Sep 16, 2025
Remembering Robert Redford, His Films, and His Influence on the Watch Community
I’m part of a generation that grew up appreciating Robert Redford, who passed away this morning at the age of 89, primarily through the lens of their parents. Specifically, in my case, through my mom, who I can remember renting The Sting for me and my sister when we were children, certainly too young to appreciate Redford’s cultural impact on a generation of moviegoers, but not too young to understand his movie star magnetism. That’s something that defies age. Over the years, as my movie education expanded and deepened, I began to see Redford in a series of different lights. At times, he was the consummate leading man. At others he exemplified a particular type of American authenticity and charm. As he aged, he grew into roles where he played learned experts, passing on knowledge (and movie star bona fides) to new generations of actors. Perhaps most importantly, he was an evangelist for movies, the founder of the Sundance Film Festival, and spent much of his later life promoting and elevating independent film in one way or another. He was also, of course, an important part of the watch community and over the years has been responsible for more watch spotting Instagram posts, articles, and podcasts, than perhaps any other celebrity. His Red Sub, to us, became an extension of Redford’s persona. It was as much a part of his image as the red jacket worn by James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, or Audrey Hepburn’s pearls in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The difference wi...
Time+Tide
