The following article was produced in partnership with TAG Heuer.
Who doesn’t like a good spy story? Action, intrigue, violence, mindgames and international travel… The glamour and thrills of espionage have long captured our imaginations, with some of the best films of all time belonging to the spy genre.
The Gray Man is the latest spy thriller to wow moviegoers. Starring Ryan Gosling and featuring a star-studded cast including Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page and Billy Bob Thornton, it’s the most expensive film Netflix has ever made and one of the most exciting spy films in recent memory.
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, it revolves around Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six, the CIA’s most skilled black-ops mercenary. When Gentry (Gosling) accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, he goes from being the hunter to the hunted and is pursued around the world by psychopathic former colleague Lloyd Hansen (Evans) and international assassins.
It’s an action-packed thriller in the vein of The Bourne Identity and James Bond, but with a grittier, more realistic, more modern touch. Gentry doesn’t gallivant around in a tuxedo or have heaps of wacky gadgets at his disposal in The Gray Man: he’s only got his wits… And his TAG Heuer Carrera ‘3 Hands’.
Indeed, Gentry’s choice of watch really underlines a truth about real-world espionage. The reality is this: real spies don’t wear flashy watches. And that’s what makes The Gray Man – and the TAG Heuer Carrera ‘3 Hands’ – so different.
A real spy wouldn’t want to call attention to themselves or have anything that’s going to weigh them down. They need a watch that’s unobtrusive yet stylish enough to blend in with any outfit (or disguise) they might need to wear. Most importantly, they need something reliable and tough. Something that won’t crack under pressure.
That’s why the TAG Heuer Carrera ‘3 Hands’ is such a perfect watch, not only for The Gray Man but any sort of man.
First of all, it’s capable. Powered by TAG’s dependable Calibre 5 movement, it boasts 100m of water resistance and a 38-hour power reserve – perfect for men of action. A generous dashing of Super-LumiNova on the watch’s hands and hour indices make it easy to read even in complete darkness.
Secondly, it’s versatile. Its crisp, masculine looks are at once both sporty and dressy. Cosmopolitan would be a good way to describe it. The date window mounted at 6 o’clock is a nice touch – a bit out of the ordinary but still highly legible.
While it’s available on an alligator leather strap, the steel integrated bracelet is a real highlight. Incredibly sturdy yet remarkably thin, the angular design with its nicely-integrated deployant clasp stands out as a particularly nice bracelet to take on and off. It’s also available in a variety of dial finishes, but again, we’re a fan of Gentry’s silver dial model thanks to its versatility. It’s super clean.
TAG Heuer has always been a favourite brand of spies, both fictional and real, and it’s not hard to see why. Robust yet dapper, avant-garde yet timeless, they’re the very definition of savoir-faire. They’re just the sort of thing a spy needs in his arsenal – although TAG Heuer’s watches are just as handy for less high-stakes missions, too…
Check out the TAG Heuer Carrera ‘3 Hands’ as worn by Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man – as well as the rest of the TAG Heuer Carrera range – here.