6. Belts

Although there are occasions when Captain Jack doesn’t don any braces, he always wears a belt during his Torchwood and post-Torchwood eras. The reason Jack wears both a belt and braces to keep his trousers up are twofold. Firstly, it was chosen by John to give Jack a “midwestern farmboy look” that he felt would suit the character. Secondly, the belt provides a point for Jack to attach his pistol holster to.

Click here to access the main costume index page.

IMPORTANT INFO:
I am in the process of replicating these belts, so if you are interested in commissioning one then please get in touch now. Strap length is going to be adjustable to be bespoke to the customer, making an exact accurate fit achievable. They are to be made from the highest quality vegetable tanned leather, meaning unlike cheap high street belts that often use reconstituted leather, these will be made to truly last. Pricing is TBD but it should be in the region of £50. The unidentified ones are definitely going to be done first, depending on demand the Belstaff ones might be possible (sans logo) but these are a more complicated design to produce.


6.1. Unknown square silver buckle - golden brown strap:
Years Used: 2006

Given that his battledress trousers from the Blitz were designed to be worn solely with braces, the very first belt that we see Captain Jack wear as part of his R.A.F. look was introduced in the very first episode of Torchwood. The belt itself has a silver coloured square centre bar buckle attached to a 32-35mm wide golden brown leather strap (it looks closer to chocolate under certain lighting, but golden brown is more accurate). The strap itself is several inches too long for John, resulting in the belt end terminating around the area of his left pocket. There are many oval adjustment holes along the length of this belt (fifteen by my count) including all the way to the far end of the strap. John appears to wear this on the fifth tightest hole.

One of the most iconic S1 promo shots, from when Jack first talks to Gwen in the Hub.

This belt was used for the first two episodes of the series then seemingly never seen after that. Given these unusual features I suspect that it was something with some age to it rather than a new item specifically bought or made for the show. The holes extending right to the end of the strap suggest that this was originally a larger size and was cut down at the opposite end to the buckle. It might not have even started life as a garment belt at all, but some other kind of strap.

The holes running right the way to the far end of the strap make me believe this was cut down at that end at some point.

6.2. Belstaff rectangular brass buckle:
Years Used: 2006-2011
The stalwart belts worn by Barrowman over the course of Torchwood’s four series were all just different colourways of the same Belstaff design. This belt featured a 34mm wide strap with stitching along the border of the leather. A small brass Belstaff logo is visible on the retainer loop of the belt.

Unfortunately these belts are incredibly rare nowadays. There isn’t really any documentation from the era to specify the model name. From the small number that have been found it seems that they were sold in only one strap length, designed to be easily detached from the buckle and cut down to size at that end. John seemingly hasn’t done this on his, as the belt on the long side for him. Instead, five additional holes were punched into the belt to allow for a tighter adjustment, giving a total of ten holes. John typically wears it on the second tightest hole, plus or minus one.

Given that this design of belt is one of the few items that has spanned multiple costume designers and seemingly has never been displayed or auctioned, it wouldn’t surprise me if these were Barrowman’s own. That is however speculation on my part.

    6.2.1. golden brown strap:
     Years Used: 2006-2009
This colour saw use through all three series of Cardiff era Torchwood. Quite appropriately the colour of the strap matches the colour of the Luke boots, at least the ones that weren’t darkened. The strap colour does seem to vary a bit over the series, it probably darkened slightly from being handled and conditioning.

This belt was a steady presence throughout the first three seasons. Ianto even managed to source Jack an identical one for post-explosion Children of Earth.

    6.2.2. chocolate brown strap:
     Years Used: 2006-2010
This one is more of a chocolate colour. It seems to be a little darker than his darkest dyed Luke boots, but he will often pair this belt with his lighter ones too. Given that Captain Jack's Tonight's the Night appearance was probably filmed at the time of his The End of Time cameo, this belt was probably worn for the alien bar scene.

Jack pairs this belt with both his light and dark shirts, but he will nearly always choose this belt when he wears his navy blue shirt.

    6.2.3. saddle brown strap:
     Years Used: 2011
For his Miracle Day arc, Jack once again wears this model of belt, this time in more of a saddle brown colour somewhere between the hue of his earlier belts. I’m not sure if this is a golden brown one from before that has been darkened from use and/or conditioning, or this season’s belt was newly sourced and a slightly different colour from the start. Either way, it’s distinct enough to get its own section here.

Is it a darkened golden brown one? Or a completely new colourway? You decide. The top right picture actually nicely illustrates the length of these belts.

6.3. Unknown square brass buckle - golden brown strap:
Years Used: 2020-2021
The final belt that Harness wears for his return appearances is wider than the others, utilising a 38-40mm golden brown leather strap attached to a square bronze buckle. As before, the strap length is on the longer side (though not quite as long as his previous ones), finishing just past the brace buttons. There appear to be five or six adjustment holes, with John wearing it in the second tightest setting.

I never truly appreciated how much lens flare this episode had until I started taking screencaps from it.

Although the brand is unidentified, the style and wider strap suggests that this belt was designed to be worn with jeans. A similar (albeit silver buckled) belt to this was used in the mannequin at the Doctor Who Experience, that one was not screen used as it predates this one by many years.

Behind the scenes shots of John. One can see here that the belt is still on the long side, but not quite as much as the previous ones were.

5. Braces

The golden rule of braces for this section? Button braces. Never use clip on braces, they look cheap. Take a little extra time to sew some brace buttons on the inside waistband of your trousers (see the forthcoming trousers section for tips on that).

Click here to access the main costume index page.

Some other points of note before we dive in:

• Braces’ standard strap width is 35mm for regular ones, and 25mm for skinny ones like the Eleventh Doctor typically wore. Other widths do exist, but these are by far the most common two.
• There are two main kinds of end styles for button braces. One with the singular leather runner connecting to both buttons, and the other with separately stamped out leather tabs. you’ll see what I mean below.
• Braces come in different strap lengths, designed to correspond to the wearer’s height. The further up the body the metal adjusters are, the longer the straps are.
• All of Jack’s braces are Y back, with matching colour straps all around. Although variations of back style do exist, the Y back design is the standard for button braces nowadays.

Braces have been worn in one form or another for several centuries, but their modern iteration was invented in 1822 by London haberdasher Albert Thurston. Their popularity first waned after the First World War, when soldiers became more accustomed to wearing belts as part of their uniform. After a gradual decline in popularity over the 20th century, nowadays most trousers are designed to be worn exclusively with a belt, with braces being perceived as a more formal option. This is rather a shame as braces are nearly always the more comfortable of the two.

Although braces are considered a key part of Captain Jack’s look, he doesn’t always wear them. There are many occasions over the course of the first two series of Torchwood where he actually wears no braces, specifically always when he wears flat fronted trousers.

Multiple examples of Jack not wearing any braces over the course of the first two series. It's actually not all that uncommon for him to do this.

5.1. British MOD light grey - brown leather:
Years Used: 2005, 2008*

These braces were standard amongst the various branches of the British Military during WWII. Presumably John wears them under the blouson during his 2005 appearance and 2008 Torchwood Trading Card Collection photoshoot, although they are never actually seen. So the actual existence of this item within the context of the show is actually speculation on my part, but as they’re a standard part of the uniform it’s a fairly safe bet.

Military braces being used on Captain Jack’s outfit at the Doctor Who Experience (left) compared to a stock photo (right). It’s possible that these are the screen used ones, but given the non-original belt I suspect these might also have been sourced retroactively.

These braces feature 35mm light grey straps, and brown stamped leather ends. Original examples are not elasticated, though many modern replicas are (for comfort).


5.2. Unknown light grey - black leather:
Years Used: 2006-2010

Captain Jack’s preferred type of braces are button ones with light grey plain weave elasticated straps and black leather runner ends. Over the course of the show he wore many different pairs, often with minor changes to the stitching shape on the leather end tab. For the purposes of this however I will break down the braces into two main types based on the strap width.

    5.2.1. 30mm straps:

     Years Used: 2006

These have rather unusual straps, sitting between standard and skinny width. He generally seemed to wear these for the first series, gradually transitioning into wider 35mm ones. I don’t think he wears these in the beyond the first series but I’m not 100% sure of that. The length on these is consistently long enough for the adjusters to be at chest height.

These 30mm braces seem to be more of a series one thing. The strap length was consistent meaning the strap adjusters were always positioned around chest height.

    5.2.2. 35mm straps:

     Years Used: 2006-2010

These are standard width, so slightly wider than the previous ones. They were phased in during the first series then fully replaced the 30mm ones after that. There seem to have been several 35mm ones used on the series, with slightly different lengths and stitching shapes on the end tabs, so this sub-point groups all those into one. Regarding the stitching, if you look at the ones used in the first two series the stitching on the leather end tap makes a ᗜ shape, whereas around Children of Earth it becomes more of a ▽ shape, which is a less common way of doing it. Of the two lengths, the medium length ones with the chest height adjusters seem to see more screentime than the shorter ones with the adjustment clips further down.

Examples of Jack's 35mm braces, note how the left pair has longer straps than the ones on the right.

5.3. Unknown burgundy - black leather:

Years Used: 2006, 2011

During the first series of Torchwood, Jack would occasionally switch thing up and wear a pair of dark red braces. These appear to have 35mm straps, a short length, and black stamped leather button tabs.

Shots of the burgundy braces from series one (left) and series four (right). John never threads the braces under the shoulder straps until Miracle Day.

Although they wouldn’t appear for the next few years, they made a return for Miracle Day. I don’t doubt these are two different pairs of braces, sourced at different times by different costume designers, but visually they appear to be identical. Hence, I am classifying them as one item.

There are some rules behind as to when Jack wears these. For series one these burgundy braces are always worn whenever he wears one of his pairs of fishtail trousers, whereas for series four the burgundy braces are always paired with the more modern styled of his two pairs of Miracle Day trousers.

5.4. Unknown burgundy - brown leather:

Years Used: 2011

The other pair of braces worn during Miracle Day had 35mm straps of the same hue of red as the others, but had two key differences. Firstly the leather ends were the brown and the runner tab style. Secondly the straps were too long on John, with the adjusters sitting around shoulder height.

Note the very high location of the adjuster straps on these braces. The specific combination of features these braces possess make them the hardest to find a match for.

These braces were always paired with the higher waisted pair of Miracle Day trousers. They make appearances in both the present day (2011) and 1920’s flashback scenes.


5.5. Darcy Clothing blue-grey striped - black leather:
Years Used: 2020-2021

One of the most notable changes in brace style occurred for Jack’s return, where he changed from wearing plain straps to striped ones. These were sourced from Darcy Clothing (with product code BR716) and were worn for all three of his Whittaker era appearances.

Left: Revolution of the Daleks (in-episode)
Top right: Fugitive of the Judoon (behind the scenes)
Bottom right: Time Fracture (behind the scenes)

As with most of his previous braces, the straps are 35mm wide, however the length is noticeably less than the previous ones. Objectively speaking they’re too small for John as the adjusters are right at the base, leaving no room to add any further length.

Listing photo of the screen accurate braces.

Braces with these exact pattern of strap stripe actually pop up a lot in film and television, the strap manufacturer supplies a variety of brace producers. John Turturro wears an identical pair in Severance, and Daniel Craig wore a red colourway in the 2008 film Defiance. John Barrowman even wore a red strap version in his 1899 scene in the episode Fragments.

The red striped pair that was sold at auction back in 2013. I haven't included this pair in the index as I am only documenting R.A.F. inspired looks, though the long grey Ulster coat here is clearly meant to be a Victorian precursor to his later look.

4. Mid-Layers

Although Captain Jack is usually associated as having no intermediate layer between his shirt and greatcoat, he did on many occasions wear one. This is actually a more proper thing to do, as the greatcoat is cut roomy enough to be worn over tunic and in the R.A.F. would never ever be worn directly over a shirt. Given how John was often picture between takes in an oversized puffy coat over his greatcoat suggests that the character might've actually benefitted from an extra layer of insulation for filming the colder scenes, though under hot studio lights indoors this may have become uncomfortable.

Click here to access the main costume index page.

4.1. British MOD R.A.F. Battledress blouson:
Years Used: 2005, 2008*

Although the No1 Service Dress is still in use in today’s R.A.F. (albeit with a slightly different design), the Battledress worn by Jack has been discontinued. The British Battledress was favoured by U.S. General (later president) Dwight D. Eisenhower, who adapted the blouson design to be used within the American military.

    4.1.1. Squadron Leader:
     Years Used: 2005

In keeping with correct military uniform, when we first meet Jack during the London Blitz he is seen wearing a Battledress blouson under his greatcoat. On his left side is a winged R.A.F. badge and Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon. The shoulder straps match his coat’s rank of Squadron Leader. A military reënactment supplier would be the best place to source this Battledress jacket, replica DFC ribbon, et cetera.

Promotional shot from Captain Jack's introduction back in 2005.

    4.1.2. Group Captain:
     Years Used: 2008*

For the 2008 Torchwood Trading Card Collection, Barrowman was photographed in a recreation of his Blitz look for card 145. This blouson was identical to the 2005 one except for the rank being upped to Group Captain, presumably to try and keep continuity with his Torchwood look. Though if you want a canon explanation for this change, this photo probably represents the time spent by immortal Jack whilst living through the entire 20th century rather than his con artist days.

As far as I'm aware this is the only photograph released of Jack in the Group Captain Battledress, though presumably more exist.

4.2. Belstaff blouson:
Years Used: 2006

During the opening two episodes of Torchwood, Jack would wear a tan coloured Belstaff blouson whenever he left the Hub. This cotton biker jacket features a check wool lining and chocolate brown corduroy around the collar and inner waistband. The clearest shots of this garment without the coat covering it can be seen when Jack talks to Gwen at the bar in the first episode.

I've always been a fan of this look, it gives a bit of realistic variety to his wardrobe.

The exact name of this model isn’t known as it isn’t specified in any of the interior labels and online documentation from this era is long gone, though the Lawrence model has been posed as a possibility. There are also several blouson models that are nearly identical to Jack’s, the features distinct to the screen accurate one include princess seams at the rear, a larger brand logo on the sleeve, and the corduroy on the inside waistband.

Shots of the jacket, including when it was listed for auction (bottom right) where it looks surprisingly well used.

4.3. Angels waistcoat:
Years Used: 2006-2008

By far the most commonly worn mid-layer between his shirt and greatcoat was Captain Jack’s waistcoat, utilised semi-regularly throughout the first two series. This waistcoat was always paired with his cotton flat fronted trousers. I’m not sure why but if I had to guess it might be that these more modern style trousers with their slightly lower rise better allow the holster to be worn, as on higher waisted trousers the belt it’s attached to would be hidden beneath the waistcoat.

Magazine photos showing a lot of the key details of the front. Notice the length of the waistcoat.

• Charcoal grey front with brown pinstripes, likely a worsted flannel or similar matte wool.
• Dark grey fine twill lining fabric rear (matches the greatcoat lining).
• Pointed base style.
• Notch lapels, these subduct into the shoulder seam rather than having a collar that goes around the back.
• Moderately low rise, it comes down to just below the shirt’s third button.
• Shoulders are fairly wide too and appear to be slightly bias cut.
• Period correct length (shorter than modern waistcoats).
• 6 button opening (15mm black 4 hole buttons).
• 3 thick welt pockets (~20mm welts), the lower pockets are positioned fractionally below the fourth button whereas the wearer’s upper left pocket is inline with the second button.
• No front darts.
• Rear chinch belt with steel buckle.

If you do commission a custom waistcoat then these are the details to get right. The fabric is a bit tricky as brown pinstripes are unusual on a grey background, but white pinstripes could be turned brown through the use of a fine fabric pen. It is possible that the stripes aren't this colour and it's some trick of the lighting, so use your own judgement there,

This waistcoat was the most frequently worn mid-layer.

The key thing about this waistcoat is the length. Modern trousers tend to be cut below the natural waist. This means that their rise is lower, which in turn necessitates a longer waistcoat to hide the gap. Pretty much all modern off-the-peg waistcoats are cut comically long, to the point that having the bottom button undone is a requirement in order to sit down and not have the front get pushed upwards and crumple. A shorter (correct) length waistcoat like Jack’s sits on the body much more naturally and is visually more appealing as it is more flattering to the wearer’s proportions. I’ve seen many replicas of vintage style waistcoats that are ruined by being cut much longer than they should be. The wider shoulders are another period detail that makes the waistcoat look more professional, many modern waistcoats are very narrow over the shoulders, more like a thermal vest.

Note that Jack wears his waistcoat’s lowest button undone, a style popularised in Britain during the early 20th century (there are various theories as to the exact origin). His waistcoat is however cut short enough that he could wear it fully buttoned without it being an issue.

Sean Connery in 1964’s Goldfinger (left) compared to a pretty typical modern off-the-peg alternative (right). See how stupidly long and unflattering the modern waistcoat is by comparison, it should be a few inches shorter but because modern trousers are low rise it would leave a gap if cut to the correct length and paired with them. Nearly all waistcoats made today have this issue, even a lot of bespoke ones that are supposed to be replicas of vintage pieces. Go check out some modern replicas of period outfits and you'll see the proportions of the waistcoat to the coat are often all off.

4.4. Belstaff utility vest:
Years Used: 2008

This piece was only seen during the flashback scenes in Fragments, meaning that Jack canonically wore it from at least the late 1990’s up until the mid 2000’s. Made out of a tan cotton canvas with an unusual backless design, this was likely intended as a hunting or fishing vest, though Jack uses it more as a tactical vest.

See how it attaches around the back much like an apron. I assume this is to make it fit a variety of sizes, but may also allow more breathability in warm weather.

Much like the blouson, the name of this model isn’t known, even by Belstaff themselves as when I contacted them they said the records from this period have been lost. The closest model I could find is the Castmaster (a fishing vest) but even that has some pretty significant differences. The brand is only confirmed thanks to the logo on the zip pull. Unlike the blouson however, to the best of my knowledge no other examples of this vest have never been found by a fan, suggesting it was made in low numbers.

One of the very few close-ups of this vest from when it was on display somewhere.

3. Watches

One of parts of Jack’s costume that John had the most direct influence in were the timepieces. Being a collector of watches, John was able to integrate pieces from his own collection into the character.

Click here to access the main costume index page.

Given that the majority of Jack’s watches cost thousands or even tens of thousands of pounds, most fans will not be able to afford this part of the costume. There is some good news however, as I have managed to create homage wristwatches of several of Jack’s iconic timepieces, at a tiny fraction of the cost of the original brands. The price of these vary from around £150 to £300 depending in the exact model and price fluctuations to produce them. Please email me at thedoctorswardrobe@gmail.com if you wish to discuss commissioning your very own one of these timepieces.

According to a conversation with John at a convention, due to the high value of the timepieces, on-set insurance wouldn’t cover them. So for filming, the internal movements of the Rolexes (the most expensive part) were removed in order to sufficiently lower the value to a more insurable amount. The hands were positioned manually for continuity between scenes, I assume some sort dimensionally compatible cheap movement must’ve been installed, as entirely removing the movement means there’s no pinion to attach the hands to.

Although John Barrowman is right handed, he doesn’t wear his watches on his left hand (as is traditionally correct for a right hander) either in person or in character. Instead he wears the vortex manipulator on his left wrist. He wears the pocketwatch on either side depending on the episode, though again the left side is typical for a right hander.


3.1. IWC Portugieser marriage watch:
Years Used: 2006

The very first watch that Captain Jack is seen wearing is a fairly large wristwatch with a black dial. This watch was worn for about half the time during the first series of Torchwood, in addition to the cast photoshoots, though was eventually phased out in favour of the Rolex. Confirmed appearances for this watch include Everything Changes, Day One, Ghost Machine, Cyberwoman, Greeks Bearing Gifts, and They Keep Killing Suzie, though it might have made further appearances. According to Barrowman, the watch that we first see Jack in (presumably he mean this one) was the first watch he got after making some decent money, giving it a personal connection.

Promotional photos for Torchwood's first series.

It has a relatively thin stainless steel case that’s around 42mm in diameter, with Arabic numerals, and either yellow gold or rose gold dial detailing (indices and hands). Attached to the case is an unpadded 22mm smooth black leather strap with stitching around the perimeter. Though most distinctive detail this watch possesses is a small seconds subdial positioned at the 9 o’clock position. Originally, wristwatches did have a subdial for the seconds before it became common to place the seconds hand atop the other two. Though the standard position for this subdial was at 6 o’clock. The dial and overall look is somewhat reminiscent of a Dirty Dozen watch, used by various militaries during the war.

The watch being worn with a variety of outfits during series one.

These details lead me to conclude that this is very likely a marriage watch, for those who don’t know this means that it is a pocketwatch that has been re-cased to convert it into a wristwatch. This is usually done for a couple of reasons, to make an old timepiece more wearable in a modern setting, and/or to sell the pocketwatch case for scrap value if it’s made of a precious metal. Given the gold detailing on the dial I believe the original pocketwatch case would be made in a matching metal. Though sometimes these watches are also re-dialed too so it might not be original. Although many parts on such a watch can be changed, in order to keep the original movement the subdial location cannot be changed. On an open face pocketwatch the crown would be at 12 o’clock and the seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. When rotating this by 90° to fit in a wristwatch case these positions change to 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock respectively. It is not uncommon for such marriage watches to have a more modern dial installed in order to compensate for this in the new orientation.

Some close up shots showing the dial and strap of the watch.

The thin case also suggests a hand-wound pocketwatch movement rather than an automatic one typical to wristwatches, the rotor to automate the winding adds extra thickness to a movement. The distinct shape of the hour and minute markers lead me to believe that this watch is a converted IWC. The visually closest standard model is the minute repeater version of the IWC Portugieser, as no others have a 9 o’clock subdial, though it doesn’t have the lever on the side to be this minute repeater model. A minute repeater is a complication that chimes out the time when the lever is activated, an expensive feature that was popular before electric lighting allowed easy reading of a pocketwatch in the dark.

Various IWC Portugieser models, note the variance in exact style. The left one is the only factory example, being a minute repeater version. The two on the right are marriage watches that have been converted from pocketwatches through replacement of the case and dial.

Given that this is likely a marriage watch, the exact combination of vintage and modern parts in it might make this exact one unique, there isn’t a reference number that can just be looked up. The best name I can apply to it is an IWC Portugieser marriage watch. It is also possible that this watch isn’t actually a converted pocketwatch and was made this way out of the factory, but either way it definitely uses a pocketwatch movement. An IWC marriage can fetch between three and four figures depending on the example, whereas a factory standard Portugieser typically fetches somewhere in the four figure range, with rarer models such as the minute repeater costing well into five figures.

After being unable to find a suitable watch for my collection, I decided the best way forward was to make my own replica of Jack's one, below is the result. Built around a hand-wound pocketwatch movement (visible via the glass exhibition caseback) the watch features the same distinctive 9 o'clock seconds subdial that is only possible from this sort of manual movement. The timepiece features a 42mm stainless steel case attached to a black unpadded leather strap, with the dial being gilded with rose gold. 

My homage of the series one timepiece. To register interest in purchasing one of these please email:
thedoctorswardrobe@gmail.com

IWC (International Watch Company) was founded in Switzerland in 1868, and is based in Schaffhausen. The Portugieser model traces its origins back to 1938, when it was commissioned by two Portuguese merchants who requested a wristwatch with the timekeeping abilities of a pocketwatch, allowing it to be used as a marine chronometer. During this period most wristwatches were significantly smaller than they are today, so by using a larger pocketwatch movement, a higher level of accuracy could be achieved than a typical wristwatch movement. A smaller scale means that the components have to be manufactured to smaller tolerances, which is harder to do precisely, which in turn can potentially lowers the level of accuracy that the timepiece can run to. Whilst 42mm isn’t a particularly large case by modern standards, it would’ve been considered huge at the time.

The 34mm Rolex Date (left) compared to the 42mm marriage watch (right).

3.2. Rolex Date [1500]:
Years Used: 2006-2009

From midway through Torchwood’s first series, until its canonical destruction at the end of Children of Earth’s first episode, Jack’s favoured wristwatch was a Rolex Date (reference number 1500).

The Rolex Date being worn during these shots from on set.

Jack’s watch’s reference number places the date of manufacture as being sometime in the 1960’s or 1970’s. It features a 34mm stainless steel case, black gilded dial with yellow gold hands and baton indices, and an aftermarket 19mm lightly padded smooth black leather strap. The baton dial did change very slightly over the course of production, though the photos available of this watch aren’t clear enough to be super specific about which sub-variant John wears.

John's screen worn watch (left) compared to two vintage examples (right). You can see here how the dial style can change a bit between the exact year of production. There are probably more variants of this dial, I have just shown two here as examples.

I don’t know whether John wore this watch on a leather strap before Torchwood, but the use of one is a good choice for multiple reasons. Firstly, although metal bracelets are probably the more popular option nowadays, the vast majority of watches in the 1940’s would’ve used a leather strap. Secondly, Rolex’s metal bracelets are all very distinct looking, and the BBC prefers avoiding anything anything that could be interpreted as product placement.

The Rolex Date is a smaller version of the more commonly known DateJust, the latter would’ve had a 36mm case during this period. This choice of a smaller wristwatch is very in-keeping with Jack’s look, with the advent of mobile phones, modern timepieces are often marketed more as jewellery than functional timekeeping tools. This means that manufacturers tend to currently produce models that are significantly larger than those that would’ve been worn for much of the 20th century, in order to be more eye catching. Because of the smaller size being less eye catching, this watch is one of the more affordable vintage Rolex models, typically selling for £2000 to £6000 depending on various factors such as condition.

Much like with the Portugieser, I decided the best way of obtaining an affordable version of this watch was to create one myself, the result is pictured below. Built around an industry standard Japanese designed Seiko automatic movement (as visible through the exhibition caseback), the watch features a bespoke gilded dial that even includes the hand painted luminescent dots of the original. A minor compromise was made in increasing the diameter of the stainless steel case by 2mm in order to physically house the movement, though this is not noticeable unless directly compared to a 34mm model. The tasteful size and design of this watch makes it incredibly versatile, being able to be worn with everything from a dinner suit right down to a t-shirt and jeans without being out of place.

My homage of the series one to three timepiece. To register interest in purchasing one of these please email:
thedoctorswardrobe@gmail.com

Rolex is arguably the most well known watch brand in the world, holding a leading 32% market share of Swiss watches as of 2024. Originally founded in London in 1905, they moved their base of operations to Geneva after the First Word War. The Oyster case (which is also used by the DateJust, Date, Day-Date, etc.) was created in 1926, and was the first waterproof watch that achieved widespread popularity, though the early case design is quite different from the subsequent versions. The DateJust (which used an Oyster case) was created in 1945 as the first self-winding chronometer wristwatch to indicate the date in a window on the dial.


3.3. Unknown vintage pocketwatch:
Years Used: 2006-2008

Throughout the first two series of Torchwood, Jack occasionally wears a silver coloured pocketwatch (attached to a matching double Albert chain) that he keeps tucked away in his waistcoat. He is never seen wearing his waistcoat without also donning this watch.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the best shot of the timepiece we ever get. Note how Jack wears it on different sides of the body between these two images.

As Jack hardly ever reads the time on this, it is never really seen clearly. One of the few things known about it is that it belonged to Barrowman’s grandfather, it also appears to have an open face design.

The timepiece alternates between Barrowman’s left and right lower waistcoat pocket (though the wearer’s left side is traditional for someone who is right handed). As for which waistcoat buttonhole the chain attaches to, he usually goes for the third one down, but sometimes the fourth.


3.4. Victorinox Chrono Classic:
Years Used: 2009-2010

Although it first makes an appearance during the Tonight’s the Night minisode, the first canonical appearance for this wristwatch is during the third episode of Children of Earth. It made its final appearance during Jack’s alien bar scene as part of the Tenth Doctor’s farewell tour. Outside of the show, it was also used for some rare 2009 era Torchwood photoshoots.

The Victorinox in all three of its video appearances for Children of Earth (left), Tonight's the Night (top right), and The End of Time (bottom right).

Unlike his previous timepieces, the Victorinox is a modern quartz chronograph with a price bracket in the hundreds of pounds than thousands. This practical choice makes sense given that it was purchased by Ianto using money stolen from wallets. It can be easily distinguished from Jack's other watches as it is the only one he wears on a metal bracelet rather than a black leather strap. For those who don't know, a chronograph is essentially a watch with a built in stopwatch function, often associated with racing and aeronautical professions, with the most famously used chronographs arguably being the Omega Speedmaster models used by the Apollo astronauts.

I am currently doing a little more research on this model, as there are a few variants of it and I want to be 100% sure I identify the correct one before stating a reference number as a definitive ID.

Victorinox is a company that is principally known for inventing the Swiss Army knife, which remains their most popular product, amongst other bladed items. Founded in 1884, they branched out into timepieces in 1989, though unlike their knives these timepieces are not officially issued to members of the Swiss military.


3.5. Rolex Daytona [116519]:
Years Used: 2011

By far the most expensive timepiece Jack ever wears is the Rolex Daytona that he wore throughout the events of Miracle Day, even the 1920’s scenes in Immortal Sins for some inexplicable reason. At the time of writing, one of these is currently on the market for $30,000.

The white dial Daytona is a distinctly more sporty watch than his previous black dialled ones. 

This particular Daytona is an automatic third generation (2000-2023) model with a white dial, baton indices, white metal case (with filled lugs so there’s no gap between the strap and case), and a factory fitted 20mm black alligator leather strap with deployment clasp. The case diameter of the fourth generation model is 40mm, though first generation Daytona models have a 37mm case.

Additional Daytona shots, the top right shows the deployment clasp.

It was surprisingly difficult to find a Daytona with all of these details, but eventually an exact match was found in the 116519, an uncommon 18 karat white gold variant on a leather deployment strap. For some reason this particular dial is extremely rare on this reference number, most white dial versions use Arabic numbers, making Jack’s watch a real challenge to obtain even if you can afford it.

Dial close ups of the screen worn watch (left) compared to a 116519 (right) that appears to be an exact match.

Although Rolex had produced chronographs as early as the 1940's, the Rolex Daytona was introduced in 1963 after the company became the official timekeeper of the Daytona International Speedway. First generation models are considered particularly collectible nowadays, and can be seen sported by a variety of very wealthy people. A reference number 6239 Daytona formally owned by legendary actor and race car driver Paul Newman sold for a record breaking $17,752,500 back in 2017.

Fortunately, you needn't pay Rockefeller money for a watch like Jack's. Once again, I decided the best way to produce my own homage to the screen worn watch (pictured below) and ended up being able to do so for about 1% of the cost of a genuine 116519. As mechanical chronograph movements can be expensive and high maintenance, the homage timepiece below was created around a more practical Japanese designed Seiko mecha-quartz chronograph movement, meaning that (other than a battery change every year or two) it will continue to keep good time without the need for regular servicing. Instead of white gold, the watch features a vastly more affordable stainless steel case attached to a black alligator grain leather strap. Although the watch pictured below uses a regular buckle, a deployment buckle option is also available, the former is sometimes chosen by customers for the increased range of adjustment.

My homage of the Miracle Day timepiece. To register interest in purchasing one of these please email:
thedoctorswardrobe@gmail.com

3.6. Rolex Oyster variant:
Years Used: 2020-2021

For his return during the Whittaker era, Jack sports a very similar watch to his earlier Date. Unfortunately the dial is never seen clearly, but it appears to be a watch that uses a Rolex Oyster case, once again on a similar black leather strap to used on the Date before. The Oyster case is used on the dateless Oyster model, but also others such as the DateJust and Date, meaning it could be any one of these. Possibly Even a Tudor Prince (Tudor is a brand owned by Rolex that produce very similar watches at a lower price point). Given Barrowman has many Rolexes it seems a safe bet that he'd be loyal to that brand.

These are the best shots of this watch that I could find, enough to see the profile of the case and strap but no clear shots of the dial.

The case size appears to be in the region of 34-36mm, so it could be the same Date as before. Though as that was canonically destroyed I’ll be classifying this as a different timepiece unless evidence to the contrary comes forward. The case is made of a polished white metal, so could be stainless steel, white gold, or even platinum.

This watch makes an appearance for Revolution of the Daleks and a watch which matches the description is partially visible in Fugitive of the Judoon, which leads me to believe this was used in all three return era appearances.