Armed with a Carrera Three Hands in his new film, the super-assassin becomes the target, setting off a global manhunt
In partnership with TAG HEUER
Words by THE C MAGAZINE EDITORS
Timing is everything for a reckless off-the-books former CIA operative who uncovers dark agency secrets, becomes a target and sets off an international chase. Ryan Gosling, playing the stealth freelance mercenary Court Gentry also known as Sierra Six, is on the run through a host of international cities clad in tracksuits, leather jackets, even—at times—barefoot, in Netflix’s The Gray Man (in cinemas July 15, streaming globally July 22). But one item in his arsenal never changes: the Tag Heuer on his wrist. His Carrera Three Hands design, with its steel case and band created for high-speed pursuits on the racetrack, also proves to be the ideal minimalist ticker for a global action spectacle. For a spy who keeps to the shadows, the most readable chronograph face is an imperative. And Gosling, who is also a brand ambassador for the Swiss house, naturally finds his onscreen character sporting the most elegant watch in its portfolio.
The film, also starring Chris Evans as Gosling’s psychopathic adversary (sporting what Gentry calls a “trash ’stache”), Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Wagner Moura and Alfre Woodard, is based on Mark Greaney’s first novel and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Infinity War). On screen, Gosling’s Gray Man, who no longer operates amid a world of black and white absolutes, finds himself on his own, forced to conceal his identity and fight for survival against the covert forces he was once allied with. As he battles to stay alive, Gentry relies on his training, making precise moves to stay a step ahead of his equally adept pursuers. Just as auto racers time their moves at a glance under pressure, Gosling’s hitman on the run gauges his next steps using the sort of split-second calculations Jack Heuer needed to make to win a 1958 Swiss car rally. Heuer’s inability to correctly read a dashboard timer (leading to a third-place finish), and his admiration for the modernist innovations of Le Corbusier and the Eameses, led to the creation of the radically clear dial on the Carrera, launched in 1963. Nearly 60 years later, the uncluttered design remains the ideal timepiece for a spy with a thoroughly pared-back lifestyle who relies on his training, drive and extrasensory perception to stay alive.
July 13, 2022
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