Tom Cruise wears a Panerai Luminor

Tom Cruise plays Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder (2008), Ben Stiller's satire of Hollywood ego, written by Stiller, Justin Theroux, and Etan Cohen. Grossman is a studio executive in a fat suit, prosthetic hands, and a bald cap. He runs the production by speakerphone, threatens people's families, and dances to Ludacris.

Ariel Adams identified the watch in aBlogtoWatch on the film's 2008 release as a Panerai Luminor PAM 63 GMT, a 44mm brushed steel cushion case with the trademark crown guard, a jet-black dial, a date window at three, and a 24-hour GMT hand for a second time zone. He judged it likely to be from Cruise's own collection rather than a Panerai placement, given the actor's known taste for large watches. When Propstore auctioned the Les Grossman watch-and-rings lot in 2021, it described the watch only as a "Panerai Luminor Marina-branded" piece, without saying whether it was a genuine Panerai or a prop. The two descriptions do not quite match, which may mean more than one watch stood in for the role.