Dropping a buzz cut in the week of the announcement doesn’t feel very corporate final boss but there is already one thing Butler and Bateman have in common – an appetite for watches. Like at the San Francisco International Film Festival, the actor wore perfect replica Breitling Chronomat Automatic 40. Wearing an all-purpose sports watch with black tie is one way to wind up rule-abiding purists, but it’s actually an interesting choice.
The Chronomat is a fusion of Breitling’s heritage, merging its aviation roots, with its land and sea universes. It’s got a dual time zone display and its 24 hour scale lets the wearer know whether it is day or night, nodding to Breitling’s flying roots. Water resistant up to 200m, it’s ready for anything you can chuck at it, on or off land. And given the actor has worn UK best fake Breitling watches in the past it’s clear he’s got a bit of a thing for them.
Back in August he rocked the understated Swiss made replica Breitling Chronomat B01 42 for a low-key airport fit and a true flyboy flex. As far as Breitling go, this one flies below the radar compared to more popular models like the Navitimer and Superocean divers. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Butler going for a lesser worn model, given his sharp off-duty fits which usually feature rare workwear and trucker caps. It’s a watch that can do a lot but doesn’t like to shout about it.
But is it the kind of ticker a Wall Street psychopath would wear? We’re not sure. In the 2000 movie, Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman went full yuppie with a two Seiko SNXJ90 (as close to a two tone Datejust the props department could get, given Rolex weren’t too keen with a killer wearing one of its most popular tickers). And a stainless steel sports UK luxury copy watches with a black dial doesn’t have the bling that we associate with Bateman’s upper-class Big Apple antics.
Aside from sporty cheap super clone Breitling, Butler has rocked some mighty fine Cartier Tanks on the red carpet too. Again these are sexy tickers that can hold their own in serious horological circles, but when it comes to corporate kettles, we don’t know if dainty dress watches would fare well among the ferocious bling-hungry sharks of the ’80s.
With no release date announced, it’s going to be a while before we see Austin Butler as Patrick Bateman. But given Guadagnino’s track record for working with some of the best in the game when it comes to costumes (he worked with Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson for Queer), it’s probably going to be a banger.