The Watches of The Terminal List Season 2 - True Believer

From a Rolex Submariner Playing a Key Role to Panerai to Seiko to an Obscure Roamer, Timepieces Once Again Add Depth & Legitimacy to Jack Carr’s Characters 

At W.O.E., we don’t watch much TV and don’t care much for Hollywood. That said, we are big fans of Jack Carr and our whole team binge-watched the latest season. Full disclosure, Jack is a friend, and if we hated the show, we probably wouldn’t say so, but this is objectively our favorite season to date. This is a double team piece written by W.O.E. and Ben.

The Terminal List’s second season delves into what happens to protagonist James Reece after he completes the list for which the series is named. From the first glimpses of Reece in season two, adrift on the Indian Ocean onboard the sailboat previously owned by Ben Edwards, the series once again provides serious timepiece intrigue. As always, if you haven’t read the books, I would recommend starting there, as much of the watch content is driven by the original work. 

Reece wearing his RESCO in season two alongside Freddy Strain, who wears a Garmin. (Photo Credit: Justin Lubin/Prime)

While Carr, the former SEAL and author behind the series, is known for nailing the details in his books and television adaptations, he is also particularly adept at providing each of his characters with exactly the right watch. A serious watch enthusiast himself, the watch picks executed by Carr and the show’s propmasters run deeper than product placement, with many of the watches in question being vintage, obscure, or otherwise unavailable, used as amplifying information for character development. 

In this Dispatch, we’ll unpack some of the more prominent watches featured in season two, providing a few thoughts on why we think the watches were chosen and how they complement each of Carr’s characters. For additional insights, we touched base with Carr as well as the expert propmaster from the show, Gary Tuers, so we’ll have some insider action as well. For those of you who haven’t finished the season, we’ll save anything that could be called a potential spoiler for the end, and we’ll provide a prominent warning. 

James Reece (Chris Pratt) - RESCO BlackFrog 

Jack Carr’s protagonist, James Reece, wears a RESCO BlackFrog in all of season two. (Photo Credit: Justin Lubin/Prime)

At this point, actor Chris Pratt and the fictional James Reece feel forever intertwined, and we have it on good account that Pratt played a role in selecting, or rather maintaining, the watch on Reece’s wrist in The Terminal List’s second season, a RESCO BlackFrog. In the first season, Pratt wore a few different watches, including a G-Shock GA100-1A1, a 5.11 Military Tactical Field Ops Watch, an Oris Aquis Pro Date Calibre 400, and the aforementioned RESCO BlackFrog. But from the opening scenes of season two, which finds Reece adrift in the Indian Ocean, the protagonist leans into the RESCO and doesn’t swap watches for the entire season. 

RESCO is an intriguing brand founded by former SEAL Robert Smith back in 2009. According to legend, RESCO’s earliest watches were tested on the wrists of BUD/S students (with the hands removed so they couldn’t tell time) while Smith was serving as an instructor in First Phase. The brand’s collection is almost all tool dive watches, and because the watches are assembled in Coronado, RESCO allows for a higher degree of customization than you’ll find from bigger names. In any case, for a watch from a lesser-known SEAL-owned microbrand to get the nod on the wrist of the main character in a major series like this is huge, and the watch gets a few close-ups that are likely to shine a well-deserved light on what RESCO is doing. 

Freddy Strain (Gabriel Luna) - Garmin Fenix/Tactix 

Former SEAL and Gound Branch operator Freddy Strain opts for a Garmin Tactix (probably) in season two. (Photo Credit: Justin Lubin/Prime)

A new character in season two is Freddy Strain (played by Gabriel Luna), another Team Guy turned Ground Branch Paramilitary Officer and elite marksman Reece knows from his time in sniper school. Strain, who, like any good sniper, is a stickler for data and details, opts for a Garmin smartwatch in the show, likely a Tactix 8, given the watch’s integrated “Applied Ballistics” calculator. While we understand the data-driven argument for Strain’s character running a Garmin, we also take issue with any smartwatch on a shadowy practitioner conducting clandestine missions on CIA’s behalf. That said, this watch makes sense, and we know more than a few (real) Ground Branch officers who default to a Garmin. 

To its credit, the Tactix offers a measure of control over its data-sharing preferences, but we would argue an adversarial intelligence service could still access locational and other information that could compromise one of Strain and Reece’s high-risk operations (especially with what happens in later books). With that being said, we also acknowledge the benefits and convenience provided by smartwatches, which have become key pieces of gear for certain military communities, including US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers (read more HERE). 

Raife Hastings (Tom Hopper) - Panerai PAM01616

Only Tom Hopper is going to make a 47mm Panerai look proportional… (Photo Credit: Prime)

We have been known to be somewhat critical of Panerai, a brand that sometimes leans into corny marketing using the Navy SEAL Trident (read more HERE). That said, the brand has real adoption in the SOF community and particularly Naval Special Warfare, having been established during the Second World War to supply the pioneering frogmen of the Italian Navy or Marina Militare. So it makes sense for Raife Hastings, another former SEAL and one of James Reece’s closest friends, to wear a Panerai, in this case the PAM01616 with bright blue luminescent material on the hands and indices. Given that Tom Hopper, the actor behind Hastings, is a large-caliber man, you almost don’t notice the fact that the watch is 47mm in diameter, albeit lightweight thanks to its carbon fiber case. 

Raife’s watch of choice follows Reece in adding an element of continuity to the show in that he is once again wearing a Panerai, following the PAM00979 he wore in Dark Wolf. However, in Dark Wolf, Hopper, who appears to be right-handed, wore the Panerai on his left wrist but switched to his right wrist for season two. It’s possible the massive signature Panerai crown lock common to Luminor models was hard on the back of Hopper’s left hand, especially for the action-packed nature of the show, but that is pure speculation. 

There’s nothing like watch-twinning with the boys. (Photo Credit: Andy Kropa)

Also of note is that Chris Pratt, who does not wear a Panerai in the show, appears to be somewhat of a Panerai ambassador, and attended the premiere of season two wearing the same PAM01616, along with Jack Carr, who appeared to be sporting the same reference. Rumor has it that Pratt gifted the watches to a few lucky members of the cast and crew… A smart man once said, “The best watches start out as gifts.” - W.O.E.

Mohammed 'Mo' Farooq (Dar Salim) - Arabic Seiko SNKP21

Mo Farooq once again brings the Arabic Seiko heat. (Photo Credit: Justin Lubin/Prime)

Another character upholding what was already a razor-sharp watch pick is former ISOF operator Mo Farooq, played by Dar Salim, who once again opts for his “Arabic” Seiko SNKP21, possibly even on the same tan nylon pull-through strap. Given that the first scenes showcasing the watch in Dark Wolf take place in 2015 in Iraq, and season two of The Terminal List appears to be more or less present day, it would mean Farooq has been running the venerable Seiko for over ten years at least. While that’s no factor even for an inexpensive Seiko like this, I hope he got it serviced for accuracy’s sake. 

Around here, the Arabic Seiko or “Seik-W.O.E.” is a watch requiring no introduction, having served as one of the timepieces that propelled me into the hobby in the first place. Still priced as low as $200 despite our one-man marketing campaign (read more HERE), the SNKP21 is an automatic field watch with applied Arabic indices and a useful day/date format. Sure, the lume sucks, the water resistance is limited, it doesn’t hack or hand-wind, and the bracelet is trash, but as Mo Farooq proves once again in season two, in the right environment, the Seik-W.O.E. will always be one of our favorite affordable watches. 

Rich Hastings (Arnold Vosloo) - Roamer Superking

Rich Hastings’ Roamer is worn on a leather strap with a snap-on cover, another example of The Terminal List team nailing the details. (Photo Credit: Justin Lubin/Prime)

One of the deepest cuts in season two is the inclusion of Roamer, a seldom-discussed watch brand with real military ties to Rhodesia, the former home of Rich Hastings, father to Raife Hastings and father figure to James Reece. Established in 1888 in Solothurn, Switzerland, Roamer built a reputation for producing dependable mechanical watches throughout much of the 20th century before the upheaval of the 1970s Quartz Crisis. 

During the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979), international sanctions limited imports into Rhodesia, and the Rhodesian Army (RA) was forced to rely on covert supply channels to obtain essential gear for its troops, including a limited number of Roamer Anfibio watches that were ultimately issued to Rhodesian forces. What is intriguing about Rich Hasting’s character is that he does not wear the same reference as the issued Roamer but rather a similar model called the Superking with a white or silver dial. In any case, including Roamer in the show at all, especially worn with the removable snap-on cover often seen in period Rhodesian Army photos, represents a serious level of dedication to the details that we always love to see. Most people will glance over this detail; we don’t.

Honorable Mentions

We’re not condoning rippin’ ciggies, but if you must, at least wear a cool D.T.W. (Photo Credit: Prime)

Almost every character in The Terminal List has a watch on the wrist, and it would appear a certain amount of care has been taken to equip even more minor characters and background actors with sensible, character-supporting timepieces. Also a holdover from Dark Wolf, Tal Varon, also known as Shiraz Tzarfati, wears some kind of inexpensive digital watch for her brief appearance in season two, quite possibly the Casio World Time AE1000W-1AV, but that is just an educated guess. Maybe someone out there in the community has a better idea? 

One of the special operations types that apprehends Reece appears to wear an older Rolex. (Photo Credit: Prime)

And finally, one of the special operators that comes by helicopter to collect James Reece from the Niassa Game Reserve appears to wear a Rolex of some kind on a simple nylon pull-through strap similar to those seen on issued US Navy Tudor Submariners. Our screen capture sucks, but the watch appears to have a black bezel and a cyclops, so it’s likely a Submariner of some kind or one of the GMT-Masters with an all-black bezel. We acknowledge it could also easily be some kind of homage. 

*SPOILER ALERT*

We’ll do our best, but anything from here down may include plot-related points that could spoil certain aspects of the show for those who have not yet watched. Should you choose to proceed, you know the risks… 

Waltham W.C.C. Wrist Compass - Vietnam War 

 In episode four, a W.C.C. wrist compass makes another appearance. (Photo Credit: Prime)

One unexpected watch tie-in didn’t involve a watch at all, instead referencing a scene from episode one of Dark Wolf where James Reece gives Raife Hastings his father’s Waltham W.C.C. wrist compass. However, rather than serving as a heartfelt memory in Dark Wolf, in the fourth episode of season two, the recollection is distorted, ostensibly by Reece’s brain tumor, with the compass spinning out of control. It may not be a watch, but leaning into a piece of watch-adjacent equipment that Vietnam-era SEALs almost always paired with their issued Tudor Submariners as a plot device in a show like this is just awesome. No notes. 

Oliver Grey (Jeremy Bobb) - 1960 Rolex Submariner 

CIA Officer Oliver Grey wearing a 1960 Rolex Submariner that ends up having Reece family ties. (Photo Credit: Prime)

Another new character in season two is Oliver Grey, who ends up playing a nefarious role while wearing a watch that serves as another key plot device in the final episode. From the first scenes showing Grey, played by Jeremy Bobb, he wears what appears to be a vintage Rolex Submariner. Coincidentally, on Katie Buranek’s wall where she’s laid out the chapters of her upcoming book about James Reece’s life, we also spy a Submariner on the wrist of what we are to assume is Reece’s dad, Thomas Reece, as he holds a very young James. As the season progresses, we learn the extent of Grey’s involvement with Russia and some surprising ties to the Reece family. 

At the end of the final episode, entitled “FATHERS AND SONS”, we also learn that Thomas Reece died while still working with CIA, and James realizes a watch on Grey’s wrist in a surveillance photo is, in fact, his father’s Rolex Submariner, saying: “1960 Submariner. You can see the same scratches on the watch face. Yeah, it’s the fucking same one.” He later also says, “There’s only one way he ends up with my father’s watch… He was there at the end.”

It’s going to suck to be Oliver Grey in season three… (Photo Credit: Prime)

As the season concludes, we can expect Reece, who also appears to be getting treatment for his brain tumor, to mount yet another revenge campaign, possibly even creating a whole new terminal list with Oliver Grey’s name squarely positioned at the top. We can only hope. 

Of note, this appears to be a prop watch, and not a real Submariner. We don’t like it, either, but that's the truth.

Final Thoughts

At W.O.E., we will continue to argue that The Terminal List series, both the books and video adaptations, remains one of the best examples of watches as tools of storytelling, where each timepiece not only makes sense for the character but also adds to their background, whether expressed or implied. 

From Reece’s RESCO to the massive Panerai managed by Raife Hastings to a seldom-seen Roamer on Rich Hastings to the triumphant return of an Arabic Seiko on the wrist of Mo Farooq, The Terminal List’s second season proves that Hollywood, especially with the help of Jack Carr and his team, can get it right. Add to that a vintage Rolex Submariner that plays a central role in the plot, and The Terminal List stands out as one of the best examples of Watches of Espionage in popular culture. When we inevitably roll into season three, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more watches, and we’re confident that is exactly what we’re going to get. 

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