Tag Heuer and Hamilton: the ‘Barbenheimer’ of watches? From Ryan Gosling’s Carreras in Barbie as Ken, to Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Matt Damon’s historic timepieces in Oppenheimer

Aug 7 , 2023

Ryan Gosling’s Ken and Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer sport vintage Tag Heuer and Hamilton pieces respectively in films Barbie and Oppenheimer. Photos: TNS, Handout; AP

This summer marked the release of two highly anticipated – yet tonally disparate – blockbusters, Barbie and Oppenheimer, leading to the nickname ‘Barbenheimer’ … but what watches did the cast wear?

Gosling, who plays Ken, rocked the red carpet with a pink Tag Heuer Carrera Date, while Christopher Nolan turned to Hamilton for Oppenheimer, having worked with the brand for Interstellar and Tenet

The much-anticipated simultaneous release of blockbuster films Barbie and Oppenheimer on July 21 finally brought the “Barbenheimer” movement to a crescendo. The tongue-in-cheek portmanteau refers to the entertaining duality between the bubblegum celebration of Mattel’s iconic doll and the grim ethical and historical overtones from the story of the father of the atomic bomb.

Margot Robbie in a scene from Barbie, left, and Cillian Murphy in a scene from Oppenheimer. Photos: Warner Bros Pictures, Universal Pictures

As our team scoped the timepieces of everyone involved in the films and promotional tours, Tag Heuer and Hamilton were the clear winners: they were almost the only watch brands present in Barbie and Oppenheimer, respectively.

While perhaps not quite a thematic Barbenheimer equivalent in the watch world, it’s still interesting to see references from both watch houses appearing on the silver screen and red carpet, thanks to the brands’ partnerships with the films’ cast members.

Spoilers ahead as we check out the timepieces from Barbie and Oppenheimer!

Tag Heuer x Barbie

Ryan Gosling leads a show-stopping musical number in Barbie. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

It should be far from surprising that Ryan Gosling’s ambassadorship with Tag Heuer made its way into the movie as Beach Ken wrestled with the gender role reversal he experienced in reality vs Barbieland.

Ken bringing patriarchy – and plenty of horses – to Barbieland was a sour note in the second act of the film, but it did give us Gosling in a fur coat along with several pairs of shades and no less than three different vintage Heuer Carrera chronographs on his wrists at the same time, as reported by Hodinkee.

Two of the three Heuer Carreras that Ryan Gosling’s Ken wore in Barbie. Photos: Handout

The pieces themselves are from the 1960s and 70s, from before Heuer was bought by the Tag racing company and a few years after the original Ken was introduced in 1961. However, we surmise that the watches were chosen not so much for their horological significance (all three are seminal pieces in Heuer’s history of chronographs) but for the sheer golden decadence the pieces exude.

Ryan Gosling at Canadian promotions for Barbie, sporting a pink Tag Heuer Carrera Date 36mm. Photo: Getty Images