Like many Americans, I watched Super Bowl LII in early February of 2017. Thankfully, this year’s game was not a blow-out and it kept my attention for the whole time. The athletes on both sides put on a great show toย the very end. Besides the game, the other key attractions of the Super Bowl has to be the halftime show and commercials. Viewers actually look forward to seeing what the advertisers will do. Many iconic, infamous and celebrated commercials have been premiered during the game. This makes good sense for the companies that can spend $5,000,000 for a 30-second spot.
While many products and services are on display, the majority of the Super Bowl ad space is bought by automakers or beer companies. There is rarely anything for watch collectors to anticipate or get excited about. I would love to see a commercialย starring our favorite watch brands. Maybe one-day Omega or Rolex will step up, but truthfully they do not have to advertiseย this way because their products will sell regardless. This year was slightly different for watch collectors (maybe). Sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed a watch-relatedย Easter egg in one of the commercials if they did not blink or run to the kitchen for snacks.
Movie studios target the Super Bowl to premiere their trailers and this year, the much-anticipated teaser for SOLO was shown. If you don’t know what I am talking about, then maybe you have heard of Han Solo of Star Wars fame? Disney is releasing the backstory for this space rogue and ever charming pilot of the Millennium Falcon. Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian and maybe some other characters from the classic movies will be there. But enough about that… let’s see the trailer!
Did you see the watch before the 1-second mark? This wristwatch-like item appeared in the SOLO trailer for a few frames, but what can we infer about this watch? It is not the most ergonomic device and it looks huge on Han’s wrist. If there is a dial or display on this device, it is not lit up. There are no hands, numbers or text. There does not seem to be any swithces, crowns or pushers.ย At this point, we do not know much about what the watch on Han Solo’s wrist is supposed to do. We have to assume it is more tech tool than time-teller. It might not even be a watch at all so I wrote a list of some other possibilities.
- Steve Job’s early prototype for the Apple Watch
- A Space Chronograph to time the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs
- A Casio Space Calculator Watch to add up Disney’s profits
- Space handcuffs (if he escaped from jail)
- A tracking device so that Jabba the Hutt or some other space gangster can track Solo and his smuggled shipments
- A remote control for the Millenium Falcon (beep beep)
- A communication device to keep in touch with Chewy
- A superfly piece of custom jewelry given to Han by Lando
- A miniature teleprompter that tells Han funny lines to say
- A holder for his golden dice
- A Greedo warning device
- A princess finder
Han Solo’s wrist watch?
My opinion is that this watch, the boxy land speeders, the analog dials, switches and levers in the Millennium Falcon are a nostalgic nod to the Star Wars galaxy far, far away. It is as if the design team created a new and exciting unseen corner of the Star Wars universe for fans to see, but it also looks like a nod to the 1970s themselves when the first Star Wars “A New Hope” was released.
A really boxy land speeder used by Han Solo looks like my old Plymouth Fury II
Everything about the Millennium Falcon is refreshingly old school. The best part is that this ship has not been updated beyond recognition from the original. Sure it got a new radar dish and tweaks, but the point is valid.
Old school levers, buttons, and switches in the Millennium Falcon look like the ones invented in the 1970s for the first Star Wars film.
There are no holographic displays or computer screens. There are flat, backlit buttons, toggle switches and levers. The most quaint detail of the Falcon is that it does not appear to have seatbelts, even with all those acrobatic maneuvers.
Blinking lights, dials, and robotic co-pilots. This is not the bright world of Star Trek.
SOLO will show the Millennium Falcon as it was when it was new including the pointy front end of the ship. ย Just look at those controls… They are things that little boys like to play with to make believe they are space pirates. I know that I did that when I was a kid. Even today I might think of my Subaru as an X-Wing Fighter? I don’t really have to grow up, do I?
Shifters and switches used to pilot the Falcon give a welcome analog look.
Every sci-fi universe has a look, and Star Wars is no different. Most of the characters inhabit a “used world” full of dirt, dust, and scratches. That is what makes the scenes seem so real an allow us to suspend our disbelief to get caught up in the fantasy of the Star Wars saga.
The Star Wars universe is tough on equipment! The movies have a lived-in look.
Maybe I was making some wild guesses about Han’s watch-like item. Until more detailed information or the Star Wars SOLO movie comes out on Memorial Day 2018, we will all be guessing. One thing is for sure… almost any film will be better than Rian Johnson’s horrific “The Last Jedi” that made lots of money but destroyed many childhood dreams. That movie was a low point in Star Wars lore beating some of the prequels to the bottom. History will probably not be kind to it. Let’s hope Ron Howard’s SOLO brings back some real love (and respect) for the Star Wars franchise. Personally, I think Opie will do it!
Close-up of Han Solo’s Watch in SOLO
