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Right now, Chris Hemsworth is living his best watch life Right now, Chris Hemsworth is living his best watch life

Right now, Chris Hemsworth is living his best watch life

D.C. Hannay

“Freedom. After many ages in shackles, however golden those shackles  may be, I have tasted the sweet, honeyed mead of liberation. And as sure as I am Odin’s son, I vow to never allow myself to be bound by such restraints again, though they may have a rich heritage, and are super-comfortable and attractive in the metal.”

Yeah, Thor never said any of that. But the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s resident man-god must be feeling a certain sense of freedom, now that his TAG Heuer brand ambassadorship has ended. Maybe not quite this free, but you get the idea: 

I’m sure being an ambassador for a prestigious watch brand has many perks, including bottomless free watches, access to A-list events, and oxcarts of cash. But for human action figure and favourite son of Oz, Chris Hemsworth, that’s over now, and the God of Thunder has been showing out in public lately with heretofore-unseen wristwatches at the same rate that Charles Bukowski went through boilermakers on a two-week bender. 

 

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A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth)

The first clue that there might be a chink in Thor’s sponsorhip armour came last February, when Chris sported a banging pink-gold AP Royal Oak chrono with an evil panda dial, like this model: 

Chris Hemsworth is living his best watch life

The deep blue tapisserie dial with contrasting gold subdials is absolute horological devastation, and similar Royal Oaks trade for well into six figures. The retro vibe is perfect for an ‘80s-themed party, but maybe not the best look for a high-profile ambassador who was then attached to a different brand. I’m guessing it was an oversight. Regardless of the possible fallout from that social media post, now that the partnership has concluded, Hemsworth seems perfectly content sowing his horological oats. 

Here’s Santa Chris at the gym, limbering up preflight for his Christmas Eve workout, resplendent in holiday-themed filter, and accessorizing with an Apple Watch on a snow-white band. 

 

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A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth)

We certainly don’t begrudge anyone wearing a smartwatch for Arm Day, especially when they’re going to be driving a team of flying reindeer, but Chris has gone decidedly upmarket ever since.

Hemsworth was his lovely wife Elsa’s plus-one last month for the premiere of her film Interceptor, and besides being suited and booted in Hugo Boss, Chris had a razor-sharp timepiece peeking out from under his well-turned cuff: The uber-hot Bulgari Octo Finissimo.

 

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A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth)

This is no ordinary Octo, but the technical tour de force that is the sandblasted rose-gold skeleton variant. 

Chris Hemsworth is living his best watch life

This mechanical wonder squeezes a manual-winding skeletonized in-house movement (with small seconds and power reserve dials, as well as a display back) into a hyper-thin 5.15mm case. This one comes on a black alligator strap, which lets the angular rose gold case really pop. A great timepiece choice for his tailored-yet-relaxed open-collar look.

And just this week, Chris has ratcheted up his wrist game yet again, this time at the Sydney premiere of his latest Netflix film, Spiderhead

 

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A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth)

This time, Hemsworth has gone all blues, including the ice blue dial of his 40mm platinum Rolex Day-Date. As if this watch wasn’t extra enough, his has a diamond-set bezel, similar to this one:

Chris Hemsworth is living his best watch life

It looks as if the stones on Chris’ watch are round-cut instead of baguettes, but either way, it’s a bold look without descending into the overdone territory that some jewelled watches wander into. Price is “on request” dollars, so a god-like bank account is advised.

Does this mean Thor will never go into battle under the flag of another watch brand? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s nice to see his personal taste come out into the spotlight. Chris certainly has the wrist to flex whatever big and bold timepiece suits him, so it’ll be interesting to see what he wears next.