A watch can tell us something about a person before they say a word. A slim case beneath a tailored cuff, a substantial chronograph beside a denim jacket, a well-worn piece kept long after its original strap has gone: each suggests a different relationship with style. Put that same watch on a cinema screen, and it can begin telling a story of its own.

I’m Roger Gingerich, a fashion and film broker with more than 40 years in the business. My career has taken me from running an agency to leadership roles on fashion boards, including work with Fashion Group International Toronto and the Commonwealth Fashion Council. Today, I am CEO of the Canadian International Fashion Film Festival, CANIFFF. Through our global events arm, Fashion Film, we have presented events in Miami, Singapore and Venice as well as here in Canada.

Working across fashion and film has made me attentive to the details that connect an image with an audience. Clothing establishes a silhouette; accessories make it personal. A watch occupies an especially interesting place because it combines design with purpose. We wear it against the skin, consult it throughout the day and sometimes keep it for a lifetime.

Style that outlasts a season

To my eye, watches never really go out of style. Proportions change, dial colours come and go, and bracelets give way to leather straps and back again. Yet the watch remains part of the fashion conversation because there are so many ways to make it your own.

A restrained dress watch can bring refinement to a simple outfit. A sports watch can introduce an unexpected contrast to tailoring. A vintage piece can lend character without asking the rest of the wardrobe to look backwards. The appeal is in the relationship between the watch and the wearer, rather than a rule about what belongs with what.

That leaves room for everyone. You do not need a collection of rare references to have a point of view. Your first watch, a family hand-me-down or an affordable design that caught your eye can be the beginning of an informed, deeply personal collection.

When the watch becomes part of the story

Cinema makes that personal connection visible. A costume detail can establish taste or temperament in a single shot. Occasionally, a watch becomes so closely tied to a character that audiences remember it alongside the performance. These three films show why.

Le Mans and the Heuer Monaco

In Le Mans (1971), Steve McQueen wears the Heuer Monaco, the square chronograph now associated with TAG Heuer. Its distinctive shape and blue dial stand out against his racing clothes. The watch belongs to the visual language of the driver: purposeful, confident and unmistakable.

What interests me is how little explanation it needs. The Monaco helps complete the character’s appearance, while McQueen gives the design a human presence. Decades later, the association remains powerful. It is an example of a watch becoming inseparable from an image of style.

GoldenEye and the Omega Seamaster

GoldenEye (1995) introduced Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond wearing an Omega Seamaster Professional. The film’s fictional version also serves as a gadget, with a cutting laser and remote detonator. It earns attention through what it does as well as how it looks.

For me, that makes it an effective piece of character design. Bond’s watch must look convincing in a world of tailoring and formal occasions while suggesting readiness for danger. The Seamaster connects those sides of his identity. An accessory becomes part of the performance, reinforcing the character whenever the camera finds his wrist.

Interstellar and the Hamilton Murph

In Interstellar (2014), a Hamilton watch becomes central to the relationship between Cooper and his daughter, Murph. Cooper uses its seconds hand to transmit crucial information in Morse code. The watch helps carry the story’s resolution, giving a familiar everyday object extraordinary emotional weight.

This is the example that most clearly shows how a watch can function almost as a character. It connects absence with memory and a father with his daughter. We care about the object because of what passes through it. Its importance comes from the story, not its price.

A conversation worth joining

That is why WatchDNA’s invitation resonates with me: “From collectors to curious minds, we’re building a global community of watch lovers.” Fashion and film give that community a shared language, whether someone arrives through design, craftsmanship, a favourite movie or a watch inherited from a parent.

Discovering trusted brands and authorized dealers is part of the journey. Discovering the stories behind every tick is what keeps the conversation going. Look closely at the next watch that catches your attention, on a wrist or on a screen. What does it tell you about the person wearing it? And what would it say about you?