6 Best Watchmaker and Cartographer Movies

By Vlad Zakh · April 5, 2026

Watchmaking and mapmaking celebrate obsessive detail and hidden mechanisms. Hugo has an orphan in a Paris train station uncovering an automaton’s secret, Longitude has an 18th-century clockmaker solving the problem of measuring longitude at sea, and Map of the Human Heart follows a mapmaker’s assistant in the Canadian Arctic. Kon-Tiki, The Illusionist and The Red Violin round out the six.

Kon-Tiki (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A Norwegian explorer sails a primitive balsa wood raft across the Pacific to prove an ancient migration theory.

Directed by Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg · 1h 58m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Map of the Human Heart (1993)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A young Inuit cartographer's assistant falls for a Metis girl while mapping the Canadian Arctic.

Directed by Vincent Ward · 1h 49m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Longitude (2000)

TMDB ★ 7.6

An 18th-century clockmaker devotes his life to solving the problem of measuring longitude at sea.

Directed by Charles Sturridge · 3h 18m · Rated PG-13

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Hugo (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.5

An orphaned boy living in a Paris train station uncovers a mysterious automaton's secret link to a filmmaker.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 06m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Illusionist (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A gifted stage magician's reunion with his childhood love threatens a powerful crown prince.

Directed by Neil Burger · 1h 50m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, FlixFling · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Red Violin (1998)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A masterfully crafted violin's journey across centuries and continents connects a series of owners touched by its legend.

Directed by François Girard · 2h 10m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Watchmaker and Cartographer Movies

Kon-Tiki (2012)

Map of the Human Heart (1993)

Longitude (2000)

Hugo (2011)

The Illusionist (2006)

The Red Violin (1998)

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