Worn by: Robert De Niro as Mitch Preston
Reference: Rolex Oyster
Brand: Rolex
The Rolex Oyster represents everything Mitch Preston values and everything the film satirizes about buddy cop movies. It's the ultimate anti-flashy watch choice—solid, professional, unadorned. While a typical Hollywood cop in 2002 might wear something more ostentatious (the film was released during the era of oversized chronographs), Mitch's understated Rolex signals his old-school values and contempt for showboating. The watch choice is deliberately ironic: Rolex is a status symbol, but the simple Oyster model without complications says "I earned this through real work, not reality TV." It's the watch equivalent of Mitch's personality—refusing to play by Hollywood rules even when forced onto a Hollywood set. The costume department's choice reinforces the film's central tension between authentic professionalism and manufactured entertainment.
Source: https://oracleoftime.com/robert-de-niro-wristwatches/