ROYALE Filmwear Quantum Jacket Review

I’ll get to the details below. For those of you who just want to know whether or not this is the alternative for the Tom Ford Harrington jacket we’ve been waiting for, I’ll simply say this:

Buy it now while there’s still some left!

Oh, and pay careful attention to the sizing chart on the ROYALE Filmwear site. It’s accurate. And the jackets do fit small, as they clearly state on the site.

The ROYALE Filmwear Quantum Jacket Review

This is my first jacket from ROYALE Filmwear. And I am honestly in awe of what owner Daniel Love has accomplished. Those of us who know him from AJB007 understand that these jackets are a passion project for him. And that passion is what elevates this piece far beyond any mass produced alternative you’re going to find.

The Material and Finishing

In the launch email Daniel sent out, he shared the fact that he produced his own fabric for this new version of the Quantum. The 100% cotton material weighs in at 300 grams per square meter. The weave is fine and smooth. But nothing about it feels lightweight. On the contrary, as soon as you put the jacket on, you know it could take a beating.  And the color is a dark, dark navy for a screen accurate look. The photo on the right below is very true to life. The jacket is lined with a dark grey, almost black, rayon. Which makes it easy to slip the jacket on and off and helps with breathability.

As you can also see in the pics above, the stitching on the jacket is almost perfect. I can be a bit obsessive when it comes to things like loose threads, missed stitches and crooked seams. And, yes, if you look really hard at the Quantum jacket, you’ll find two or three stray threads. But I mean that literally: only two or three. Seriously, the finishing on the button holes of my $375 Barbour Beauly looks like amateur hour when compared to the quality of ROYALE Filmwear’s work.

In short: beautiful fabric and exemplary finishing

The Details

If you’re going to buy a replica jacket, you want it to be as screen accurate as possible. And the Quantum jacket doesn’t disappoint. Single button collar and button-and-loop closure pockets? That’s the easy stuff. How about piping around the pocket seams? How about thick, edge finished, leather zipper pulls? And what about the correct positioning of the sleeve seams?

The Quantum has all of those. And then there’s the little touches Daniel has added. Like the zippered internal chest pocket. And the deeper front pockets. Not to mention the details you don’t see. For example, the jacket is constructed using overlapped, double stitched flat felled seams. So it’s basically bombproof.

All in all, when comes to getting the details right, ROYALE Filmwear delivers.

The Sizing and Fit

Given the accuracy of the size chart on the ROYALE Filmwear site, the sizing shouldn’t be a problem. But I can see how some people might get a little confused. The cut and style of the jacket is meant to be screen accurate. That means a shorter jacket length, a more fitted chest and shoulders, and longer sleeves. This is not the loose fit of a Baracuta G9.

I’m 5’9″, 175 lbs, with a 40″ chest, 32/33″ waist, a 16″ collar, a 33″ sleeve length, and slightly wider than average shoulders. Daniel Love recommended I go with a size large in the Quantum. Below are photos of me in the large and comparisons shots of Daniel Craig in the Tom Ford from Quantum of Solace.

Personally, I really like the fit. The jacket feels structured, but definitely not restrictive. The longer and slightly narrow sleeves will take a little getting used to, especially given the initial stiffness of the fabric. But I imagine that feeling will improve as the material breaks-in and softens. In fact, that’s true of the entire jacket. I feel like this is a piece that will conform to my shape the more I wear it.  Luckily, I plan on wearing it a LOT. And I’ll play around with the button tab waist adjusters and cuffs to dial it in a little more. If push comes to shove and I still think the sleeves are too long, I’ll just have them shortened slightly.

Tips on the sizing: go by the shoulder and chest measurements on the ROYALE Filmwear site. Maybe I could have gotten away with a medium. And that would have helped with the sleeve length. However, the jacket length, the chest and especially the shoulders of the size large feel spot on for me. So a size smaller may have given me a slightly more “fitted” look. But it definitely would have felt more constrictive.

Conclusions

I hope that those of you who’ve read my other reviews know that I don’t pull many punches. If I see something is wrong or questionable about the piece I’m reviewing, I try to call it out. I owe it you folks to keep things honest around here.

And honestly, the Quantum jacket isn’t just a “screen accurate Harrington”. It’s an absolutely beautiful jacket in it’s own right. A jacket anyone would be proud to be seen wearing. Serious respect to ROYALE Filmwear for the incredible work they’ve done here. And for keeping the price fair and reasonable. Congratulations Daniel and thank you; your hard work, attention to detail and commitment have given Bond fans exactly the jacket we’ve been looking for!

The James Bond QUANTUM Harrington Jacket is available for $199.00 on the ROYALE Filmwear website. At the time of this writing, sizes X-small to large were still in stock. 

ROYALE Filmwear provided the author with one jacket at no cost for the purposes of this review. Photo of Daniel Craig by Karen Ballard.