JAWS UNMASKED

DECODING THE MYSTERY OF THE ALSTA NAUTOSCAPH SUPERAUTOMATIC

"Steer clear of the water." This ominous cautionary note reverberated in the minds of beach-loving cinemagoers across America when "Jaws" (1975) premiered, giving birth to the contemporary blockbuster. Unleashed onto the world of cinema by the prodigious Steven Spielberg at merely 29, "Jaws" is a cinematic adaptation of Peter Benchley's thrilling novel. The film skyrocketed to fame setting new records as the highest-grossing movie of its time. Starring big names like Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Murray Hamilton, and Lorraine Gary, the film, however, owes much of its acclaim to Bruce, the unnervingly realistic mechanical shark, a marvel of 1970s technology.

The storyline of "Jaws" is refreshingly uncomplicated: a quaint seaside town becomes the hunting ground of a monstrous great white shark, feasting on unsuspecting tourists. Despite the mounting fear, the town's mayor stubbornly resists closing the beaches, knowing well that tourism is the town's economic lifeline.

In response, the town's police chief, Martin Brody (portrayed by Roy Scheider), pulls together an expert team of shark hunters – Quint, a grizzled, cantankerous, liquor-loving seafarer (acted by Robert Shaw), and Matt Hooper, a forward-thinking, counterculture oceanographer (embodied by Richard Dreyfus). This unlikely trio sets off on a daring quest to cleanse the posh holiday hotspot of its marine predator. Though the mission veers sharply off course, culminating in Quint's demise, ultimately, Chief Brody succeeds in eliminating the menace.

A key reason for the seismic impact of "Jaws" was the impeccable timing of its release, coinciding with the career peaks of its main protagonists. Both Richard Dreyfus and Roy Scheider had recently shot to stardom – Scheider's breakthrough role in "The French Connection" (1971) catapulted him to fame, while Dreyfus's standout performance in "American Graffiti" (1973) had marked him as a rising star. A young Steven Spielberg, leveraged this movie as the bedrock of his subsequent illustrious career. And who could forget the iconic theme song, courtesy of maestro composer John Williams?

 

THE WATCH: ALSTA NAUTOSCAPH SUPERAUTOMATIC

The greatest enigma of "Jaws” was not the shark itself, but rather the watch sported by Richard Dreyfuss's character, Matt Hooper. Hooper's disregard for social norms is apparent, this trait is best exemplified in the scene where he gatecrashes the Brody family dinner. Helping himself generously to food and wine, Hooper enlightens Chief Brody about the concept of territoriality, subtly implying that the shark will relentlessly prey on anyone crossing its path unless thwarted. Throughout this scene [00:43:02], a watch is clearly visible on Hooper's wrist, complementing his oversized sweater and collared-shirt ensemble.

For years, watch enthusiasts speculated and analysed various brands, scrutinising the dial, case shape, and bracelet. However, these conjectures led nowhere. The mystery persisted until early 2010 when the relentless pursuit of answers by brothers Gary and Christan Stock finally bore fruit.

 

Their meticulous research, countless hours looking at screen captures, and relentless online searches ultimately led them to an eBay auction. The answer lay in an Alsta Nautoscaph “Superautomatic”. Upon acquiring the watch, they confirmed its identity, with the watch's case, dial, hands, and crown being an exact match to Hooper's elusive timepiece.

Today’s version of the Superautomatic, released by Alsta in 2020, wants to be a loyal interpretation of the original timepiece with small adjustments to reflect current times. It sports the same distinctive design features of its predecessor and is a professional dive-rated timepiece. Its case size has been increased to a contemporary 38mm from the original 36mm and the bracelet design is similar but not expandable like the 1970s version. It has a fixed link bracelet with deployant clasp and safety catch.

When the new Superautomatic was released, the naming ‘Nautoscaph’ was dropped from the original watch name to avoid any confusion between what are now two distinctive product lines. It was called ‘Superautomatic 1975’ as the watch was limited to 1975 pieces and this was the year the movie Jaws was released.

 

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