Watching Movies Steve Martin Wears A Gold Piaget and John Candy Wears a Casio in 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles'

New York City, Two Days Before Thanksgiving.

I'll admit, it had been years since I last saw this one, but it will surely become seasonal viewing if for no other reason than the way it mixes horological intrigue with classic '80s humor. In fact, the film's stars (Steve Martin and John Candy) both consider this to be their favorite film they ever made. I can't blame them. As the movie's leading actors, they also wear the movie's leading watches: A battery-powered, digital Casio, and a high-brow, gold dress watch emblematic of the "greed is good '' decade.

If the above paragraph didn't give it away, I'm not sure what to tell you. Let's work backward. Today is Black Friday – the biggest shopping day of the year, where people line up in front of department stores near and far to get the sweet sweet deals on holiday gifts (I stay home). That means yesterday was Thanksgiving – the holiday at the center of Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Are you with me? That's why we're watching. 

The film follows Steve Martin's Neal Page, a big-shot marketing exec who needs to catch a flight from New York to Chicago to get back to his family for the holiday. A snowstorm, and all manner of hijinks, put a wrench in those plans. On this adventure, he meets traveling salesman, Del Griffith (played by Candy) and is forced to make the long journey home with him, braving regional airports, dingy hotels, and burnt-out cars in the process.

Hughes allegedly wrote this film in a cool three days, which is quite impressive given the way he nails the character development. Hughes teases out details about the two main characters throughout the film, best seen through the lens of the wristwatches on-screen. Martin's Page wears a Piaget Polo – what looks to be a reference 8273. This is the first Piaget we have featured here on Watching Movies, as it's not a watch we often see on the silver screen. What makes this watch so perfect is how representative it is of the times in which the film takes place. 

Martin's small but mighty 18k gold Piaget Polo has an unmistakable dial design with deco-inspired vertical pillars which stretch from the dial onto the case itself, and a very '80s lug integration into the strap, which also features gold on the ends below the case. Interestingly, this is a quartz-powered timepiece, which might explain why it's so thin. The watch, quite literally, opens the film with a great close-up, and also becomes a bartering tool, as Page uses it (with a bit of cash thrown in) to secure a bed in a roadside motel.

Candy's Griffith on the other hand wears a watch that couldn't be any further from a gold Piaget … aside from the battery inside. The shower curtain ring salesman wears a Casio A159W, a silver number on a matching bracelet that could very well be considered the quintessential Casio digital watch. Like the Piaget (ok the two watches might be a little similar), this piece comes in a tiny, 35mm case size, which is pretty hilarious when compared to Candy's size and general presence. But don't sleep on this one. 

Unlike the Piaget, the A159W is still in production today – a testament to its strong and simple design, but also to its popularity. It remains one of the quintessential entry-level timepieces and has a classy look that belies its price when worn on the bracelet as Candy's Griffith does in this film. Griffith wears his Casio almost the entire film, and it gets one of the most hilarious callouts in a very specific scene that I won't spoil yet. You'll have to wait for the "When We're Watching" for that one.

Getting back to John Hughes for a moment, I can't get over what a great pairing these watches are for their characters. Martin's Page, the workaholic marketing executive would absolutely need a gold watch to signpost to his colleagues that he means business. In the '80s, you had to be a little showier. And smaller watches were certainly in vogue at the time, so this particular 18k Piaget Polo feels so right for him and tells us everything we need to know about his character before he even opens his mouth. 

Then there's Candy's Griffith. He wanders around the country, motel-hopping with his oversized (and over-stickered) trunk. He's a humble salesman with a cheery demeanor. You can tell that he can't necessarily afford items of luxury but appreciates a watch that can get the job done. This classic Casio more than fits the bill.

Just after this opening title card fades from the screen, the film cuts from a shot of a tall New York City skyscraper. And what do we see next? An intense close-up of a wristwatch – the yellow gold Piaget Polo 8273 [00:00:43]. What's amazing about this scene, is that it's the set-up for the rest of the film. Page is checking the time on his watch, and then looking at his plane ticket to Chicago because he knows he's running late (there were no smartphones to reference for the time back then, folks). We immediately, as an audience, feel his anxiety as we watch his client look over marketing campaign materials in silence as Page waits, and waits, and waits. We can't help but keep thinking about the gold Piaget at this moment. A watch close-up to open a film? It doesn't get much better.

In a wristwatch scene for the ages, Page and Griffith are attempting to pay for a room in a motel when they realize they have no means to do so. A car explosion has burnt their credit cards to a literal crisp. First, Page makes a plea by telling the front desk manager, "I have $17 and a hell of a nice watch." He proceeds to place his gold Piaget on the sad pile of cash. Then it's Griffith's turn [01:09:26]. He approaches the desk, and says, "I've got two dollars … and a Casio." As he says it, he holds the Casio in front of the manager in a physically comedic way that only Candy could pull off. As the jangly bracelet dangles from his hands, we get a clear view of the watch in what finishes off an absolutely brilliant scene.

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles (starring Steve Martin, and John Candy) is written and directed by John Hughes, with props by Mike Blaze. It's available to rent on iTunes or Amazon.

Lead illustration, Andy Gottschalk