From Hound Dog to Jailhouse Rock, you certainly “Can’t help falling in love” with him and his otherworldly voice. And who could blame? After all, he is Elvis Presley aka the King of Rock’N’Roll and one of the greatest singers of all time. Recently Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie, starring actor Austin Butler was released, which ignited more craze among fans. In the “Elvis movie” actor Austin Butler who played the role of the iconic Elvis Presley, was seen wearing a Cartier watch to the premiere in Cannes. He is also the Cartier brand ambassador. Butler accessorized a classic tuxedo with a steel Tank Must de Cartier watch accompanied by a custom leather strap.
He was spotted with a white gold Juste un Clou Cartier bracelet and a Love ring. During the London premiere, Butler wore black pants with a white tee shirt and a white jacket to the London premiere, accentuating his look with an exquisite 18-karat yellow gold Tank Louis Cartier watch, which was accompanied by various Cartier jewelry pieces. In the movie itself, Butler faithfully wore the watches that recalled Elvis’s collection as per the guidance of his costume designers.
Over the years, Elvis performed countless concerts, a total of 1,000 live shows from 1969 until he died in 1977, which is a milestone many artists only ever dream of. He had also broken countless sales records. In addition, he appeared in 31 films, the most notable of which are Blue Hawaii (1961) and Viva Las Vegas (1964). Elvis’ achievements were recognized early in his career when he received the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the age of 36. Furthermore, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of the United States.
The Timeless Charm of Rock ‘n’ Roll Royalty: Elvis Presley’s Luxurious Watch Collection
Elvis Presley was known not only for his phenomenal performances and his flamboyant personality but also for his extravagant lifestyle. The Mississippi-born musical legend had a neck for extravagance. Throughout his 30 years long singing career, he lived a life fit for a king that he truly was, from big fancy cars to flamboyant outfits and expensive timepieces and jewelry. Elvis Presley was an avid watch lover and had a genuine fascination with fine timepieces. Among his notable possessions, the king owned a gold Rolex King Midas, several Hamilton Ventura models, and a pair of Omega watches. Elvis wore an Omega Constellation with a striking black dial and a captivating gold bezel while serving the U.S. Army in Germany from 1958 to 1960.
Sadly, the king of rock n roll passed away at the early age of 42. In this article, we will remember this legendary singer by recalling iconic Elvis Presley watches. Here let’s take a look at some of the watches from Elvis Presley’s watch collection.
1. Omega Constellation
During his time spent in the U.S. Army back in 1958, Elvis wore an Omega Constellation model. Elvis Presley’s Omega watch has a one-of-a-kind design that combines pink gold stainless steel for the case and a gold decagonal crown. It has a black dial with pink gold dauphine hands and raised gold baton indices with a luminous inlay. A pink gold Omega constellation logo is located above 6 o’clock, while a gold Omega logo is located below 12 o’clock. A cross-hair divides the dial, and a date window is located at 3 o’clock. The Cal. 504 manual winding chronometer movement powers the timepiece.
While his producers at RCA Records were busy making preparations for his stage return after a long hiatus, he was stationed in Germany, where he befriended the musician Charlie Hodge. And the two friends had one thing in common, a passion for interesting watches. Elvis gave the watch to him as a gift before he died. In 2006 Hodge died, and later in 2012, the Elvis Omega Constellation was at an auction where it was sold for $52,500 dollars.
2. The Tiffany Stamped Omega
In 1960, Elvis Presley ended his service in the Army and was discharged with his sergeant rank. During the same year, he embarked on a movie career as he appeared in the film “G.I. Blues.”. The movie’s soundtrack quickly achieved remarkable success, attaining Gold and Platinum status. Following a brief hiatus from recording and touring in 1961, Elvis’s music continued to resonate with people’s hearts, and his records started selling like crazy.
Soon his albums reached the milestone of 75 million records sold. To show appreciation, the RCA Record company gifted him with a prestigious Tiffany Omega watch, which bore the signature of Tiffany & Co.
It features an 18K white gold 33mm case along with a diamond bezel set and 44 round brilliant cut diamonds. The dial features white gold hands and stick indices. Its movement is driven by Omega’s manual caliber 510. The timepiece was originally sold by Tiffany & Co., as indicated by the stamped Tiffany & Co. logo positioned just below the Omega emblem and name. The case back of the watch is engraved stating, “To Elvis / 75 Million Records / RCA Victor / 12-25-60”.
Elvis Presley’s Tiffany Omega was in the possession of the nephew of the man who received the watch from Elvis Presley. Later in 2018, the watch was shown at the Geneva Watch Auction with Phillips and was auctioned off for $1,812,500 USD, which is the highest record price for an Omega watch. It is on display now at the Omega Museum in Bienne.
3. Hamilton Ventura aka The Elvis Watch
It’s no wonder, why Elvis fell so hard for Hamilton Ventura, watches as it was the world’s first electric timepiece shaped like a triangle. In fact, he traded his Omega for the Hamilton watch. After his military service, Elvis wore a Hamilton Ventura watch while shooting for the movie Blue Hawaii in 1961. Back in the day, actors were able to wear their own watches. The watch remains a hallmark of Elvis Presley watches. Today, Hamilton has launched different Ventura watches. They also introduced the updated version of Elvis Presley’s Venture watch, the Ventura Elvis80, known as the “Elvis watch” seven years ago, with a power reserve of 80 hours as a tribute to the singer’s 80th birthday.
The Hamilton watch has a bold and distinctive design that went so well with the singer’s personality. It features an asymmetrical triangular case with a black matte dial and polished silver dauphine hands to give more vintage appeal. A quartz movement powers the watch and has a minute tracker on the upper right side with bright orange markings and an orange seconds hand. There are many similar hamilton ventura models sold in the secondary market.
4. Rolex Submariner Big Crown Ref. 6538
And just like any watch lover, Elvis owned a Rolex watch, and not just any Rolex watches, but one of the most expensive timepieces he ever owned was a Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538 Big Crown. It got its name thanks to its huge winding crown. It doesn’t feature any crown guards, though. We all remember Elvis Presley wearing this fine timepiece in the movie “Girls, Girls, Girls” in 1962. Meanwhile, the first Bond movie, “Dr. No.” was also released in the same year, where Sean Connery wore the exact watch. Coincidence? We think not.
The Big Crown watch model was first introduced in the late 1950s. It was distinguished by a distinctive red triangle on the bezel, an enlarged crown measuring 8mm (hence the name), and the lack of a crown guard. The watch is resistant to water up to 300 meters (1,000 feet) and features highly accurate movements. They provide excellent shock and pressure resistance, as well as unidirectional rotating bezels. The dials are in the classic Mercedes style, with geometric indices and Mercedes’s hands.
However, it’s a mystery really what happened to Elvis Presley’s Submariner. Was it ever sold or gifted to someone else? We don’t know! Although there are similar models out there, none can match Elvis Presley’s Rolex Submariner. Big Crown watches, based on their condition and rarity, sold for $100,000 USD.
5. Rolex King Midas Ref. 9630
A king’s watch for the king. The Rolex Submariner Big Crown was not the only Rolex watch that the king wore. The other Rolex watches Elvis wore was the Rolex King Midas. Elvis Presley’s Rolex King Midas was a limited edition model having only 1,000 pieces. He got the Rolex King Midas as a gift in 1970, when he sold out all the tickets for the Houston Astrodome livestock show with the case back engraved as: “To Elvis Presley / From The Houston Livestock Show Officers / 1970.”
The watch features an asymmetrical rectangular cased watch and an integrated bracelet. Gerald Genta originally designed the watch for Rolex, who was also the designer of Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The name King Midas was from Greek mythology, and it was made with solid gold. Today, it resides at Elvis Presley’s Memphis home in Greenland.
6. Corum Buckingham
Elvis Presley had a collection of many interesting watches, including the renowned 18K solid gold Corum Buckingham. Corum, founded in 1955 in La Chaux de Fonds by a Swiss watchmaker, is a prestigious luxury watch brand known for its distinctive square hobnail dial designs presented in a variety of styles. The Corum Buckingham, made entirely of solid yellow gold and adorned with a square hobnail dial, a simple gold face, elegant black hands, and a stylish black leather strap, was one of Elvis’ favorite timepieces. This particular watch, which was made around 1960, had an oversized square 18-karat gold case and a matching gold dial, exuding grandeur.
Elvis also gifted this to his friend and bodyguard, Richard Davis. He worked for Elvis until 1971. When Elvis gifted him the watch, Davis flipped the watch over, and to his surprise, he saw the inscription: “To Richard from E.P.” In 2016 Antiquorum sold the watch, along with a letter from Davis and some photos of Elvis Presley wearing it, at an auction for $22,000.
7. Bulova Accutron Astronaut
During his comeback television concert in 1968, the renowned artist adorned his black leather attire with a custom leather strap made specifically for his Bulova Accutron Astronaut watch. He also adored his Accutron-521, a distinctive square watch crafted from 18-karat yellow gold with an asymmetrical case. Currently, the brand has released a new version of the Accutron-521 watch, paying homage to the original timepiece owned by the legendary King of Rock n Roll.
8. Swiss Ebel
In addition, he loved his 18-karat gold Swiss Ebel watch with a unique hammered bracelet and a square dial surrounded with diamond-encrusted. Surprisingly, he chose to give this prized timepiece to J.D. Sumner, a close friend, and backup singer. The exact same watch was recently listed for sale at M.S. Rau Fine Arts and Antiques in New Orleans for an astounding $498,000. However, the watch appears no longer available, leaving Elvis fans enthralled by his possessions once more.
From Writer
Although the singer owned many interesting watches, unfortunately. There are many watches like Rolex and Mathey-Tissot that Elvis had. However, most of them are lost to time. He owned a great number of quartz watches as well, some of which were never found. However, one thing is certain that all the watches owned by the king emanated his ecstatic personality and golden heart. Even though he was an avid watch lover himself, he never once hesitated to give his favorite watch collection to his closest friends.
