Fashion serves very important functions in the world of Mad Men. Whether it is the dashing suits and jackets worn by the up-and-coming business men of the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency or the 60s mod dresses of their distinguished female colleagues, each outfit and each choice of style and accessory serves a deeper symbolic purpose. Betty Draper’s light-colored, modest dresses highlight her cold and held-back personality, while young Pete Campbell’s colorful accessories and patterned suits are a conscious attempt to distinguish himself from the older, more experienced and successful men he works with. In a high-class world where every move one makes is scrutinized both publicly and privately, the fashionable characters of Mad Men must carefully style and accessorize themselves head to toe.
To this extent, wrist watches are a classic accessory that show style, class, and a high-end knowledge of what luxury is. Wrist watches came into mainstream popularity in the mid-1950s, so during the era of Mad Men, they would have been experiencing their heyday of popularity. It is no surprise, then, that such timepieces play the role of attention-catching accent pieces in many of the characters’ fashion ensembles. A well-purchased wrist watch can make or break one’s status in the eyes of those he or she meets. An otherwise well-dressed, dapper young man could look like a fool, or worse, a cheap poser trying to fake his way up through society, if he wears an inexpensive watch. On the other hand, a more casually-dressed man may wear a luxurious brand of wrist watch, letting all those he meets know that yes, he has wealth, but he prefers not to flaunt it. Such seemingly small fashion strategies can go a long way in the climb up the social ladder.
Main character Don Draper, suave ad executive of the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency, is the classic, put-together 60s style icon. He exudes cool confidence with his fashion choices, from his varieties of well-fitted suits and shirts, to his classy accessories. A signature item always spotted on his person is his wristwatch. Although the exact style changes as the series goes forward, he is never seen without a classic, luxury brand wristwatch. A few notable watches he’s worn include a round-faced Omega in the first season, the French-made Elgin Galaxie, a rectangular-faced gold Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso later in season two, and a Rolex Explorer in season 4.
Most notable is Draper’s upgrade from a silver watch to the gold Reverso in the second season, after his promotion within the agency. The Reverso is one of the most well-known luxury watches in the world, and the upgrade signifies Don’s new status in the world of business. It’s rectangular shape is unique but elegant – a smaller model than the larger, round Omega, but in the same measure, less outwardly ostentatious. It is not an overt display of wealth and status, but rather a signifier for those “in-the-know”, as it were. It is low-key and classy, with a 1930s-inspired Art Deco design, a call-back to an era of sleek class and sophistication, reflecting Draper’s own character traits.
January Jones, playing Don’s wife Betty, receives a gift from him in the form of a quartz Benrus wristwatch in gold. While elegant and reflecting her classy and cool style, it is also fairly inexpensive compared to other choices Don could have made for Betty. Perhaps this is some insight into his character and/or his relationship with his wife, which many viewers know takes a downhill turn.
Ken Cosgrove is an account executive at Sterling Cooper and is one of the most approachable and relaxed characters in the company. His fashion choices are non-threatening, matching his flirty and nice-guy persona. He is a younger businessman trying to work his way up the food chain alongside his fellow young account exec, Pete Campbell. In one episode of the series, Cosgrove animatedly brags about his new Hamilton Electric wristwatch, a telling tidbit about his persona. The Hamilton Electric was one of the first battery-powered watches made in the late 50s, and complete with a futuristic design reflecting the era’s space-age aspirations, the Hamilton Electric is a perfectly suitable watch for one such as Cosgrove, who is trying to make his way in the modernizing business world with new, up-to-date fashions that he is all too excited to show off.
Sal Romano is the art director at Sterling Cooper, and the show’s only notable gay character. He is known for being the more flamboyant dresser in the office. He often wears unmatched suits, with patterned and textured waistcoats which would be difficult to get away with in the SC business setting if he were not the company’s art director (in other words, he is allowed to be a colorful dresser!). Romano is a complicated character who faces many trials through the course of the show, involving not only being a closeted gay man married to a female childhood friend, but also facing the datedness and growing unpopularity of his art style of choice. Despite his many eccentricities and an otherwise creative dress style, his choice of timepiece is classic, refined, and professional. The Rolex Datejust was the first watch to display the date through a clear aperture on the dial and was known as a safe and unassuming choice of timepiece, but simultaneously denoted professionalism, elegance, and respect.
Classic Luxury Watches Featured in Mad Men
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