I’ll cut to the chase, here: I would happily chalk this watch up to a gag were it not so damn cool.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife watch — available exclusively on Mr. Porter from July 20th through September 6th, and afterward available directly from JLC — is a limited edition timepiece “specially adapted” for The King’s Man, the latest in the Kingman series. I didn’t make it through an entire airplane sitting of the first of these films — it was that bad — though I have to admit being somewhat of an amateur Anglophile, and it’s fun to watch British ensemble casts running around in Saville Row attire, fighting each other with umbrellas.
Jaeger-LecoultreBut I digress. The Knife Watch (I can’t be bothered to use the entire 13-syllable name) is part of The King’s Man “costume to collection,” meaning presumably a collection of attire featured in the film that one can actually purchase. (I’m going to go ahead and presume that Ralph Fiennes does something silly with this watch in the movie that you shouldn’t do in real life with it, but I’ll let whomever reviews movies these days tell me about it.)
As the latest film in the series is a WWI-era prequel, Jaeger-LeCoultre chose to draw upon their ultra-thin calibers in designing a watch that references a 1907 “couteau” (“knife”) pocket watch. And what a watch it is.
Jaeger-LecoultreFeaturing a svelte, 40mm pink gold case with a broad stepped bezel and a sapphire crystal, the Knife Watch’s profile clearly calls to mind a blade. A crown protected by a triangular “bow” positioned at 12 o’clock solidifies the pocket watch association, while an unadorned white dial with thin hour indices, an elegant chapter ring and slim blue leaf hands calls to mind classic 20th-century models.