Why Brad Pitt’s New Deep-Cut Vintage Sports Watch Deserves a Comeback

Brad Pitt is quickly becoming Hollywood’s top tastemaker when it comes to vintage watches.

While other big-time watch celebs like John Mayer, Ed Sheeran and Mark Wahlberg are best known for gobbling up the latest and hottest grails from luxury brands, Pitt has taken a different approach with his wristwear, showing more of an affinity for vintage pieces.

The actor began turning heads back in 2019, when his character Clint Booth wore a 1970s Citizen “Bullhead” Challenge Timer Chronograph in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon in Hollywood, significantly raising the profile of the quirky automatic. That same year, Pitt was unveiled as an ambassador for Breitling, and he played the role of good company man for the next three years, wearing Breitling watches in his films (like 2022’s Bullet Train) and in public appearances.

Sony Pictures

But in 2022, Pitt began to experiment more with his watches. He was spotted wearing the then-new (and white-hot) yellow gold Vacheron Constantin 222 reissue a couple of times, and then really left his mark on the watch world when he wore a vintage steel 222 to Wimbledon in 2023 — two years before Vacheron reissued the watch, which Pitt also picked up upon its release. Breitling confirmed Pitt was still an ambassador to GQ in 2023, though it’s unclear if he still is (though it seems unlikely).

The star then wore a 1950s Patek Philippe Calatrava 2526 to the One Love premiere in 2024. He worked with IWC to create a one-off customized version of a 1970s Ingenieur that he wore very visibly in this past summer’s blockbuster, F1, resulting in a modern homage produced by IWC.

Now, the star actor has been spotted with another vintage banger — and this one is much more of a deep cut than his previous pieces.

God’s true watch-spotter

Guy Aroch for God’s True Cashmere

In a GQ profile published yesterday on Pitt and his apparel brand God’s True Cashmere, the actor wore a 1970s Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Speed Beat GT for the article’s hero image, which is from the brand’s campaign promoting its new Harley Davidson collection.

The watch was identified by watch writer Nick Gould (@niccoloy on Instagram), who also — somehow — noticed Pitt wearing the same watch last month at an F1 screening, despite only its two crowns being visible. (Gould was described as the “Internet’s Greatest Watch Detective” in an Esquire profile last month. They’re not wrong.)

Personally, I’d never heard of the Memovox Speed Beat GT before Nick’s spot. And considering that I write about watches for a living, I’m guessing I’m not the only one. So what’s the story behind this obscure JLC watch, and does Pitt wearing it indicate that it’s about to blow up?

For men of action

Jaeger-LeCoultre

As it just so happens, JLC currently has two examples of the watch listed online among its “The Collectibles” collection of vintage watches, though both have already been sold. One appears to be the same blue and orange reference that Pitt is wearing in the photo (it could even be the same exact watch — JLC could’ve lent it out to the actor, or maybe he was the buyer).

To describe the watch as rare would be an understatement. It was introduced in 1972 and was discontinued that same year, so there can’t be too many of these things floating around. Analog: Shift estimates that only 1,000 were produced. But holy smokes, is this a cool watch, or what?

First off, we have the very dynamic name, “Speed Beat GT.”. According to JLC, the “Speed Beat” portion of the name refers to the JLC Calibre 916 movement powering the watch.

While not a high-beat movement by the usual definition — that would be a beat rate of 5Hz — the 916 was the first of JLC’s alarm calibres to oscillate at 4Hz, making it “speedier” than the rest of the collection. It was also the maison’s first alarm calibre to use a rotor for its automatic winding rather than a more primitive bumper.

Jaeger-LeCoultre

The “GT” in the name doesn’t stand for “Grand Tourer” — this isn’t a car, after all — but rather “Grand Taille,” which translates from French to “Large Size.” This is a reference to the oval case, which was considered oversized for the 1970s at 39mm across and 46.6mm long.

The uniquely shaped stainless steel case, which is thin at the sides and bulbous on the top and bottom, features a mix of brushed and polished surfaces, with integrated lugs hiding the attachment of its three-row bracelet and two signed crowns at 2:00 and 4:00.

As part of JLC’s iconic Memovox line, the watch boasts a mechanical alarm set using one of its two crowns, and it also features a date window at 3:00. The dial is pure 1970s goodness, with a busy minute track marking every half second, applied block indices that are split in the middle and a colored inner ring for the alarm’s hour scale.

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Inside the alarm track are three more circles in the same color that join at the bottom above 6:00 to form a very cool “GT” logo. It looks like an automotive badge, and when factoring in the case shape, the use of color and especially the “Speed Beat GT” name, the entire watch feels very 1970s motorsports-coded to me.

But as far as I can tell, it wasn’t marketed as such. Instead, JLC more broadly pitched the watch in advertisements at the time as a watch for “men of action” who “live a busy and fast-paced life,” which, I suppose, could include race car drivers.

A Richemont conspiracy?

If you allow me to put on my tinfoil hat for a moment, there may be more to Pitt wearing the Speed Beat GT than meets the eye.

As Time & Tide noted in their own Instagram post about @niccoloy’s spot, most of Pitt’s buzziest vintage watches lately have something in common: they all come from Richemont-owned brands.

His Vacheron 222 in steel that was soon after reproduced by Vacheron? Richemont. The customized vintage Ingenieur that got a mega-hyped modern homage from IWC? Richemont. And guess who owns JLC? That’s right, Swatch Group. Just kidding, it’s Richemont.

IWC

So, given that Pitt’s love for vintage Vacheron and IWC led to modern versions of those watches, does that mean his JLC Speed Beat GT is the next retro Richemont due for a comeback?

It’s probably just a coincidence, but if Pitt and JLC are cooking up a new version of this largely forgotten gem, then that would be very exciting indeed.

Men of action, get ready. Your time may soon come again.

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