Every watch lover enjoys a classic film for reasons that aren’t so clear to the average person: the chance to get a peek at the timepieces that sat on the wrists of history’s great heroes and characters.

A watch is like a time capsule that transports us back to a moment long lost to time; whether it’s the first moon landing, a legendary race, or a defining moment in film. And so, even though to the average person a moment in history may be long gone, to watch lovers, it’s well and truly here if the watch is still around.

Join us as we discover four such watches that are among the most important to ever hit the big screen.

Marty McFly’s Casio CA-53W

What’s so notable about the Casio calculator watch from 1985, famously worn by Marty McFly in Back To The Future, is that it’s one of the raddest but lowest cost watches on our list.

Featuring an 8-digital calculator, calendar, alarm, and a 1/100 second stopwatch, the Casio is a contemporary take on the calculator watches of the 70s that were both bulky and expensive. Combine this with its simple black plastic design, and it still gets away with looking wicked today.

James Bond’s Rolex Submariner 6538

Perhaps the most popular watch of the big screen, the Rolex Submariner 6538 rose to fame after a slew of appearances on the wrist of Sean Connery, starting with Dr No.

Worn in the film on a 16mm NATO strap, a Bond Submariner in mint condition is difficult to come by today, and is, therefore, worth a very pretty penny. One went at auction a few years back for the equivalent of around £65,000. Another, with the rare tropical dial and four lines of text, sold for around £400,000.

Michael Delaney’s Heuer Monaco

A die-hard watch aficionado, Steven McQueen had impeccable taste in timepieces. The one that was lucky enough to regularly adorn his wrist was the Explorer II 1655, a watch that later became known as the McQueen Explorer II in tribute.

However, for his role in the film ‘Le Mans’, McQueen chose to wear a black strapped, blue-faced, ‘Heuer Monaco’. The watch is known for its two world firsts: the first water-resistant timepiece with a square case and the first automatic chronograph. The original worn during filming sold for around £63,000 at auction, but you can grab the updated 2009 anniversary edition for £4000.

Jim Lovell’s Omega Speedmaster

In 1995, at the time of filming Apollo 13, the Omega Speedmaster was the only mechanical watch approved for space flight by NASA. But that’s not the only reason it appeared in the award-winning film: it was also the first watch to go to the moon and credited with having a part in saving the real-life mission from disaster.

Although you’d be lucky to get your hands on the original watch, the Speedmaster model has had an extensive impact on cinema, watchmaking, and space travel. The model was awarded a Snoopy Award in tribute to the 45th anniversary of the mission — an odd connection that also celebrates NASA’s relationship with the Peanut’s comic — which it proudly displays in an updated version of the watch.