I began to make this point about eight years ago in 2008 when the first Iron Man movie came out in theaters, writing about how Tony Stark was wearing multiple Bulgari watches in the film. About a year into blogging about watches, I was rather impressed by the placement of the watches in the film and commented on how the choice of timepieces complemented the character. The story might have ended there with it being just another modern product placement, but in the 2010 Iron Man 2 movie, an entire scene was dedicated to luxury watches. Most people seemed to miss it, but for the watch industry it was a significant triumph.

At about 52 minutes into Iron Man 2, Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) character walks into Tony Stark’s bedroom carrying a watch box asking the question, “do you know what watch you’d like to wear tonight Mr. Stark?” I remember sitting in the movie theater at the time thinking to myself, “Holy shit, did that just happen? How did this scene get made?” Johansson then puts down the box (just like the ones so many of us have, meant to hold a dozen timepieces) and makes Iron Man a martini, handing it to him and asking “is that dirty enough for you?”

The look on Robert Downey Jr.’s face is not one of a man acting in that precise moment. He then replies to her that he wants a “Jaeger” and beckons her to bring the entire box to him on his lap. One of Hollywood’s most important sex symbols just made him a drink and proceeded to ferry in a box of luxury timepieces. If this isn’t a scene men will want to live out at some point in their lives, I don’t know what is. Whether or not this scene was Hollywood storytelling or marketing won’t matter a lick in a decade or so from now. Its officially part of “cool-guy lore,” and this is part of a larger picture which creates coolness and demand for tomorrow’s watch purchase decisions.

Now that I’ve established that Tony Stark is a bit of a watch guy, and that the Iron Man movies celebrate this, I wanted to talk about what Tony Stark is wearing in Captain America: Civil War. No, it isn’t per se an Iron Man movie, but it is the same characters in the same story universe. What was Robert Downey Jr. wearing throughout most of the movie? Not a real product, but rather a prop smartwatch that seemed to unfold into an Iron Man suit – among doing other things – and is powered by a smaller version of the reactor that Stark has in his chest keeping him alive.

On a bracelet and looking about as cool as a smartwatch can these days, you see Robert Downey Jr. wearing the watch both on top of his wrist and under it in various scenes in the movie. In fact, the watch has as much (if not more) of a part in the plot, as James Bond’s “gadget” Rolex and Omega watches did in 007 movies.

This comes at a time when smartwatches are not a major part of “cool” culture, nor are they universally loved yet. In fact, we arguably have yet to find a core value for smartwatches given today’s technology. Nothing you can buy works like Tony Stark’s smartwatch. And yet there is inherent promise in the concept, and more importantly, product validation. By Iron Man wearing a smartwatch, the entire product genre gains a few coolness points – at least with youth. Robert Downey Jr.’s rendition of Tony Stark is well-dressed and effortlessly hip despite his age. Intentional or not, this is Hollywood’s nod of approval to the entire smartwatch industry. If anything, it should help consumers stay curious to see what manufacturers come out with next.

After seeing Tony Stark wear his Hollywood prop-master-special smartwatch throughout most of Captain America: Civil War, I was excited but also a bit disappointed. Is this the end of a classy Mr. Stark who gracefully chooses his luxury timepiece for the evening’s opportunities? The answer is “No,” as it turns out, which for me is the most important part of the story. While in “business mode” throughout the movie, Stark wears his functional smartwatch; when he is more relaxed toward the end of the movie, all of a sudden I see him wearing a traditional watch. It is as though even the movie producers realized that with emerging technology also comes new choices. The smartwatch is for business and action, while the traditional timepiece is for play and leisure.

Now, that isn’t a concept that hasn’t been raised around here before, and it is interesting to see it repeated on the big screen. I didn’t even see the dial of the traditional watch he was wearing very well, but one could easily tell by the case and strap that it was not the Iron Man smartwatch from earlier in the film.

Sure, for now, this is all just stuff that happens in a movie. It is easy to dismiss, but time has a way of making these costume and prop decisions important. As kids grow up, they do so without forgetting their heroes – be they real of fictional. A good story is still a good story, whether it is true or not, and the same goes for characters. We are each free to choose who our role models are, but once we do, we can be damn sure their style choices have a real impact on us. Now, I’m curious to see what will be on Tony Stark’s wrist in Iron Man 4.

Until then, be sure to check out this interview with Robert Downey Jr. about his “epic” watch collection. Enviable it definitely is – epic, maybe not so much. And while Downey Jr. clearly was not aware, there actually is a fake watch among the ones he shows… Let’s see if you can spot which one it is – we’ll add the answer to the end of this post at the end of the day of publishing.