Industry's secret language: Watches reveal wealth & power

Costume designer Laura Smith views her work on "Industry" as analogous to Hieronymus Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights," focusing on the "fall of man" through symbolic attire. Accessories like watches and jewelry are crucial, reflecting class status and mobility, with Smith often drawing parallels to historical mourning jewelry.

Season four of "Industry" saw a significant number of watches used, with 40 to 50 different timepieces featured on principal actors. These items are carefully integrated, their importance becoming apparent without being overtly obvious, acting as "volume control" in the visual narrative.

The show meticulously uses accessories to define characters. Harper Stern's evolving collection of three watches signifies her growing generational wealth. Yasmin's inherited Cartier and Gucci watches highlight her past and present connections.

Henry Stratton's selection of a specific 1974 Rolex Datejust was a deliberate choice to visually match Yasmin's Cartier, reinforcing their relationship. Tender CEO Whitney Halberstram and co-founder Jonah Atterbury are depicted with bold, expensive Hublot watches, reflecting their ambition and technical prowess.

Symbolism extends to other items, like Henry's father's 1960s dressing gown and name-tagged school socks, signifying his privileged upbringing. The show also critically examines class mobility through characters like Johanna and Moritz-Hunter Bauer, whose inherited wealth contrasts with Rishi's fall from grace, symbolized by the painful relinquishing of his Rolex Sea-Dweller.

Eric Tao is haunted by Pierpoint's influence, represented by lethal-looking, original cuff links designed to resemble a stiletto blade. Finally, pearls, chosen for their symbolic connection to an oyster's irritation forming a desirable gem, represent the arduous, beautiful, and sometimes treacherous journey of the women striving for wealth in "Industry."