Actor Tom Cruise spotted wearing a Casio

In Brian De Palma's 1996 espionage thriller Mission: Impossible, IMF agent Ethan Hunt — played by Tom Cruise — does not rely on a Swiss dress watch or a gadget-laden dive instrument. He straps on a Casio DW290-1V, a utilitarian digital watch that retailed for less than thirty dollars and was available in electronics stores worldwide. The choice, whether deliberate or incidental by the prop department, proved inspired: a field operative who needs a reliable countdown timer above all else has little use for a tourbillon.

The Casio DW290-1V runs on Casio's module 593, housed in a 38mm black resin case with a mineral glass crystal. The watch offers a 1/100-second stopwatch, a countdown timer, a 12/24-hour dual-time display, a daily alarm, and water resistance rated to 200 meters — a specification that embarrasses many Swiss watches at fifty times the price. The LCD display is cleanly laid out, with elapsed time and secondary data readable at a glance. Battery life is quoted at approximately five years. It is, in every measurable sense, a purpose-built tool watch.

Within Casio's own catalog the DW290 sits in a curious position. It lacks the cult status of the F-91W — that other affordable Casio beloved by collectors and, infamously, intelligence agencies — yet it shares the same uncompromising functionality-first design philosophy. The 200-meter water resistance gives it a competitive edge in the lineup, and the module 593 remains one of the more feature-complete units Casio placed in an entry-level case.

For Tom Cruise, the DW290-1V fits a pattern. The actor is known for demanding practical authenticity from his productions, performing his own stunts and insisting on gear that actually works under pressure. Whether or not the watch was selected with that intent, it reads correctly on screen — no rational covert operative would risk a mechanical movement jamming during the iconic Langley vault sequence.

On the secondary market the DW290-1V trades for very little in functional condition, though new-old-stock and boxed examples command a modest premium among prop-watch enthusiasts. Its real market value is cultural: the Mission: Impossible association has secured its place in watch history well beyond what its retail price would ever suggest.