Sometimes, in the history of Hollywood, the planets have aligned just right for a star to be born. The legendary Lana Turner was discovered while buying a soda at a malt shop. Marylin Monroe was cast into stardom after a photographer spotted her working in a factory during World War II. In much the same way, British actor Jason Statham became a star by being in the right place at the right time.

Jason was a sportive youth and practiced martial arts, football, and diving. After competing for England’s dive team in the Commonwealth Games, he landed a few modeling jobs for the clothing brand French Connection. He supplemented his income working as a black market salesman.

Instead of Lana and Marilyn’s stunning beauty, Jason was built like a rock. The French Connection, who had invested in the making of a new movie, “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” (1998) introduced him to British film director Guy Ritchie. Guy gave Jason a chance for a leading role by challenging him to pretend to be an illegal street vendor and purchase fake merchandise. Clearly, Ritchie was impressed. Jason made his debut role in the movie as Bacon.

Jason is also a watch aficionado and prefers “extreme” watches like the following that are as tough as him and the characters he plays.

IWC Aquatimer in The Meg

In the 2018 thriller “The Meg,” Jason plays Jonas Taylor, an expert diver, and Naval captain. While on a mission, he encounters an unknown danger while exploring the waters off the Philippines. He aborts the mission and abandons half his crew. His incredulous claim that he had fought off an extinct 70-foot sea creature costs him both his career and his marriage. Jonas works hard and is furious to redeem himself.

Jason is an expert diver in real life, so it’s safe to assume that he owns the ICW Aquatimer he wears as Jonah. The Aquatimer has a 44mm stainless steel case with a solid case back coated in rubber. The dark gray dial features luminous hour markers and hands, a date window at 3 o’clock, and two subdials. The rotating inner and outer bezel are unidirectional. It’s powered by automatic mechanical movement and has a 68-hour power reserve.

Panerai Luminor Submersible in Expandables 2

The follow-up to the Expandables has Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his band of mercenaries coming back to take on the mission of clearing Ross’ record. The team must acquire a black box from a downed plane. The hunt and kill begin when another mercenary ambushes the team.

This 2012 release is practically an advert for the Panerai Luminor Submersible. It can be spotted on Jason’s wrist and several other actors including Sylvester Stallone, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture. The watch is specifically a 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo, model number PAM00382. It is a Luminor Special Edition and one of only 1,000 pieces.

This iconic dive watch has unique characteristics and technical features. The case and bezel are polished brass and the case back is titanium. The dark green analog dial features light green luminous skeleton hands and light green hour markers. A subdial is at 9 o’clock and the date window is at 3. Waterproof to 300 meters (1,000ft), it’s powered by automatic mechanical movement and 28 jewels. It has a power reserve of three days.

Panerai Luminor Chrono Daylight in Transporter 2

Almost like the opening of Transporter, this follow-up flick shows Jason Statham in a luxury car pulling into a parking garage. He hears an alarm and checks his watch. In both movies, it’s a Panerai. Jason plays Frank Martin, a mercenary “transporter” hired by an ex-Special Forces operative. Frank delivers. No questions asked.

The model Jason wears in Transporter 2 is a 44mm Luminor Chrono Daylight model number PAM 196. The case and bezel are brushed steel. The black analog dial has bright luminous hands and indices with an Arabic numeral at 12 o’clock and three subdials. It features multiple functions including a chronograph with two counters and a tachymeter scale. It’s complemented by a handsome alligator strap with a Panerai buckle. It’s powered by Panerai’s OP XII caliber automatic mechanical movement.

TAG Heuer Monaco Automatic Chronograph in The Bank Job

In the high-action film The Bank Job, Jason’s character is Terry Leather, a London car dealer whose business is slow. Terry finds himself caught up in a scheme with a former model to pull off a heist at a bank where the alarm has been cut off for two weeks. He doesn’t know that her real target is a safety deposit box hiding the secrets of a royal.

The audience gets a close-up look at the TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph watch Jason wears when his character Terry is checking the time at Paddington Station. The watch is a classic Swiss luxury timepiece with a square case and dial. The 39mm case is brushed stainless steel. The analog dial is light blue and features three subdials and a date window at 6 o’clock. The hour markers are non-numeric. The seconds hand and subdial hands are bright red. It’s powered by mechanical automatic movement and 55 jewels.

Richard Mille RM 011 Felipe Massa in Parker

The movie “Parker” stars Jason in the title role. Parker is a thief with an unusual code. But he is a thief who is careful not to steal from the poor or hurt innocent people. He joins four other guys to pull off a job and it goes flawlessly. When Parker doesn’t get his share and is left for dead, he recovers and seeks revenge.

Jason’s character Parker wears a Richard Mille Felipe Massa. The RM 011 model is named after the F1 Driver and is as precise as the engineering in the eponymous race car. The white gold 50 x 40mm case has a tonneau shape and curved sides and bezel. The titanium bezel is encrusted with diamonds. The analog dial features Arabic numerals and three subdials with red and yellow accents. The transparent sapphire crystal dial shows off the RMAC1 caliber movement. Functions include an auto-calendar and a flyback chronograph. The strap is indestructible rubber.

Credit to Wikimedia for the image used in the header.