Top Gun Watches: Maverick's Porsche Design and the IWC Recruits
Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022) share one watch above all others: a black Porsche Design Chronograph 1 made by Orfina, worn by Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in both films. Beyond it, the picture is thinner than the internet suggests. The sequel's props are better documented, thanks to an on-record prop master, while almost every identification of the 1986 supporting cast rests on a single unsourced guide. This page goes character by character across both films and labels how well each watch is documented.
The short answer
Four things are solidly supported: Maverick's Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina in both films, the IWC Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor watches on the recruits in the sequel, Penny's vintage Rolex Explorer and a custom IWC stopwatch prop. Prop master Robbie Duncan is the best on-record source for 2022. Most 1986 identifications for Iceman, Goose and Charlie come from one guide and are marked uncertain. We found no evidence for a Hamilton or Breitling tie-in.
Who wears what: quick reference
| Character (actor) | Watches |
|---|---|
| Pete “Maverick” Mitchell(Tom Cruise) | Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina, black PVD; Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina, black PVD; Rolex Explorer 1016; Rolex Submariner 5513 |
| Penny Benjamin(Jennifer Connelly) | Rolex Explorer (vintage) |
| Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw(Miles Teller) | IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” |
| Natasha “Phoenix” Trace and Robert “Bob” Floyd(Monica Barbaro and Lewis Pullman) | IWC Pilot's Watch Mark XVIII Top Gun Edition “SFTI” |
| Jake “Hangman” Seresin(Glen Powell) | IWC SFTI Chronograph on olive NATO strap |
| Tom “Iceman” Kazansky(Val Kilmer) | Rolex GMT-Master “Pepsi” |
| Nick “Goose” Bradshaw(Anthony Edwards) | Unidentified digital watch |
| Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood(Kelly McGillis) | Cartier Panthère, yellow gold |
| Everyone else(Viper, Jester, Cyclone, Hammer, Hondo and others) | No documented watch |
| Watches in the story | Custom IWC stopwatch |
How we label the evidence
Confirmed means a costume designer, prop department, the brand or the show itself said so, or multiple reputable outlets agree and cite a source. Reported means a single reputable outlet or database reports it. We leave out other fan speculation, and where sources disagree we say so. All prices are in US dollars and are indicative; check current listings before buying.
Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise)
Maverick's watch is the one fixed point across both films. Bloomberg describes a stealthy black PVD-coated Porsche Design Chronograph 1, created in 1972 by F.A. Porsche and made by Orfina. Monochrome says it is visible throughout the 1986 film. Whether it is Cruise's own watch or a production prop is unresolved, since the only suggestion that it is his own is a guess in one article.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina, black PVD | Not settled. One site says 7750 (that is the movement); another says 7176 without a source | Confirmed | Top Gun (1986): worn throughout. By 1986 the black coating looks worn, per watch-id | Vintage pre-owned $2,700–$9,000 (Chrono24, undated); about $10,000 for a good original |
| Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina, black PVD | Same model | Confirmed | Top Gun: Maverick (2022): visible in the opening test-flight scene. Prop master Robbie Duncan says it is the same watch as in 1986; Monochrome says it is a better-condition piece. Backups existed, so it is the exact watch in at least some shots | Modern All Black Numbered Edition: $7,650 (Watches of Switzerland listing, undated) |
| Rolex Explorer 1016 | 1016 | Uncertain | Top Gun (1986): Loupe states he wore it throughout the original with no source. This contradicts the Porsche Design identification and is likely a mix-up with Penny's watch in 2022 | $19,220 fair market value; asks roughly $13,250–$24,950 |
| Rolex Submariner 5513 | 5513 | Uncertain | Top Gun (1986): a single unsourced guide says a real Navy pilot's hand is spliced into a few dogfight close-ups. Continuity oddities in his watch are reported in a forum thread we could not open | — |
The Porsche Design is not a paid placement as far as we can tell. Watchonista notes that Cruise has never been a brand ambassador, and no outlet we opened shows a deal. We found no price for the exact 1972–1978 production model beyond the pre-owned ranges above.
Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly)
Penny's vintage Explorer is one of the best-documented watches in the sequel. Duncan told Hodinkee Japan it was borrowed from the producer's wife, and that he later bought a different example of the same vintage model for himself.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolex Explorer (vintage) | 1016 (likely); the reference is one writer's best read | Confirmed | Top Gun: Maverick (2022). The Rolex Explorer itself is confirmed by the prop master. Hodinkee Japan first took it for an Oyster Perpetual, then for a ref. 1016; Worn & Wound mentions a tropical dial | $19,220 fair market value (Loupe, 2026); asks roughly $13,250–$24,950 |
Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller)
The recruits wear IWC's Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor watches, a line made with instructors at the Navy's Fighter Weapons School. Monochrome and Hodinkee Japan both identify Teller's. The ceramic watches carry the school's patch at 9 o'clock, and the military version was available only to TOPGUN graduates.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” | IW389004 (military, 2018) | Reported | Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Early in the film at the Navy dive bar. Duncan says Teller wears the SFTI; the IWC brand link is confirmed, the reference is reported | Not sold. The civilian sibling IW389104 (2020, 1,500 pieces) trades around $6,000–$6,450 asking; a different reference |
Do not mix up the two references. IW389004 is the 2018 military watch; IW389104 is the civilian version launched in October 2020. Monochrome's own article URL shows 104.
Natasha “Phoenix” Trace and Robert “Bob” Floyd (Monica Barbaro and Lewis Pullman)
Monochrome puts Phoenix on the Mark XVIII and says Bob wears the instructor watches. Coronet says Bob, Phoenix and Rooster all wear IWC. Both outlets say the watches appear on at least three recruits.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWC Pilot's Watch Mark XVIII Top Gun Edition “SFTI” | IW324705 | Reported | Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Ceramic case, with a caseback in automotive titanium engraved with the owner's name and class, per Coronet. Not sold publicly | The related IW324711 watch-and-stopwatch set (500 sets) sold for HK$69,850 at Phillips Hong Kong in 2023; a different reference |
Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell)
Only one guide ties an IWC SFTI chronograph on an olive NATO strap to Hangman, and its attribution rests on matching the case, strap and pusher layout. Duncan says some pilots wore the SFTI on green or black straps but names only Teller. We would not state this as fact.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWC SFTI Chronograph on olive NATO strap | IW389004 | Uncertain | Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Single unsourced guide; no outlet names Powell | — |
Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer)
Two weak sources agree on a Rolex GMT-Master for Kilmer's Iceman in 1986, and neither is strong. One is an unsourced guide, the other a Japanese dealer's column that says “presumably” 1675 or 16750. We found no watch for Iceman in the 2022 film.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolex GMT-Master “Pepsi” | 1675 (or 16750, hedged) | Uncertain | Top Gun (1986): said to be worn throughout. A Datejust 16013 is also listed from a promotional photo only | Median $17,280 sold in the 12 months to July 2026 (Bob's Watches); a circa-1972 1675 sold for $16,250 at Heritage in January 2026 |
Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards)
Goose wears a digital watch in one clear shot. Fans suggest a Casio A158WA-1 or a Seiko model, but none is confirmed, so we do not name one.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unidentified digital watch | Not identified | Uncertain | Top Gun (1986): one clear shot. Fan guesses include Casio and Seiko | — |
Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood (Kelly McGillis)
Charlie's watch is identified in a single guide, from stills only, with no reference and no second source.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | Where you see it | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartier Panthère, yellow gold | Not identified | Uncertain | Top Gun (1986): one guide, identified from stills | — |
Everyone else (Viper, Jester, Cyclone, Hammer, Hondo and others)
We found nothing for Viper, Jester, Slider, Hollywood, Merlin, Carole, Hammer or Warlock. Duncan says the “superiors” wore Portugieser models, but no character is named, so we cannot tie one to Jon Hamm's Cyclone. Loupe says a Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 appears on “several cast members”, with no names or source. We treat that as uncertain.
Watches in the story
No watch drives the 1986 plot in anything we found. In the sequel, one prop appears late in the film.
| Watch | Reference | Evidence | In the story | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom IWC stopwatch | Not in IWC's catalog | Uncertain | Top Gun: Maverick (2022), near the end. The prop exists: Duncan says IWC made a custom stopwatch and 3D-printed outer cases for non-working props. Only one unsourced guide ties it to Hondo (Bashir Salahuddin); the character is unresolved | Sold only as the IWC “Instructor's Stopwatch” in a set with the Mark XVIII SFTI; reportedly sold out. The set sold for HK$69,850 at Phillips in 2023 |
We found no source describing the stopwatch's function in the story beyond its appearing near the end, so we do not embellish it. The 1986 film has a reported continuity change in Maverick's watch during the training flight, from a forum thread we could not open.
The IWC link, and what it is not
Duncan says the IWC relationship began when a pilot he met in Nevada introduced him to IWC CEO Christophe Grange-Hair. IWC has made TOP GUN watches since 2007, though a 2012 company statement dates the partnership to 2005. We found sources for both years. IWC's deal is with the Navy program, and no outlet we opened shows a paid placement in the film, so we describe it as a prop-department collaboration rather than sponsorship.
The Porsche Design story is separate. Porsche Design's own Chronograph 1-1972 and 75 Years editions are its releases, and we found no source tying them to the film. For more on the maker of the recruits' watches, see our IWC history. For another film franchise with a defined watch identity, see our James Bond watches guide.
Get the look for less
Real-world watches that echo the ones above, with indicative US prices. These are editorial suggestions, not the watches from the films.
| Watch | Why it fits | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Porsche Design Chronograph 1 All Black Numbered Edition | The modern descendant of Maverick's watch | $7,650 (Watches of Switzerland, undated) |
| IWC Pilot's Chronograph Top Gun IW389101 (civilian) | The civilian cousin of the recruits' ceramic SFTI | ~$5,999–$6,450 asking |
| Rolex Explorer 1016 (vintage) | Penny's watch in Maverick | ~$13,250–$24,950 asking |
Myths and mix-ups, corrected
- “Maverick wore a Rolex Explorer 1016 in 1986.” Unsourced and contradicted. His 1986 watch is the Porsche Design, and the 1016 is Penny's in 2022.
- “Maverick wears a Breitling or IWC.” In 1986 he wears the Porsche Design. IWC is on the recruits in 2022. Breitling appears only among Cruise's publicity-tour watches.
- “Cruise wears a Hamilton in Maverick.” We found no evidence. A search returned only retailer marketing copy. Hamilton's film link is Interstellar, not Top Gun.
- “Cruise's 2022 watch is definitely the 1986 original.” The prop master says yes; Monochrome says a better-condition piece. Backups existed.
- “IWC is the official watch partner of the film.” Unsourced. IWC's deal is with the Navy program, and the film link is a prop-department collaboration.
- “The prop master confirmed nearly every watch.” One guide says so with no citation. We could verify Duncan only on the Porsche, Penny's Explorer, the IWC SFTI watches generally and the stopwatch.
Sources
Hodinkee Japan (Danny Milton, interview with prop master Robbie Duncan, March 2023), Monochrome, Bloomberg (Roberta Naas), Fratello, Coronet, Wrist Enthusiast, Watchonista, watch-id, DMARGE and Phillips for identifications and prices; Watchreel and Loupe for single-source claims, which we label uncertain. No costume designer is credited with a statement on watches for either film. Prices are indicative US-dollar figures retrieved on October 11, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What watch does Tom Cruise wear in Top Gun?
A black PVD Porsche Design Chronograph 1 made by Orfina, in both the 1986 film and Top Gun: Maverick. The exact reference is not settled.
What watch does Penny wear in Top Gun: Maverick?
A vintage Rolex Explorer, borrowed from the producer's wife per the prop master. The reference is reported as 1016.
What watches do the recruits wear in Top Gun: Maverick?
IWC Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor watches. Rooster's is reported as the IW389004 chronograph; Phoenix and Bob wear Mark XVIII versions.
Is Maverick's watch the same in both movies?
The prop master says yes, while Monochrome says the 2022 watch is in better condition. Backup watches existed.
Does Hamilton appear in Top Gun?
We found no evidence of a Hamilton tie-in with either film.
Can you buy the watches from Top Gun?
The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 and Rolex Explorer are available vintage or new. The military IWC SFTI watches are not sold, but a civilian version exists.
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