Remember back in late 2021 when notorious nice guy-slash-badass Keanu Reeves gifted his John Wick: Chapter 4 stuntmen brand-new Rolex Submariners? It was merely the latest in a string of events proving that the Canadian-born actor is the leading contender to be the most genuine, down-to-Earth celebrity in existence. It was a generous gift, one with a prohibitive pricetag and even more prohibitive waiting list. Sticker price of a Submariner ref. 126610LN? $10,400. Possibility of buying one at retail unless your name is “Keanu Reeves”? LOL!
Unfortunately, Reeves’s house was burglarized in late 2023, the latest in a string of robberies involving the actor’s residences dating back to 2014. Just this week, however, local authorities in Santiago, Chile conducting an arrest discovered a cache of stolen goods that included one of the John Wick Submariners, and are working to return it to Reeves, according to CNN. (It’s better this way: nothing good happens when John Wick is robbed…) The Submariner is one of three watches linked to the robbery at Reeves’s home.
The Submariner is a stainless steel reference 126610LN and one of five that Reeves purchased and gave to his John Wick 4 stuntman and, apparently, himself. Inscribed on each caseback are the words “THE JOHN WICK FIVE,” the name of the stuntman, and “THANK YOU, KEANU, JW4, 2021.” Reeve’s stolen watch is inscribed “THE JOHN WICK FIVE” and “KEANU, THANK YOU, JW4, 2021.”
It’s tough to think of a better watch to gift to a stuntman. The Submariner, launched in the early 1950s, is perhaps the most famous timepiece in the world, and also one of the most robust: Designed to accompany SCUBA divers beneath the waves, it features stainless steel (or gold) construction, an automatic movement, a luminous dial, and a hardy yet elegant Oyster bracelet. In continuous production for over seven decades, the Sub has seen service on the wrists of soldiers, frogmen, pilots, explorers, scientists, and just about anyone else who can afford one. Once a pricey-yet-attainable tool, the Submariner—though more physically capable than ever—is now a luxury item.
The John Wick Sub isn’t the only cool watch Reeves has been spotted in: He wore a ref. 16610 Rolex Sub in The Lake House (2006) and the red-and-black “Coke” GMT-Master II in Street Kings (2008). Beyond Rolex, he’s been spotted in several Carl F. Bucherer tool watches—including a limited edition that appears to have been gifted to cast and crew for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum—and even a dressy Oris in 2005’s Constantine. And we can’t forget his utilitarian G-SHOCK from 1994’s Speed. But it’s the Submariner that best embodies the Keanu spirit: tough yet humble, handsome and dignified. We’re only too glad that this excellent watch will soon be finding its way back to his wrist.
