American Psycho (2000)

This is the 2000 film. For the 1991 novel, see American Psycho (1991).

American Psycho

Mary Harron's satirical horror film. A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies. (IMDb)

Watches

Seiko 5 SNXJ90

Worn by Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman. Dressed up to pass as a Rolex Datejust; a long-circulated account, reported by Esquire Middle East without a named source, holds that Rolex declined to be associated with the murderous protagonist. Montres de Luxe independently identifies the same watch on Bateman's wrist, stating explicitly that it is not the Rolex Oyster Date it is dressed to resemble, though it renders the reference as SNJX90, a transposition of the SNXJ90 stamped on the case. (Esquire Middle East; Montres de Luxe) BAMF Style's study of Bateman's wardrobe reaches the same watch and describes what the frames show: a 38 mm steel case under a fluted gold bezel, a white dial with a day-date window at three, a gold crown set just before four o'clock and a two-tone Jubilee-style bracelet on the left wrist. (BAMF Style) Two watch-press pieces state the Datejust outright without the Seiko reading: Bob's Watches describes "a two-tone 36mm Rolex Datejust reference 16013 with a Jubilee bracelet and tapestry dial in the film", and Time+Tide names "Patrick Bateman's Rolex Datejust in American Psycho" among cinema's best-known watches. Neither engages the frame evidence for the Seiko, so they stand as the competing account. (Bob's Watches; Time+Tide) Boss Hunting reports confirming the Seiko 5 SNXJ90 itself through "pause + zoom action replays", and notes the production's change from the novel and screenplay, which name Rolex: Bateman says "Don't touch the watch" instead of "Don't touch the Rolex". (Boss Hunting) Oracle of Time's villains list repeats the Datejust account, "The Rolex in question is a Rolex Datejust Ref 16013", and grounds it in the novel, which "mentions it 26 times"; Teddy Baldassarre's survey of screen watches instead gives the Seiko 5 SNXJ90 "standing in for Rolex Datejust". (Oracle of Time; Teddy Baldassarre)

© Lionsgate

The disputed Rolex identification

Collectors and dealers call the two-tone Rolex Datejust 16013 the "American Psycho Rolex," but that nickname does not establish a second watch in the film. Whether any scene shows a genuine Datejust distinct from the Seiko remains unresolved; the available frame does not distinguish the two. The identification history separates the screen evidence, the novel's unnamed gold Rolex, and the market nickname.