There are lots of subtle character moments in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul that you might miss if you’re not paying attention. And sometimes, even when you do catch them, it’s not immediately obvious why that particular moment exists. So if you’re wondering why Walt looked at his watch in the Better Call Saul finale, let’s get into it.
For a bit of setup, this is a flashback scene between Walt and Saul after the events of Ozymandias in Breaking Bad. They’re both waiting to get transported to a new state with new identities so that they can start a new life and escape the cops.
Why Did Walt Look at His Watch in Better Call Saul?
During this scene, Saul asks Walt if he has any regrets in his life. Before answering, Walt looks down at the watch that he’s placed near his bedside. It can be inferred that Walt glanced at his watch because one of his biggest regrets is treating Jesse the way he did in Breaking Bad and leaving him at the mercy of Jack Welker, or perhaps he even regrets not having Jesse killed earlier before he contacted Hank and took him down.
The watch that Walt looks at is the same Tag Heuer Monaco that Jesse had given to him for his 51st birthday back when they were still working together. With that in mind, it then becomes obvious that Walt’s mind immediately went to Jesse when Saul brought up the topic of regrets.
As to what he actually regrets, it’s debatable. At this point in the story, Walt is upset with his current situation. He’s on the run, Hank is dead, his whole family hates him, and it’s because Jesse ratted him out to Hank and Steve, and trapped him in the desert. Walt ultimately gets out of that situation by having Jack Welker and his crew take Jesse away, which indicates that he doesn’t care what they do with him.
It’s possible that at this point, he regrets that he was too lenient with Jesse by asking him to leave town and start a new life, instead of just having him killed on the spot. It could also be that he regrets manipulating Jesse the way he did, and choosing to give him over to Jack in his anger. Either way, Walt definitely regrets the way he’d handled things with Jesse.
Later on, after Walt’s had time to reflect on everything that’s happened, his mindset shifts. We see this when he returns to Albuquerque to exact revenge on Jack, and ends up setting Jesse free in the process. In this specific scene in the Better Call Saul finale, the two possibilities are: he regrets being cruel and leaving Jesse to the neo-Nazis, or he regrets not handling Jesse better to avoid getting ratted out to Hank.
That’s all you need to know about why Walt looks at his watch in Better Call Saul. Be sure to check out the rest of our Better Call Saul coverage as well, including the meaning of the black and white scenes and why Gene started scamming people again in Nebraska.
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