Month: December 2018

I am wondering if you heard the news that Crazy Rich Asians is coming to a screen near you. The film adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling book series has received high praise since its premiere, the most important thing is that the way it’s challenging stereotypes of how Asians are better shown in most part of Hollywood films.
The film keeps eyes on a young Asian-American couple making the journey back to Singapore to meet the family. Actually, the plot twists when the woman traveling to meet her boyfriend’s family finds out they are one of the wealthiest in Singapore.
Filmmaking aside, Crazy Rich Asians caught our attention for another reason: its props, which is a very specific prop in details. Before we dive into the detail, it’s crucial to note that Kwan had a very deliberate hand in deciding the props for the film. We recently got word that Kwan insisted on using a specific fake Rolex ‘Paul Newman Daytona’ for a special scene in the film. 
The scene includes Astrid, one of the more affluent, charming, and elegant features in the book, gifting her husband a watch. “He asked me, ‘Would Astrid really give her husband this replica watch?’ And I said no, absolutely not,” says Kwan. “She would get him a Paul Newman Rolex Daytona from the 1960s, therefore we went on the hunt and found the right collector with that exact watch.
Adding to the buzz, the character receiving the watch, Pierre Png, was even recently quoted in Forbes, stating that aside from meeting Kwan, wearing the Paul Newman Daytona was a highlight of filming.
So, to answer the question everyone’s thinking: yes, the amazing replica watch is authentic! The influence of prop masters in Hollywood is well documented, and it’s common practice to use replicas and homage pieces. After all, the risk of damage or theft on a major motion picture is presumably quite high.
But how did such a specific, valuable, and arguably rare watch find its way into this film? Well, it turns out a familiar face helped source the watch — Eric Wind, of Wind Vintage and friend of Kevin Kwan, located the Panda Dial Paul Newman Daytona, reference 6263, in a matter of hours.
From all accounts, substantial work was involved to ensure the fake watch included was not only authentic and high quality but protected. However, it’s refreshing to see a legitimate watch used outside of a branded deal or sponsorship. In the greater scheme of the film, it may seem like a small, trivial detail, but the details like these that fake watch collectors prefer to find.