HOROLOGICAL HERO

Actor and action-movie icon Keanu Reeves has A-lister taste in luxury watches and a generous spirit to boot.

BY HALEY LONGMAN

Keanu Reeves, 58, has gained a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most generous actors. He famously gave each of his 12 stuntmen on 1999’s The Matrix his own Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Then, in 2021, members of the four-person stunt team of John Wick 4 were each given a Rolex Submariner as a wrap gift. It was a perfect, well-thought-out present from a guy who knows his stunts—and his timepieces.

Reeves is a Canadian who was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His first starring role was in the 1989 sci-fi film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and he appeared in its sequels. (Yeah, Reeves is quite a franchise guy.) Also in ’89, he made an impression in Ron Howard’s Parenthood as the daughter’s slovenly boyfriend, who turns out to have unexpected tenderness Clearly Reeves was an actor to watch, and he soon became a wearer of watches to watch as well.

In 1994’s Speed, Reeves’ LAPD officer Jack Traven wears the Casio G-Shock DW5600C-1V. It was an ionic watch for the era, the perfect accessory for his character in this groundbreaking film. (Speed is considered by some connoisseurs a pioneer in modern realistic movie stunts.)

The actor played a supernatural detective in 2005’s Constantine His watch on screen and in real life at this time, the Oris Modern Classic Ref. 7940, gets many memorable close-ups in the film, where viewers can both stare into the eyes of this demon hunter and ogle the stainless-steel case and guilloche dial.

For the John Wick franchise, comprising three films and the brand-new John Wick: Chapter 4, Reeves sports timepieces by Carl F. Bucherer. Eagled-eyed watch aficionados will notice that in these movies, the title character wears the Patravi Travel Tech II GMT chronograph, the piece Reeves also wore to the second film’s world premiere in 2017. For John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum’s premiere in 2019, he stayed on-brand with the 50 Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec. Reeves’ on-screen persona Wick also has on the Manero AutoDate with a sapphire display. The character wears his watches with the dial on the inside of his wrist to protect the glass case. It’s a cringe-worthy move for a watch collector, sure, but one that makes sense for a violent assassin on the move.

Then, of course, comes Rolex. Reeves is the proud owner of the GMT-Master II Coke Ref. 16710, as well as the Submariner, which he wore in the romance film The Lake House Each Submariner Ref. 126610LN has the highly recognizable date cyclops magnifier, an Oystersteel case topped with a black unidirectional Cerachrom bezel, a matching dial with large luminescent hour markers and an Oyster bracelet. Each one that he gave his stunt crew is engraved with a personalized inscription: “Wick Five/Thank You/Keanu/JW4/2021.”

“Money doesn’t mean anything to me,” Reeves has said. “I’ve made a lot of money, but I want to enjoy life and not stress myself building my bank account.” Instead, he’s built up his watch vault—and donated much of his earnings. Reeves is an avid philanthropist who has donated millions of dollars to cancer charities to honor his sister Kim, who was diagnosed with leukemia in the ’90s but is now cancer-free. Rounding out Reeves’ timepiece collection is the IWC Big Pilot Ref. IW500912; the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738R with a rose gold case and black dial; and the Hamilton PSR MTX, a limited-edition line the brand released in conjunction with 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections This spectacular piece has an all-black PVD coating and a green display, and there are only 1,999 of them, a nod to the year the original Matrix came out.

We dare you to find a reason not to like Keanu Reeves. Producers love him, directors love him, crew members love him and, of course, the ladies love him too. But envy is distinct from dislike, and we can’t blame you if you’re envious of Reeves’ horological acquisitions. We’ll allow it. Go ahead.

Reeves Watches To Watch

From left to right: Reeves has had the unique Pargmigiani Fleurier Toric Memory

Time since 2006. Its design is inspired by Greek architecture; the stainless steel Rolex

“Submariner Date” Ref.

126610LN is the watch Reeves gifted to each of his stunt men on John Wick 4; Reeves wore this IWC Big Pilot Ref. IW500912 on his 2017 cover of Men’s Fitness