Editor’s pick — Accessory quick take: key highlight (movement/specs for watches, materials/finish, limited run, pricing tier) in 1–2 lines.
Pretty Baby might not be listed in the credits of Aziz Ansari’s new film and feature directorial debut, Good Fortune, but it certainly is a character. The reason? Well, because it’s a watch—but not just any watch. It’s a 1978 18k Yellow Gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6263, and it plays a meaningful role in the film.
“Pretty Baby”, 1978 18k Yellow Gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6263. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Aziz also stars in Good Fortune alongside Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, Sandra Oh, and Keke Palmer. A watch guy through and through—and a Talking Watches alum—Aziz decided to introduce watches not as props but as living symbols in his film. To do it right, he turned to his longtime friend Cameron Barr, founder of Craft + Tailored, to help “cast” and source the watches. Barr, who also appears on screen as himself, has known Aziz for years, and when the time came to integrate watches into the story, it was an easy call.
A few watches from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Aziz told me that at some point during writing, he realized he could use a watch almost like a MacGuffin—an object that quietly drives the plot forward. Early conversations with Barr centered on which reference could carry that symbolic weight. “We both knew it had to be a Rolex,” he said, “but the Newman felt too obvious, so we wanted something with that same energy but maybe a little more under the radar.” He had seen a Yellow Gold 6263 somewhere, mentioned it to Barr, and that’s where they landed. Barr remembers that process clearly: the Daytona, he said, “just hit a sweet spot—iconic enough for insiders, but instantly cool even if you’ve never thought about watches before.” The choice of gold, too, was deliberate. “It had to look like something substantial and valuable,” Barr explained, “but still believable for Seth’s character to actually own.”
Aziz and Barr also agreed that the watch needed personality. The name Pretty Baby came up almost as a joke on set and then stuck. In the film, Seth Rogen’s character buys the watch as a birthday gift to himself, but its meaning evolves. What begins as validation turns into obsession and, eventually, leverage.
Cameron Barr of Craft + Tailored. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
A pivotal moment in Good Fortune, which I caught with a packed East Village crowd last weekend, (spoiler alert) comes when Aziz’s and Seth’s characters literally switch lives—and, naturally, their watches. Both men wear pieces that mirror their emotional states: Aziz’s character starts with a Seiko SKX007, and Seth wears the classic 1978 Rolex GMT-Master “Pepsi” Ref. 1675. “How do you convey all this stuff and add more richness to what’s happening here?” Aziz says, “The more details you can have that are different about the person, the more interesting it becomes.” So naturally, when their fortunes flip, so do the watches. Those details helped him perform and symbolize the transformation.
All of the watches seen on screen are real. Aziz emphasized the importance of working closely with Barr and the art department to ensure that “people who actually know this stuff don’t roll their eyes,” and that everything was real, correct, and chosen for a reason. Barr agreed, saying that in film, “if a watch is fake or the car is wrong for the era, it pulls you out of the world. Getting those details right makes it believable.”
Aziz and Cameron on set. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
That realism extends beyond the watches. One of the things that I’ve been drawn to in Aziz’s directorial work—from Master of None to Good Fortune—is how he treats settings, and now objects, as characters in themselves. He said he wanted Los Angeles to feel as specific and lived-in as New York did in Master of None, “We shot in the places we actually go—Koreatown, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock. I wanted it to look like the version of L.A. that I know, not just some generic backdrop.” The same philosophy applies to casting real people. Aziz said he knew from the start that Barr should play himself. “I like using real people when I can,” he told me. “Cam just knew the right tone—he’s comfortable on camera and knows the world. It’s more natural that way.”
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Ultimately, Good Fortune is a story about how material things reflect identity—the watches just happen to make that idea tangible. For Aziz, every detail—from a caseback engraving to a restaurant sign—carries meaning. “Directing is really just making a million decisions,” he said. “The goal is to have enough time to be thoughtful about each one.”
Source: www.hodinkee.com — original article published 2025-10-24 15:00:00.
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