A few months back, we posted a House of Cards edition of Spot the Watch. Whist we covered many of the watches worn by Kevin Spacey’s character Frank Underwood, we received a comment asking if we were able to identify the watch worn by Tom Yates (played by Paul Sparks) in a scene in Season 4. An avid Deployant reader, Justin Chong (no relation to our Chief Editor), wrote in to spot that watch. This is Justin’s contribution.
Here is the shot where the watch was visible. The scene is very dark, and the photograph is the best video grab we could manage. The scene was in the Season 4 episode 10 about 15 minutes from the end of the episode, and Tom Yates (played by Paul Sparks) was seen holding Clair Underwood’s hand in the scene after her mother’s death.
Scene from House of Cards S10E4 showing the hands of Tom Yates and Clair Underwood. A very dark scene, but we spotted the watch.
After a little digging, we identified the watch as a Victorinox Infantry Chronograph, which is a highly polarising choice when compared to the many higher-end pieces (Rolex, IWC and Cartier) worn by the other characters in the show.
The watch: Victorinox Infantry Chronograph, now discontinued.
This modest Victorinox is a perfect pairing as it reflects the essence and background of Tom Yates’ character.
Although Tom Yates had risen to become a bestselling novel writer, he was initially born into poverty and prior to his successes, regularly faced financial struggles. A sub-$500 timepiece from Victorinox brings a modest charm to his character, making you feel that although he had hit success, he had never forgotten his roots or where he had come from.
This concludes this edition of Spot the Watch.
Editor’s note: Justin Chong joins Deployant as a contributor, and is based in Sydney, Australia. Professionally Justin works as a Design Consultant, partnering with large corporates to help them innovate and keep relevant in an ever increasing Digital Age. Through experiences gained in his professional life, he has become increasingly intrigued in understanding the stories behind an individual’s personal experience and how that becomes embedded in the identity of their timepiece.
1 Comment
No mention of Doug Stamper and his Breitling Navitimer.