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Chris Pratt has put together the perfect action-hero watch collection—and he’s learned how from one of the very best to ever do it. The 43-year-old actor got his first nice watch about a decade ago, at the behest of his stylist, who helped usher him from Parks and Recreation’s lovable schlub Andy Dwyer to ripped Marvel hero in Guardians of the Galaxy. Befitting his new action-star beef, Pratt found himself attracted to Panerai, the brand beloved by Sylvester Stallone and his now father-in-law Arnold Schwarzanegger.
“I've worn the watch and he is like, ‘Whoa, Panerai! It's a beautiful watch, Chris,’” Pratt tells me. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, thanks, Arnold.’” Pratt also assumes that the watch his wife Katherine gave him on his wedding day—a Rolex Daytona—had a lot to do with The Governator’s influence, too. The rest of Pratt’s collection, roughly 13 pieces in total, is filled out with watches he’s swiped from sets: G-Shocks from his time as Owen Grady in the Jurassic World trilogy and a Suunto he wore as a Navy SEAL in Zero Dark Thirty.
The night we chatted, Pratt added another watch to his collection. He was on site at the opening of Panerai’s massive new flagship store in New York City, and he walked away with a timepiece as part of the celebration. The piece is a brand-new Luminor BiTempo New York Edition. The watch won’t be available until later this year, but Pratt got to trot around with a prototype. I chatted with Pratt about his love for Panerai and the rest of his deeply personal watch collection.
GQ: Tell me about starting your own collection and getting into watches as a hobby.
Chris Pratt: Well, it was around the time that I hired my stylist, Annie [Psaltiras], which is now 10 years ago. Before that, I was really the cargo shorts and Cabella's T-shirt guy. I remember it was around mid Parks and Rec, probably around the first Guardians [of the Galaxy]. I got a Panerai and Aziz Ansari actually noticed it. He was like, "Hey man, is that a Panerai? You into watches?" He was the guy who knew all about pocket squares and fashion, just like his character Tom, and I just thought that it felt really good to be recognized for my accessory. So that began my hobby of collecting watches. Over the years, I've continued to add to it, and I end up wearing Panerai a lot on nice occasions—like on date nights, or when I'm doing red carpets or other dressy events.
When you got that first watch, what drew you to Panerai initially?
Well, I think the thing is that I'm a bigger person. I have larger-than-average hands and larger-than-average wrists. And we were putting various watches on and a lot of times they felt a little too small and they didn't fit. It was like that Chris Farley “fat guy little coat” bit. So the proportions were right. When I put on the Panerai, I was like, "Oh, this feels nice." It's heavy. It's also not too flashy.
Were you familiar with the brand's history as the ‘90s action star watch of choice for guys like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger? Was that a history that resonated with you, especially as you were going into Guardians?
It’s a history that's serendipitous now, given that my father-in-law is Arnold. I've worn the watch and he is like, "Whoa, Panerai! It's a beautiful watch, Chris." I was like, "Oh my God, thanks, Arnold."
At the time, I was probably more drawn to the fact that it was designed for the Italian Navy and that it was fully mechanical. There's something special about that as a throwback—to have a timepiece on your wrist that's really about appreciation for the craftsmanship—that I think caught me off guard a little bit. I really love that it’s something you wind. In this world of digital, it feels like a throwback to have a timepiece that isn't something you plug in at night. You have to wind it. It's nice.
What was the first nice Panerai you bought?
The first nice watch I got was a Panerai Luminor. It's silver with a brown strap. After that, I was interested in getting something that was a little more dressy that I could wear with a black suit. I ended up getting this gold Luminor Panerai with a black strap—I think it's alligator—and it's really classy. And then recently I've gotten this limited-edition New York Luminor BiTempo. It has the Brooklyn Bridge engraved on the back and it's one of 212 made. It's pretty incredible. So that's the newest that I've added to my collection.
I want to talk about some other significant pieces in your collection. Do you remember which watch you wore on your wedding day?
It was actually a Rolex that was gifted to me by my wife, Katherine. That's the Daytona with the white and ceramic. She added that to my collection.
Do you know why your wife chose that Rolex for your wedding day?
I don't know why she chose that particular one. I assume she probably knew that I had a few Panerai in my collection already and she wanted to maybe allow me to diversify my watch portfolio—if I might say the douchiest thing I've ever said in my life. And my guess is she talked to her dad. I know her father's a big watch collector and her brothers are as well. So that one, from what I've come to understand, is a really coveted watch. And so it’s very special. It's engraved.
Can I ask what the engraving is?
It says, “You're mine, bitch.”
[Laughs] Does it really?
No, I'm just kidding.
What other important watches are in your collection?
It is a little silly, it's not an elegant, beautiful watch. But I wore a Suunto, which is a Navy SEAL timepiece, on Zero Dark Thirty. I actually stole that from set and brought that home with me.
What was it about the watch on Zero Dark Thirty that you liked?
It’s a little bit more of a smartwatch. It was something that had more capabilities than just telling time. It was not an accessory for fashion but an actual weapon, a tool that would be used by a warrior. I really loved that. There's something special about that, and it felt authentic, too. I don't know if it was the SEALs who actually used the Suunto watches, but that was the one that we wore in the movie. So there was that sentimentality as well.
I was looking for a couple of things to take home with me that would remind me of that experience of making that movie. And so probably the sentimentality and the functionality and the idea that a watch would be something that a warrior would use to do more than just tell time. I think it has some GPS capabilities, has various time zone capabilities, it’s long lasting, can go underwater, can take a shit load of damage. Really a cool, tactical weapon.
Do you have any other watches like that from movies you’ve done?
I also have a Casio G-Shock that I told them that I wanted to wear for Jurassic World, because they were talking about putting a timepiece on me for the movie and had a few different really beautiful options. I was like, "This is a guy who lives in a trailer on a beach and does research work and is a former Navy SEAL. I don't think he's rocking something that's really expensive." So I got this Casio G-Shock and I wore it through all three movies.
And you stole that one from set as well?
Yep. I've got three Casio G-Shocks, one from each of the Jurassic movies.
You talked about the sentimentality you feel toward your watches. Do you feel like most of your collection is guided by that idea, of watches that are tied to these moments in your life or the work that you've done?
Yeah, it is. I do believe that. If I look through my watches, I think every watch that I have, I can remember the exact moment that I got it and the reason that I got it. I don't have a huge watch collection. I don't have hundreds of watches or anything like that. I think I have about maybe 12, 13 now, that I really love.
Each of them up to this point has meant something to me, whether it be a watch that I purchased for me and my executive producer team when we finished The Terminal List, or a watch that I wore on set, or a special occasion, or my first dive into a luxury item. One thing that's pretty neat with Panerai is they made a US Navy SEALs collection, and they're in their second year right now. Tat's pretty exciting to me.
For example, I was talking to Jean-Marc Pontroué, the CEO, and he was talking about this two day training program they do. And you can go and get your kicked by Navy Seals for two days and at the end of the two days you get a watch out of the deal. See now that's a watch that when you wear it's not just about telling time. It's about reminding yourself that you survived two days. So I think each of the movie watches that I have, it's the same kind of thing.
Which watches did you get for The Terminal List team?
They were similar to a watch that is worn by [Navy SEAL] Tom Reece in the books, which happens to be a silver Rolex. And on the back it says, "Long Live the Brotherhood."
