Lethal Weapon (1987)

Lethal Weapon

Richard Donner's buddy-cop landmark pairs suicidal Vietnam veteran Martin Riggs with settled family man Roger Murtaugh across an LAPD narcotics case. Warner Bros., 1987. (IMDb)

Watches

Timex Black Max 42911

Worn by Mel Gibson as Martin Riggs. Riggs's watch in the first film is probably the Timex Black Max SportsQuartz ref. 42911, not the TAG Heuer Formula 1 ref. 383.513/1 to which it has long been attributed. A collector's reinspection of the 4K master isolates cues that fit the Timex and contradict the TAG: a gold Q above the Timex signature, a red-tipped seconds hand, baton rather than circular hour plots, no red chapter ring, and the 42911's ribbed strap and clasp. The coffee scene makes the case unusually persuasive, but neither the dial printing nor case back is perfectly readable in the available frame, so the reference remains a probable identification rather than a production-confirmed fact. Timex's 1987 US catalog lists the black quartz sports watch at $29.95, precisely the cheap, functional choice one might expect on a detective who lives in a trailer, while the familiar TAG appears clearly in later Lethal Weapon films. (r/Timex identification and 4K frame; 1987 Timex catalog)

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