The latest installment of the wildly popular video game series “Call of Duty” has watches on almost every character’s wrist. Being set in 1991 and with most characters being spies or black ops soldiers, it’s not surprising, but the attention to detail and variety of watches—from digital calculator models to more traditional field watches to some flashy yellow gold sport watches—stood out to me when I watched the trailer.
In addition to having grown up playing some early Call of Duty games, it’s about to be winter, a season when I spend considerably more time indoors. So I got the game when it came out a couple of weeks ago and spent some time killing zombies and mercenaries while trying to decipher the real watches that inspired the various characters’ choices.
Many a watch blog and social media post have been dedicated to the timepieces adorning famous actors’, musicians, athletes’, and and other celebrities’ wrists, especially in film and on TV. But it occurred to me that there’s far less interest among watch enthusiasts as to the choices in video games. As a millennial, a watch collector, and occasional video game player, I started paying more attention and tried to see what I could find on this. The answer is: not much.
This wasn’t hugely surprising given that movies and TV shows feature real watches you can go out and buy if you like what the piece looks like or what it says about a character. Video games, on the other hand, might require developers to pay for licensing from a watch brand when they can just make a largely non-functioning wrist accessory with no brand name or details.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous Call of Duty game allowed players to select their character’s wristwatch in multiplayer mode and it told the actual time based on your time zone.)
There’s no shortage of blogs, articles, and even entire websites devoted to determining exact references of the Rolexes and Omegas in each James Bond movie. Mike and Kaz of Two Broke Watch Snobs discussed the pause menu in the Nintendo64 installment of “GoldenEye 007,” which is set on Bond’s wristwatch. Someone on Etsy even made a replica of the watch seen in the game, which can be had for about $30 to $40, depending on the color case and bracelet you want. And in the 2000 video game “The World Is Not Enough,” based on the 1999 Bond film of the same name, your watch has laser beam and grappling hook features.
But beyond that, I can’t think of many video games that so prominently feature watches as either usable objects or even fashion accessories that make statements about the wearer. In fact, some quick browsing on the r/Watches subreddit reveals more questions about watches in Call of Duty than maybe any other video game that I was able to find.
But with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, I set out to examine the watches seen in the game, their real life inspiration (or real models that have similar design features), and what they might say about the characters. Forgive me if my model or reference identification isn’t 100% accurate; most of the watches clearly aren’t exact replicas or licensed designs and it’s hard to get good, close looks at some of them.
I did attempt to reach someone at Activision for a comment or interview, but as of publication time, they did not respond (something I’ve been told is common with those folks).
The only explicit use of a watch in the campaign that I recall is in the “High Rollers” mission – coincidentally, the one most akin to a James Bond movie, albeit with a flashier watch. In the mission, you go back and forth, controlling various characters inside and under a casino to stage a heist. When playing as CIA Officer Troy Marshall, you’re told to put a device on a slot machine. You then trigger a jackpot as a diversion using a receiver in your watch, a gold (or gold tone) chronograph on an oyster bracelet.
The closest watch I could think of in appearance is a gold Rolex Daytona, although, in the game, one of the subdials is at the top of the main dial while the logo – suspiciously similar to the game’s developer Treyarch – is near the 6 o’clock index.
Good luck getting a gold Daytona from a Rolex authorized dealer. They can be found on the used market, however, for anywhere between $30,000 and $150,000. In 1991, it would have doubtless been cheaper, but the ability to hack slot machines may have boosted its value while making it even less likely to “get the call.”
Whether, canonically, the watch is high-value or just intended to draw poker players’ eyes, it seemed a conscious choice for Marshall to wear a watch of that style to help him better assume the character of someone who belonged in that casino. Nonetheless, if you want to assume that character, too, but don’t have the monetary equivalent of a car lying around, there are some budget-friendly options.
For more affordable and easily attainable watches, the closest thing I could find from a reliable brand is the Tissot PR 100 Chronograph, with a quartz movement, retailing at $475. Another option, though with fewer design similarities could include the Timex Legacy Tonneau Chronograph.
Two missions later, in “Under the Radar,” Marshal is wearing a slightly anachronistic-looking digital watch that resembles some of the newer atomic G-Shocks, but using the Marshall skin in multiplayer has the gold chrono return to his wrist. In the earlier mission, “Most Wanted,” in Washington D.C., Marshall is wearing another black digital watch that resembles a newer Suunto Core or similar sport watch. At the same time, the brand dates back to the 1930s, models that look like the one seen on Marshall’s wrist in the game are closer to those made in the 2010s and 2020s.
Ahistoricism of the pieces aside, whether wearing a sub-$250 sport watch or a gold “Rolex” to blend in as a high roller at a casino, Marshall is always seen with the right watch for the mission. In one of Marshal’s multiplayer looks, that switches to a gold Submariner-style dive watch with a black dial and bezel insert.
Earlier in that same casino mission in the campaign, when you play as CIA Officer William “Case” Calderon, you can get a decent view of a field watch with the dial on the inside of Case’s left wrist. The watch and band – what looks like a leather NATO-style strap – are pretty nondescript, but the blue dial, Arabic numeral primary indices, smaller 24-hour indices, and a red or orange second hand limit real-world options considerably.
The closest real-world watch I could find was the Timex Expedition Scout TW4B14100. The only disparity could be the case color. The watch in the game appears to have a black case, but it could be stainless steel that just appears darker in the dimly lit canal tunnels.
For a similar but nicer option and with the black case but a black dial, Hamilton’s Khaki Field H69409930 for $645 or the H69439940 with a steel case and blue dial for $595.
Whatever the exact inspiration is, the watch appears to be a simple, relatively affordable field watch that offers Case a clear view of the time with a simple glance at his wrist, the dial turned in to help him get a quick look while he’s holding a submachine gun or in the prone position while limiting the possibility of a reflection or glare alerting nearby enemies.
Now, in multiplayer mode, there were a few more watch choices that made me really curious and encouraged me to think about them. Jackson Caine, Pantheon operative and antagonist, in one of his multiplayer outfits, dons what appears to be a dive watch with a wrist compass affixed to the strap and, maybe most interesting, a crown at the 2 o’clock position and helium release valve at 9 o’clock. Maybe the other way around?
Searches for watch cases with that design didn’t yield much, but I did discover several Vostok watches with crowns at 2 o’clock.
The wrist compass was also an interesting choice. It’s a shame it doesn’t work (trust me, I died several times running around in different directions to see if it would move, and it didn’t), but I appreciate that sort of attention to detail.
Maybe the most curious design choice is the dual watch on the multiplayer character Hasib Nazir’s default outfit. On his left wrist, an unidentifiable analog watch begs for attention; On his right wrist, however, sits a calculator watch so clearly modeled after the Casio CA53W-1 ($30 in 2024).
What I can’t determine, however, is the reason for the two. Wearing a watch on either wrist isn’t unheard of. In the first Gulf War, when this game is set, U.S. Army General H. Norman Schwarzkopf was photographed many times wearing a watch on each wrist – both Seikos, according to Watches of Espionage – one set to Saudi Arabia time and the other set to Eastern Standard Time.
Could that explain the former ISI agent’s second watch? Is one set to Pakistan Standard Time, where he’s from, while the other is set to local time? Does the digital watch serve as just a calculator? Is Nazir in cahoots with noted beet farmer and CA52W-1 fan Dwight Schrute? Regardless, it’s at least fun to be able to ask these questions while playing what’s otherwise a straightforward shoot ’em-up game.
These are just some of the timepieces that stood out to me when I started playing the game, but what was perhaps most notable was just how many characters wore watches in the first place, how diverse the various styles were, and the stories those watches told about those characters.
In a shadowy world of spies, double agents, black ops soldiers, and even zombies, watches can be essential tools used to coordinate attacks, anticipate timed explosives, and a variety of other tasks, especially when it’s 1991. But in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and real life 2024, they are primarily a fashion statement.
Do you have a favorite watch worn by a Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 character? Something about watches you’d like to see in updates or future games? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Austen Erblat
The son and grandson of watchmakers, Austen became interested in watches in high school, while working part-time at his father and grandfather’s shop in South Florida. After college and over a decade working in journalism, he developed a passion for watches, growing his collection from a G-Shock and a Seiko SKX173 to over a dozen watches. A sucker for simple and classic designs, dive watches, or the occasional unique dial, his collection is modest and budget-minded, save an Omega “Pre-Bond” Seamaster 200m his father gifted him. When he’s not working as a full-time journalist or playing drums in his band, he’s cuddling with his cat Sox or hiking the mountains of Colorado where he lives with his fiancé.
