The Watches Worn In ‘Heat’ Were Peak 90s Cool

This week, Michael Mann’s genre-defining Heat – one of the greatest films in modern cinema – celebrated its 30th anniversary.

To this day, there’s still a lot to love about the thriller, set against the noir-drenched aesthetic of Los Angeles, and bolstered by multiple powerhouse performances – ranging from the headlining duo of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to the supporting players like the late Val Kilmer and Ashley Judd. But what we can’t seem to move past is the costuming.

Like every other detail about Heat, the selection of watches featured onscreen was as curated, considered, and emblematic as any other element of Mann’s mise-en-scène (and screenwriting). Check them out below.

RELATED: Did You Know ‘Heat’ Is Based On A True Story?

Al Pacino (Lt. Vincent Hanna) – Bulgari Diagono Chronograph

Back in the 1990s, Bulgari was far from the watchmaking powerhouse we know it is today. During Heat’s initial theatrical run, the brand focused almost exclusively on fine jewellery.

In this context, the appearance of a Bulgari Diagono Chronograph on the wrist of Lt. Vincent Hanna (portrayed by Al Pacino) is somewhat surprising – not only because it would’ve been a pricy purchase on a lawman’s salary, but as mentioned earlier, Bulgari wasn’t exactly a household name at the time.

However unlikely it might’ve been, there’s something effortlessly powerful about its presence on his wrist: perfectly capturing the era’s bold, sculptural designs while also adding a touch of Italian-born bling to his wrist. Powered by a quartz movement and paired with an integrated leather strap – the watch was also made with a steel bracelet – Heat is a big reason why the Bulgari Diagono is now talked about.

Robert De Niro (Neil McCauley) – Timex Indiglo Stealth Digital Chronograph

While pillars of crime-drama culture like HBO’s The Sopranos have taught us that gangsters love wearing gaudy, gold watches, professional thief Neil McCauley (portrayed by Robert De Niro) preferred to fly under the radar.

Rather than rocking an eye-catching Rolex Day-Date like Tony Soprano and consequently attracting the wrong kind of attention, he chose a very low-key Timex Stealth digital watch that actually looks a treat when paired with his classic-cut Armani suits.

Accurate, anonymous, and perfect for timing police response times, it’s got all the functions you’d expect to find on a digital watch from the mid-90s: the day, date, second timezone, stopwatch, Indiglo display light, alarm, 100 meres of water resistance, and more.

Val Kilmer (Chris Shiherlis) – Bulgari Diagono Scuba & Polar Accurex II

In most of the information out there about the best watches from Heat, the focus is almost entirely on the Bulgari and the Timex worn by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, respectively. But Val Kilmer shouldn’t be forgotten, either.

Though not as prominently visible as the film’s other watches, McCauley’s criminal associate Chris Shiherlis also wore a Bulgari Diagono. Instead of the quartz chronograph, however, he rocked the Scuba version of the watch. Specifically, what appears to be the two-tone version of the watch – on either an integrated leather or rubber strap – elevating the otherwise rugged dive watch.

Spotting a single Bulgari watch on the wrist of an A-list actor in the 1990s was pretty unlikely; catching a glimpse of two in Heat is evidence that either someone in the props department simply loved the brand… or the far more likely possibility that they were specifically chosen for their alternative edge.

In addition to the Bulgari, during the iconic (and eargasmic) shootout scene, Kilmer’s Shiherlis also wore what looks to be a Polar Accurex II heart rate monitoring watch.

It’s worth remembering that in the mid-90s, heart rate measuring devices were pretty uncommon and were almost exclusively the domain of serious athletes, making this another extremely interesting watch to spot in Heat.