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Feature: 5 Watches From 5 TV shows Your Parents Watch

Ah, parents, you gotta love ‘em. What they watch may not be our cup of tea, but hey-ho, some of the characters and celebrities in these programmes have some pretty interesting wrist candy. Here are five I’ve spotted.

The Great British Sewing Bee

Now into its sixth season, The Great British Sewing Bee is exactly what you would expect it to be: a group of people sewing—and if you’re not into watching that, then you’re pretty stuffed. Catching the end of one of these programmes, I did, however, notice that one of the judges—Patrick Grant—has pretty good taste when it comes to watches.

The watch he wears: a Cartier Santos WSSA0009. Without mentioning the incredible history behind the watch—which you can read about here, by the way—the Santos—with its contrasting dressy/industrial-esque design, smooth consistent lines, and simplistic dial layout—is a watch rather well suited to the Scottish fashion designer, don’t you think?

Grey’s Anatomy

Everybody’s at least caught the end of one of these—they are on all the time. In the one episode I’ve watched, I managed to spot an icon strapped to a trauma surgeon’s wrist.

On the wrist of Dr Owen Hunt—played by Kevin McKidd—is a Panerai Luminor. While I don’t quite think the watch is used for its intended purpose—that being diving—that isn’t to say that the Luminor’s durability and water resistance won’t come in handy … eww.

Location, Location, Location

If you’re British, then you’ve definitely heard of this next show. Two hosts—Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer—show couples around potential next homes. Sort of like a ride-along with an estate agent.

The Location, Location, Location we are talking about today, however, is Phil Spencer’s wrist. In a few episodes—and in a few guest appearances away from the show—Spencer can be seen wearing a Hublot Big Bang Chronograph, the 341.SB.131.RX, if I’m not mistaken.

The Antiques Roadshow

Ahh, now it’s the turn of ye’ ol’ faithful: The Antiques Roadshow. Come Sunday evening, this is on. While we’ve seen a few luxury watches pop up on there before, there is one that has been under our noses this entire time—and that’s the watch presenter Fiona Bruce wears.

What watch does she wear? An all-white Chanel J12. There’s no missing it really. Fashioned completely from ceramic, this watch was all the rage in the 2000s and is the best-selling watch in Chanel’s arsenal. The J12 also seems to be making a comeback. Have you seen the new J12 X-Ray? It’s pretty cool-looking.

Hawaii Five-0 (2010-Present)

For our final show, we travel back across the pond. This 2010 reboot of the iconic American cop show—like the original—follows Det. Steve McGarrett and his crime-fighting team on the sunny shores of, yes, you guessed it: Hawaii.

In one particular episode, on a mission to capture some baddies in a jungle, McGarrett—played by Alex O’Loughlin—can be seen wearing an IWC Aquatimer Chronograph IW3767-02. This one—because of its bright yellow details and silver sub-dials—wasn’t hard to spot, and I think it suits the character rather well. It’s rugged, accurate, and easy to read—all features a once-naval-commander would look for.

So, these are my spots. I guess there really is something for everyone in these shows, huh?