HBO’s Succession to end with upcoming season 4. Here are past horological highlights

Zach Blass

Yesterday, Jessie Armstrong, creator and showrunner of HBO’s hit television series Succession, revealed that season 4 would be the show’s last. He told The New Yorker he remains conflicted about the decision – and we devout viewers are certainly conflicted with whether or not we are ready for the show to end as well. But, ultimately closing out the Succession saga, rather than draw it out to the point it becomes stale, is probably for the best and an admirable move from Armstrong. And, who knows. In this era of expanded universes and reboots never say never to a spinoff.

 

 

For those less familiar, the show revolves around an ageing media titan Logan Roy (Brian Cox) – a parallel of sorts to Rupert Murdoch – whose children are competing to replace him at the helm of his international conglomerate. The billionaire and his warring family all indulge in some heavy-hitting timepieces and watch enthusiasts have been eager to identify all of the pieces that make cameos. Usually with such a popular show there would already be a comprehensive guide to all of the characters’ watches. But the truth is not everyone in the show makes it easy to spot what they have on, leading to inference and best guesses on forums such as Reddit. Here we have assembled the definitive spots of the show so far, and we will be sure to update this list as season 4 airs beginning March 26.

Kendall Roy: Vacheron Constantin & Patek Philippe among others

Kendall Roy may be troubled, insecure and have a major coke habit but, in my opinion, he also has the best watch collection on the show. Early in the show, he shows clear favouritism for Vacheron Constantin – a great brand to wear if you want to distinguish yourself and exude an air of power. With the motto “one of not many” perhaps it is not a stretch to say Kendall wears their pieces to convey he is someone who is not replaceable, an important point to make considering the show is filled with Game of Thrones moments as Logan’s children scheme to try and take their own place on the Iron Throne of the new conglomerate.

This first Vacheron pictured above during Kendall’s excruciatingly misguided rap, is the 260-piece limited edition Harmony Mono-Pusher Chronograph, with the manually wound in-house calibre 3300. Its 42mm cushion squared case oozes classic luxury, a design inspired by an archival piece from 1928, and a rather rare flex for any owner who straps it on. As it stands, this watch is no longer on Vacheron Constantin’s website so you’ll have to search for this piece second-hand if you are looking to add it to your collection.

The next Vacheron Constantin is Kendall’s Traditionnelle World Time, another watch which has unfortunately disappeared from Vacheron’s online catalogue. The 43.5mm white gold case exhibits a classic world time dial, a fitting complication for someone who plays a large role in a global news conglomerate. With this piece Kendall can keep track of time across the globe, and do so in style.

Then there’s this watch that needs no introduction – of course, someone from this powerhouse family has to have the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A in their collection. The watch peers out from his sleeve as he hugs his two children. Its iconic profile is easily discernible, and unless there is a sub-dial out of view here it is safe to assume the character is wearing the 10-year wait-listed time and date configuration of the watch.

Siobhan “Shiv” Roy: Cartier Panthère

Siobhan, a.k.a. Shiv, is a cut-throat character who clearly “wears the pants” in her relationship with Tom. As someone who means business, it makes sense she wears something elegant and reliable: the Cartier Panthère. She wears it in both yellow and white metal, switching between both throughout Succession episodes. The quartz-driven watch is a no-nonsense symbol of status and power, a perfect match for Shiv’s persona.

Tom Wambsgans: Cartier Santos & Panerai Luminor

Tom follows his Siobhan’s suit – they’re a clear Cartier couple for the majority of the show. While Tom allegedly had a fake Carte Ballon Bleu on in earlier seasons, for Season Three he receives an on-screen upgrade with the latest Cartier Santos strapped to his wrist in the trailer. With the unfavourable angle, it is unclear which dial variant it is, or if its the medium versus large, but it appears to be entirely stainless steel.

It is a phenomenal choice, as the Cartier Santos has never been better with its modern 100 metres of water resistance and quick change straps and links. Yes, you read that right, the links of the Santos bracelet can actually be added or removed with only your finger necessary to perform the operation.

Tom’s obsequious nature was famously established in an early scene where he repeatedly tries to present a Patek Philippe watch as a birthday gift to Logan. “Its incredibly accurate,” Tom tells Logan when he finally hands it over. “Every time you look at it it tells you exactly how rich you are.” As Tom moves to open the box, the camera does not reveal which Patek is inside, but the Panerai Luminor on his own wrist is visible. Based on how it does not dwarf his wrist by any means, it may be safe to say that the aforementioned Cartier is the large configuration – which means it could have either the white or blue dial. Hopefully this becomes clearer as Season 3 airs.

Roman Roy: a trusted Rolex Datejust

Roman, while ostensibly the boldest and most deviant character in the show, opts for a relatively basic watch. I am all for the choice, as I have never met a wrist a Datejust would not flatter. While his excessive behaviour would have you think he was more a fluted bezel and Jubilee bracelet guy, Roman actually wears a smooth bezel and Oyster bracelet configuration. It also speaks volumes that the character wears a silver dial Datejust, perhaps signalling he is less audacious deep down than his fronting personality suggests.

Cousin Greg: A hysterical Rolex Submariner moment

Succession has almost zero characters with redeeming qualities. For the most part the Roy family and those in their orbit are complete assholes. Each scene may as well be set in a garden in Westeros, the veiled take on the Murdoch family revealing endless backstabbing, traded insults, and nothing that resembles conventional family love. One character, however, that is somewhat loveable is the painfully naïve, impressionable, and desperate-for-approval cousin Greg.

Greg may as well be a punching bag given how he’s constantly tricked and used by his family to their own ends. He’s a pawn in their never-ending schemes. In season three, Greg finds himself caught between Team Logan and Team Kendall, each intimidating him to do their bidding. In this past week’s episode Greg is led to believe Kendall appreciates his loyalty, so much so that he will buy him a watch as a token of his gratitude. While in a limousine after a gala event, Greg proceeds to ask for Kendall’s blessing to pull the trigger on a “very expensive” Rolex – which appears to be a Submariner. But never trust a word these characters say.

While Kendall continually insinuates he will take care of the watch, eventually we see Greg’s gift dreams crash and burn (again). While Kendall exclaims: “Yeah, fuck it, fuck it you deserve it” when Greg asks for the “green light”, later at the afterparty when he tries to ask for Kendall’s credit card, his cousin proceeds to berate him – jesting why would Greg think he is buying him a watch, he was merely hooking him up with a connect.

Even more confounding than Kendall’s bi-polar attitude is the fact that this dealer was asking for $40,000 for this watch. Assuming it is, in fact, a Submariner, which appeared to have a black dial and bezel, that is of course a total rip-off. Black-dial Submariners should not cost over $15,000 USD, even on the secondary market, a classic example of why you “buy the seller, not the watch”. The clasp certainly confirms it was modern, the watch (or prop) utilising a Glidelock style clasp, so the scene was yet another moment where Greg was being taken for a ride.

This was confirmed when Greg actually buys the watch for himself out of peer pressure, only to later reveal in another scene that the watch does not even work! Greg jokes he is the humble custodian of a watch that will often need to go back to Switzerland for six months.

I mean Rollie moly, what a shitshow. Moral of the story, cousin Greg: run away from your asshole family! Rolex buyers around the world: buy the seller, and definitely check the watch to see if it even runs.