A motif is a distinctive feature or tool repeatedly used to establish an idea in a work of art Guillermo Del Toro uses the watch and time as a motif that helps establish Captain Vidal. What do you make of Captain Vidal's attention to his watch and the sen

Captain Vidal is a fascist villain that loves his pocket watch. He pulls it out; he cleans it; he even marks the time that he dies. Men like Vidal exist on order and accuracy. This is how he structures his life. Order and accuracy gives him a sense of comfort and the illusion of control over an uncontrollable situation.

Some backstory:

Vidal inherited the watch from his father who died heroically as a general fighting in Morocco. He denies this during the dinner with the dignateries though. The glass of the watch was broken when his father died and marked the time of his father's death. Vidal wants to die as heroically as his father (that's why he takes a lot of risk during the fight with the rebels) and wants the watch to mark the time of his own death as well.