan [Coogler] wasn't too particular about what the watch looked like. He was more concerned with it being period-appropriate for the time. We showed him a few watches he was happy with. However, he deferred to MBJ and said to let him pick,” says Ware. “During a camera test, initially, Michael was happy with the first choice. However, when he put on his suit jacket, the sleeve would catch on the watch face and look a little sloppy. He didn't care for that. So the watch that made it into the movie was our second choice. It worked much better for Michael.”
Watches snagged on more than just shirt sleeves over the course of filming. 100-year-old military watches don’t work like modern-day G-Shocks, and things can go wrong. “The one he [Jordan] wears in the movie did actually work. Until he goes into the water to stab [spoiler alert] Remmick. We quickly found out it was not waterproof,” says Ware. But that’s actually more common than you might imagine. “Elgin watches were not really waterproof. During WW1 there were trench watches where the case was made by Francois Borgel, [and were] considered waterproof. But we’ve never seen a Borgel-cased Elgin,” says Fleischman.
With a high-octane thriller like Sinners, having a watch that is grounded in reality is a constant, albeit subtle, reminder of Smoke’s past life and military credentials. Sure, it’s not a direct point of reference in the dialogue, but just like watches IRL, it is a poignant and present signifier to the world. In Smoke’s case, he is showing that he fought for his country, and is a capable guardian of those close to him, which comes in handy when shit goes down.
This story originally appeared on British GQ.
