In Titanic, the highest grossing film of all-time and winner of eleven Academy Awards, director James Cameron chose the Rolex Submariner as the watch to spotlight. Titanic is a 1997 American romantic film directed, written, co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April of 1912. The film features Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater, and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, two members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ill-fated voyage.

The main characters and the central love story are fictional, but some characters (such as members of the ship’s crew) are based on real historical figures. Gloria Stuart plays the elderly Rose, who narrates the film in a modern day framing device. The framing device is the present day tale of the treasure hunt that encircles the telling of the main story of the ill-fated love affair and the actual Titanic disaster.

The story begins with Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) on a treasure hunt to find a necklace set with a valuable blue diamond called the The Heart of the Ocean. Like a true aquatic adventurer, Lovett wears a gold Rolex Submariner in every scene, whether he is speaking with 100-year old Rose Calvert on board his ship or examining the actual wreck of the Titanic while navigating a submersible at the bottom of the ocean. Aside from the jeweled necklace at the heart of the story, the gold Rolex Submariner is the most highlighted piece of personal wardrobe in the entire film. The Rolex Submariner is an example of Rolex’s commitment to create a special watch that performs in extreme aquatic conditions.

In terms of water resistance and diving capability, it is the most successful mass-produced watch ever made. The early models of the Submariner were featured in several James Bond movies like Dr. No and Live and Let Die. As a result, the Rolex Submariner has become identified as the watch of action heroes and adventurers. Naturally, James Cameron would choose the Rolex Submariner as the watch to highlight in his epic film about the greatest sea disaster of all time.

Since the character of Brock Lovett is written as a true modern-day sea adventurer, the only watch he possibly could wear to authenticate his story is the Rolex Submariner. In the end, a classic watch like the Rolex Submariner walks side-by-side with a classic film like James Cameron’s Titanic.