Taika Waititi’s Watch Collection Is Unbeatable

It takes a special director to bring a strong artistic vision to the big screen, especially when it comes to comedy. Making people cry is easy (just kill the dog), but making people laugh is another matter entirely. One director serving us the laughs we need is Taika Waititi, the visionary behind Hollywood blockbusters like Thor: Ragnarok and cult sensation What We Do in the Shadows. Oh, and he also happens to have one of the most killer watch collections you’ve ever seen.

Genuinely, there are so many amazing watches in this man’s collection it’s difficult to know where to start. However, it’s never wrong to begin with a Rolex so let’s start there.

Specifically Taika wears a Rolex Submariner Ref. 14060 with matte black dial and bezel, and it’s one of those watches that makes you stop for a moment and think, ‘you know what, Rolex really do know what they’re doing’. The proportions of the dial, the layout of the signature circle and rectangle hour markers, it’s all perfect.

On the red carpet, Taika’s watchmaker of choice is Cartier. He’s worn the Pasha de Cartier and Santos de Cartier during the international premieres of Thor: Love and Thunder. While the Santos is a mainstay of the red carpet with its sports luxe design, the Pasha is less common. This is a shame because the classical, Art Deco aesthetic of the Pasha is superb, as Taika showcases.

To a certain extent, Rolexes and Cartiers are to be expected from any Hollywood icon. What makes Taika a certified watch nerd (like us) are the pieces in his collection that are obscure outside of watch collection circles. Watches like the Doxa Sub 1200T. The 1200T was produced in the 2010s as a modern reinterpretation of the SUB300 Conquistador, which was the first watch available to the public equipped with a helium escape valve. As such, the Conquistador is a hugely significant historical timepiece, in turn making the 1200T a highly collectable watch.

An even more desirable watch in Taika Waititi’s watch collection is the vintage King Seiko Special 5256-8000 (below). King Seiko was originally a rival brand to Grand Seiko, but was eventually discontinued in the 1970s. In the final years of King Seiko, they knew that the brand would eventually be shut down and so they started printing the word ‘Special’ on the dials, making the provenance of Taika’s watch incredibly strong. Added to which it’s a beautiful piece. Fortunately, King Seiko has been revived in the form of a new heritage line from Seiko.

However, this is Taika Waititi we’re talking about, his watch collection wouldn’t be complete without a punchline. In this case it’s the fact that in addition to all these tasteful, carefully curated watches he also owns a full gold Rolex Daytona and a full gold Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch.