For three decades movie watch obsessives believed that Casper Van Dien did not wear a wristwatch in Paul Verhoeven's 1997 TriStar Pictures feature Starship Troopers. In August 2026, for example, I asked Gemini what watch he wore and it replied:
Johnny Rico doesn't actually wear a notable or identifiable wristwatch in the film.
When you see the word "watch" associated with his character in search results or movie summaries, it refers to his duty shift, not a piece of jewelry.
Today I will prove Gemini wrong.
The Clue
I have an obsessive affinity for Starship Troopers, and constantly look for props on auction. In my research, I discovered the June 15th, 2018 Profiles in History: Icons & Legends of Hollywood auction, that contained several Starshoop Troopers pieces.
This included a lot of 200 props from both Starship Troopers and the Running Man.
The description mentions two watches from Johnny Rico, and two from Carmen Ibanez.
Starship Troopers and The Running Man massive collection of props and production materials. (TriStar, 1997 & 1987) Large collection of (200+) props and production materials including (12) Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) props: 8-dog tags, 1-wallet, 2-wrist watches and 1-handkerchief, (9) "Lt. Carmen Ibanez" (Denise Richards) props: 4-dog tags, 2-wrist watches and 3-FED photo I.D. cards, (1) referee's whistle, (1) spider's leg pendant on a neck chain, (3) "Corporal Birdie" (Ungela Brockman) props: 2-grenades in a bloody holder, 1-range finder, (80+) production Polaroids of cast and FX, (20) photo I.D. cards, (2) clean grenades in a pouch, (1) field monitor in web pouch and from The Running Man (2) futuristic aluminum handcuffs and (75+) "ICS stickers, decals, embroidered patches and pins. All in production used good to fine condition.
In the picture, we see two wrist watches, one masculine (lower picture) and one feminine (upper picture):
We can dismiss any theory that the watch belongs to Ben Richards from the Running Man, because Arnold Schwarzenegger wore his eponymous Seiko Arnie in that picture. By simple deduction, the watch must belong to Johnny Rico.
The Investigation
I clipped and rotated Rico's watch from the HA picture above.
We see the text Avocet on the face of the watch.
A simple Google search confirms that this matches the Avocet Street.
Evidence
- Cinematic Widescreen LCD Screen
- Rubber Select Button
- Barbell Protrusions on Case
- Strap Width and Shape
- Half Moon Lower half with Strip on Bottom
- Location of small white writing and indicators on watch
Avocent released this watch in 1993, and four years of popularity strengthens the argument that the Prop Master could easily purchase the watch at retail.
TriStar hired William Peretta in the role of Propmaster, and he worked out of Sony's Astaire Building in Culver City, CA. William Peretta also held membership in the Hollywood Local 44, the Hollywood Craft Local. Avocet ran operations out of Silicone Valley. While not conclusive, we can surmise that Mr. Peretta could source a California watch brand in Los Angeles with ease.
You may ask, "would a Propmaster in a big budget, Hollywood blockbuster source a wristwatch from a Mall?" I answer yes, with certainty. Art director Roger Christian, for example, bought a futuristic, crazy looking watch for Ridley Scott's 1979 20th Century Fox Feature Alien. Ripley wears a Casio A100.
The Purchase
I love Starship Troopers so I purchased the (what I now christen) 1993 Avocent Street Johnny Rico New Old Stock.
You can find them new on eBay for a few hundred to a thousand dollars, or buy a used one for under one hundred dollars.
The watch gives sick 90's vibes!
Carmen's Watch
Troopers' Space Pompadoured Heart-breaker Carmen Ibanez also wore a watch.
I clipped and rotated her watch.
Carmen owns a steel watch with fat case, thin bracelet, and a simple face with no numerals.
This investigation proves more difficult. Again, we want an easy to source watch, available in the mid 90's, available to purchase in Los Angeles for a reasonable price.
If you think of LA Malls in the 90s, you will think of Skagen.
One Skagen Option includes the following.
The case however, seems too square.
STORM London checks the boxes, Rectangle Cases, Blank Faces, 90s pedigree.
This example, however, seem a bit off, with its thin case.
Perhaps the low resolution of the picture hides the details. If we give the search some leeway, the Esprit fits the bill.
Malls sold these watches at an affordable price, so it hits Rico's range. Also, Esprit feels very High School Girl.
If you have any luck finding the model, please let me know!
Conclusion
I would love to hear the opinion of my fellow Starship Troopers fans. Can we consider the watch movie cannon, if we can not actually see the watch in the film? We have proof that the propmaster sourced the watch. Perhaps Mr. Van Dien wore the watch under his sleeve? Let me know if we should dub the 1993 Avocet Street the Johnny Rico.