“Yes, Minister” - Fantasy vintage watch picker

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Amor Vincit Omnia
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“Yes, Minister” - Fantasy vintage watch picker

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

“Yes, Minister” and its sequel “Yes, Prime Minister” are two of my favourite television programmes. I have the box sets and occasionally put an episode on if I want a good laugh. Almost all the action takes place in Whitehall offices around the time of the early Thatcher years, so the dress codes are pretty standard. I often get a glimpse of some piece of horological loveliness peeking out from beneath a well tailored cuff. The watches all look vaguely similar and nothing is that obvious (no product placement that I can see), so I set myself to wondering what, indeed, they might be wearing. This is pure fantasy of course.

The Mandarins: high ranking civil servants at the Permanent Secretary level. These chaps are old-fashioned, archconservative, public school and Oxbridge types. What you invariably catch a glimpse of is some discreet, almost certainly gold and rather dressy (as we would call it now) watch.

Sir Arnold Robinson (John Nettleton): first among equals, if you like. He has risen to a position of power and prominence as Cabinet Secretary, in other words the head of the Civil Service. Extremely smooth and urbane, he is often seen enjoying dinner or a brandy with some fellow Mandarin in an exclusive London club. There is no doubt in my mind that Sir Arnold wears either a Patek-Philippe or a Vacheron-Constantin.

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Sir Humphrey Appleby (the great Sir Nigel Hawthorne): one of my favourite television characters of all time. Usually the fellow Mandarin seen plotting with Sir Arnold in the club. Permanent Secretary to Jim Hacker’s Department of Administrative Affairs (fictional), he plays the old boy network like a chess grandmaster. Sir Humphrey is likely to be wearing a Jaeger-LeCoultre or a Girard-Perregaux.

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Sir Frederick Stewart (John Savident): known as Jumbo to his friends (especially Sir Humphrey whom he addresses as Humpy), he is the Permanent Secretary to the Foreign Office. A brash and worldly Epicurean, I see him wearing a Datejust.

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Sir Frank Gordon (Peter Cellier): Permanent Secretary to the Treasury. A little more flamboyant and left-field than some of the others, I see Sir Frank wearing either an Ulysse Nardin or perhaps an elderly (inherited) Cartier Tank.

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Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds): not yet a Mandarin nor a Sir (awaiting his K), but certainly on the rise, Bernard is Jim Hacker’s private secretary. He may well start out wearing something like a Rotary (fear not, they were quite a good make back in the day) but by about 1982 he could be celebrating his latest pay rise, and splashing out on the brand-new Omega Constellation Manhattan. If Sir Humphrey notices this, which he almost certainly will, he will probably dismiss it as rather modernist and vulgar.

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Which leaves us with the Minister (and later Prime Minister), Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington). Jim hasn’t quite the same background as the others, and would probably be content with the Accurist he has worn for years; he really wouldn’t give two hoots about his watch. I suspect that the lovely Annie will have bought him something nice to celebrate his elevation to Number 10, but I’m unclear in my mind as to what it would be. Perhaps this mid-80s Tudor would have been appropriate.

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All pictures from Google


Why not have a go with your own favourite characters, programmes or films?

P.S. it’s a chance to look at some nice watches. :D
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Re: “Yes, Minister” - Fantasy vintage watch picker

Post by H0rati0 »

Hmm, that's throwing down the guantlet Steve.

My wife and I (she being Bavarian) too very much enjoy the "Minister" series, though I am never sure whether to laugh, cry or both.....much of it is so close to the reality, which is of course its enduring appeal.
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Re: “Yes, Minister” - Fantasy vintage watch picker

Post by atnits »

I wonder what Alan would have worn

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Re: “Yes, Minister” - Fantasy vintage watch picker

Post by nbg »

Yes Minister has always been one of my favourite TV series. :)

Rather than thinking about what watches the main characters would wear, I am trying to imagine an update for modern times. :silent:

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Re: “Yes, Minister” - Fantasy vintage watch picker

Post by jkbarnes »

I’m enjoying this thread simply for the use of the term Mandarin! It’s not a term used too frequently over here. And if one were to use it, it would like be seen as pedantic or perhaps even mildly racist.

Brilliant idea for a thread. It would certainly be entertaining to see this applied to other shows. Unfortunately it requires a level of knowledge about watches and a familiarity with the characters of a show that I like. That earlier thread describing people based on their brand of watch would be helpful research. I’ll link to it if I can find it.
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Re: “Yes, Minister” - Fantasy vintage watch picker

Post by Wis »

Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister are brilliant, and firm favourites of mine. Like Steve I have the DVD sets, and return to them regularly. Sure, it is comedy but also very true in its essence.

I can’t improve on Steve’s choices. They are spot on.

There are some actual movie watch choices that are very apt. Sly Stallone wearing Panerai in all those action movies for instance.

Pierce Brosnan wearing a gold Reverso in the Thomas Crown Affair is another. The all gold Rolex Day Date on Tony Sopranos wrist is also great.

But what would Bond villains wear?
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Re: “Yes, Minister” - Fantasy vintage watch picker

Post by Thegreyman »

Wis wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:30 pm
But what would Bond villains wear?
I too enjoyed watching Yes Minister back in the day, very clever and funny.

For the Bond villains, I am thinking an Omega Dark Side of the Moon....or a Hublot!
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