Simply Abu Dhabi XXXV

K eanu Reeves first appeared as the vengeful uber-cool assassin John Wick in 2014. The hotly anticipated sequel arrived in 2017 and one of Hollywood’s biggest summer blockbusters returns this year with “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.” In all three films in this wildly successful Hollywood franchise, the brooding and deadly lead, embodied with aplomb by Keanu Reeves, wears a classic Carl F. Bucherer watch. Founded in 1888 in Lucerne, this Swiss family business has become an internationally renowned global brand, characterised by its founder’s pioneering spirit. The brand is one of the few remaining family-owned Swiss watch manufacturers and is now headed in the third generation by Jörg G. Bucherer. The stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski has been a Carl F. Bucherer brand ambassador for years and keen-eyed fans can spot three different Carl F. Bucherer watches on the actors Laurence Fishburne, Halle Berry, and Keanu Reeves. “In my line of work, wardrobe and accessories have to stand up to the physical challenges that actors and stunt people face on set filming intense action sequences,” Stahelski says, adding, “High performance, yet stylish, luxurious, and modern, Carl F. Bucherer watches are ready for anything – a natural fit for a film like John Wick.” The assassin and classic automobile owner John Wick wears the Lucerne manufacturer’s beautiful 38mm Manero AutoDate. As giving up the world of being a hired gun eludes JohnWick, especially as a 14- million-dollar contract has been taken out on his life, he needs to depend on the right time. It is a timeless classic watch with a classic white dial and black Louisiana alligator leather strap. The design codes are from 1960s – which suits the character’s penchant for classic cars, like the 1969 Ford Mustang he screams around in. The case is in stainless steel that is only 8.75mm thick and is both elegant and robust. Wick is obviously too busy wreaking revenge on bad guys to manually wind his watch, so it’s obviously an automatic calibre – the CFB 1965, with a 42-hour power reserve. The date complication is shown at the 3 o’clock position. It comes with a scratch- resistant, anti-reflective sapphire crystal together with a transparent sapphire case back. It’s also water resistant to 30 metres. This watch is one of the entry-level timepieces from Carl F. Bucherer, and if you can find one, the retail price for the watch is approximately $2,600.