Heads Of State And Hollywood Stars Show Timepiece Style
Hollywood’s finest talents have it all and in most cases, one watch is never enough. Timepieces have become statement pieces and investments. But not every celebrity is a brand ambassador – some just enjoy creating beautiful collections.
One of the most well-known watch enthusiasts is special agent James Bond. Daniel Craig, the latest actor to portray the world’s best spy, continues with Bond’s tradition of wearing different versions of the Omega Seamaster – again on show in Spectre. Such is the fascination with Bond and his watches, that the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean donned in Skyfall, was sold at auction for Christie’s where it bagged over £162,000. But Craig has often been spotted – as himself – wearing versions of the Rolex Daytona which retail from £8,000 each.
Daniel Craig as Bond, wearing the Omega Seamaster
The Rolex Daytona certainly sets the benchmark for those with a fascination for cars, watches and high performance engineering. This highly sought after yet elusive model is dedicated to Florida’s International Speedway and its association stretches back to the 1930s with land speed records by Sir Malcolm Campbell. Other fans of the Rolex include Friends actress Jennifer Aniston, CIA assassin Jason Bourne – AKA. Matt Damon and not surprisingly, the sleek and suave Mr President – yes, Obama himself.
Obama was often seen wearing a Rolex it seems, until he was given his seat on the White House and made the switch to another slick-looking wristpiece. Fans flocked to the shops when they found the watch was a Jorg Gray model JG6500 chronograph with an affordable £260 price tag. For a lot of men, a watch is a way to show off personal style, and it’s no different for other world leaders. Take Vladimir Putin… who knew he had one of the most enviable watch collections around, estimated to be worth around a whopping £455,000! And then there is Bill Clinton who was rumoured to wear a plastic watch in the White House but nowadays is quite the connoisseur, seen sporting Rolex.
Tom Cruise spotted out with his Bremont
Also going for the option is Tom Cruise who is often seen sporting the British watchmaker brand Bremont due to his love of airplanes. The actor has owned several aircraft and the Bremont brand is founded by two former designers whose designs use parts which look like instruments from planes. So considering most of Cruise’s roles are action-based, it won’t come as a surprise to read that his watch choice mimics this.
Some celebs are even known for their watch collections…superstar rapper Kanye has a customized £117,000 18-karat gold Tiret watch that features a silhouette of his own face – made up of diamonds, of course – on the dial. But he’s also been spotted in a Rolex Daytona, a limited edition Bape G-Shock, and a customised black Rolex Submariner.
Brand ambassador for Tag Heuer, Brad Pitt’s collection runs the gauntlet of luxury brands. Along with the obvious Tag watches, he has also been papped wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus and multiple Rolexes, including a GMT Master II, Submariner, and a Day Date. And his wife Angelina Jolie, doesn’t shy away from a jewellers either. She boasts an impressive collection herself and even bought Brad a £195,000 Patek Philippe Nautilus when they got engaged.
Tag Heuer boast an impressive ambassadorial line up, with actor Leonardo DiCaprio, model Cara Delevingne and professional golfer Tiger Woods adding to the aforementioned Brad Pitt.
One man who is well known to the watch world to be a huge collector of the high end pieces is comedian Kevin Hart. In fact, he’s so in love with watch collecting, he started up the ‘#WatchGameIsDisgusting’ hashtag on instagram, and set quite a trend. In fact, when it comes to watches, the funny man doesn’t joke around. His bold collection mainly features 4 brands: Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille. When asked what his first serious timepiece was, Hart replied, “probably a Rolex Submariner” – which he soon followed up with a stainless steel Daytona (which is still one of his favourite watches due to how hard they are to find). Although this may seem like a mad obsession, the comedian actually buys watches (or cars) to reward himself with the wins in his life, like finishing a movie or a stand-up tour.
Kevin Hart sporting his Richard Mille RM 011 ‘Roberto Mancini’
The idea that mobile phone technology would deal a fatal blow to the watch, simply hasn’t worked out. Folk now own mobile phones as well as, not instead of, their timepieces. Watches are one of the few items that a man can wear that he believes displays his true character.
Some jewellery does not quite cut it for men. A Rolex though, whatever its colour, is deemed completely suitable.
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