Famous People Watches

It would seem that Saddam Hussein had a soft spot for luxury watches and timepieces don’t get much luxurious than this Rolex he often had one his wrist. It is a custom made piece with dozens of diamonds all over the dial and the bracelet that sit on a gold base. The result is truly amazing and everyone would like to have such a unique sign of wealth. Saddam actually gave this watch to his right-hand man who offered it for auction in order to raise money for schools; there were also other items involved but the watch was the main attraction.

 

This one of a kind Rolex is estimated to be worth £100,000 so you can imagine the surprise on Wihaib’s face when Saddam said to keep it; he was the head of protocol and amongst others things, his job was to make sure that nothing was left behind. After seeing the Rolex forgotten on the table, he quickly took it and ran to Saddam who thanked him by letting him have it. There were also other times when Saddam rewarded his right-hand man with valuable gifts but none that rose to the value of this Rolex.

Saddam Hussein was the fifth president of Iraq and although he served for a long time, there wasn’t much peace. After a long period of wars, a coalition of countries invaded Iraq in order to remove him from power and bring back peace to the region. The main reason behind this attempt was that the president of U.S.A., George W. Bush declared that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction and that he has connection with the terrorist group al-Qaeda. After he was captured and sent to trial, he was found guilty to charges regarding 148 deaths and sentenced to die by hanging on December 30th 2006.

The watch remains a collector’s item both due to its extravagant style and to the fact that it belonged to Saddam Hussein. The five zeros on the price tag make it very expensive even by Rolex standards and there aren’t many watches in the world that are worth as much as this one.

Kyle Richards is a well known television personality and actress; her career goes way back in 1975 when she appeared in a small television series. However, she is very famous for playing in ER and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. We can see her wearing a beautiful Gold Daytona Rolex in a rose color, a limited edition series. This watch has been made by Rolex as a way to promote the Daytona race and to be worn comfortably during the race to help the pilots tell time better. Rolex is probably one of the most famous companies in the world and it has produced a lot of award winning watches in time since its beginning in 1905. What is known about this company is the fact that they make very good watches when it comes to durability and it’s a known fact that their watches can be practically worn under any conditions, so it’s no wonder why they make so many models for people in extreme conditions.

 

It has a case diameter of 40 mm, which makes it perfect for any type of wrist since it is not too big, nor too small. The case is made with 18 karat gold, and so it’s the bracelet, in a unique rose color and it also has an engraved bezel. Its dial is analog in a black color without numbers and comes with minute markers around the outer edge. The movement is automatic and self winding, with a scratch resistant sapphire crystal, which makes this watch one of the most durable watches you can find. You don’t have to worry about water because it is water resistant to 100 meters, so you can easily swim or take a shower while wearing it. It also has other functions like a chronograph and a tachymeter.

What’s interesting about this watch is the fact that it can be really hard to obtain and it seems that authorized dealers only give one for each design every year. This will make it more as a status symbol and everybody who is wearing one is definitely important since they managed to buy it.

We can see Kobe Bryant in this picture wearing a beautiful Nubeo Mamba watch on his wrist. Kobe Bryant is an American basketball player who plays for the L.A. Lakers. His career is very prolific and he started being famous since high school when he played amazing football so after graduation he was elected in the NBA. Nubeo actually asked him to produce a series of very high end watches for them. He designed his own line and is wearing one of those beauties in this picture. It is of course, a very limited edition and some of the pieces go up to $250,000, so it’s just for those who can afford paying such a big price for a watch. Fortunately, you can also get cheaper versions, for $20,000 dollars if you really want to wear one of these.

So what does the ad campaign for this watch tell us? This watch is definitely fit for a real man with a powerful figure. It has 48mm and it is made with titanium, ceramic crowns and rubber. It has a very smooth feel and a great design. This is just the low cost model because when it comes to the extravagant edition, the creators went really far. It features 48 black or orange sapphires and 72 smaller sapphires around the chronograph. If you are wondering about its durability and the mechanism, you should know that the crown is made with 14 components and the whole watch is made from DLC, titanium, rubber, and ceramics – all of these are probably the most durable things on Earth, just like this watch. It also features a Valjous 7750 automatic mechanical movement that works perfectly. What makes this watch really unique is the fact that it contains so many high end pieces without being a show off of opulence like other brands on the market from the same category. This definitely shows that the wearer has good taste and prefers quality over prestige. As you can see, everything about this product screams roughness and manliness, so it’s definitely made for real men, men like Kobe Bryant.

Some incredible watches were presented in 2011 but there is one of them that built a lot of excitement and many people were looking forward to the new Giga Tourbillon Round Skeleton. It was finally unveiled at the 2012 World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie and it looks like something out of this world. Let’s start by saying that the name Round Skeleton is perfect for it and it really brings a fresh style to the luxury watch market, a style that has gained a lot of positive feedback so far. The fact that you can see the components as they work to offer a precise reading on the display is quite fascinating and everything fits perfectly.

The tourbillon has 20mm in diameter which takes up half of the watch. In order to see these components on the display, they had to be reversed and positioned with great attention to details because not only do they have to work flawlessly, but they also have to look great while they do it. The overall design is quite classic, with a round case and simple lines which will guarantee a timeless style; this is actually very important because it is very likely that this watch will become a collectible.

The watch works by the traditional winding of the crown which can give it a power reserve for up to 10 days; an impressive duration. This performance is achieved with the help of four barrels that ensure the needed force for the watch to function; most tourbilloons only have one or two barrels and they are also smaller than the ones used for the Round Skeleton watch.

The many details on the display and the way they are constantly moving can make it a bit difficult to actually tell the time. The hands are meant to blend in with the components moving in the background and there are no numbers on the sides. The truth is that this doesn’t really matter because the watch is a technical masterpiece that is meant to offer a unique design to the person wearing it and as far as style goes, it is incredible.

With their combination of form and function, luxury watches have always been associated with wealth, sophistication and power. It is no surprise, then, that virtually every U.S. President has proudly worn a luxury watch while serving in office. Here are the top 5 luxury watches ever worn by U.S. presidents:

Harry S. Truman, Gallet Flying Officer Chronograph

In 1939, then-Senator Harry S. Truman commissioned the venerable Swiss watchmaker Gallet & Co. to design a timepiece specifically for U.S. Army Air Force pilots and navigators. Gallet responded with the Flying Officer Chronograph, one of the most unique watches ever created. The Flying Officer Chronograph featured a rotating 12 hour bezel and 48 cities printed around the edges of the face. This unique design enabled flight officers to calculate changes in time as they flew across longitude lines and into new time zones. It was also among the first wristwatches ever to feature water-resistant casing. Although it was originally designed for military use, the Flying Officer entered civilian markets after the end of the Second World War. It remained very popular among military, commercial and civilian aviators.

Harry Truman himself wore a Flying Officer Chronograph during his term as President. It kept time during his legendary 1948 campaign, when he upset Republican candidate Thomas E. Dewey at the eleventh hour. Fittingly, he wore a watch designed for military use while issuing executive orders that ended racial discrimination in the military. Truman’s famous Flying Officer Chronograph is now an important part of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum’s collection.

 

John F. Kennedy, Cartier Tank

Although John F. Kennedy is rumored to have worn several great watches, including the Omega Speedmaster and the Rolex Day-Date, his timepiece of choice was a yellow gold Cartier Tank. As the nation’s first “celebrity president,” JFK did his part to make this watch very popular.

Louis Cartier, grandson of the founder of the eponymous French jewelry company, created the first Cartier Tank in 1917. His design was said to be inspired by the Renault tanks used on the Western Front in World War 1. Indeed, its lines and proportions resemble nothing more than a miniature version of those military vehicles. Most Cartier Tanks feature blue, sword-shaped hands and silvered opaline guilloché dials. Tanks with metal bracelets include indentations that strongly resemble the distinctive tracks of real tanks. Despite its unlikely origins, the Cartier Tank is one of the world’s most successful watches; Cartier has created more than thirty variants of the design, and it has inspired countless imitators.

Kennedy’s Cartier Tank was yellow gold and featured a solid black leather strap. He wore the watch on many occasions as he steered the United States through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the beginning of the Space Race and the start of the Vietnam War. According to the JFK Presidential Library, he was wearing the watch on November 22, 1963 when he was assassinated in Dallas.

Lyndon Johnson, Rolex Day-Date

No watch is more strongly associated with the Presidency than the legendary Rolex Day-Date. It was the first wristwatch ever made with an automatically changing day and date on the dial, hence its straight-forward name. Many Presidents have worn the Day-Date over the years, including Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Besides its namesake features, the Day-Date includes a wide range of material options: yellow gold, pink gold, white gold and platinum. Johnson’s model would have been water-resistant up to 165 feet; modern Day-Dates can reliably be worn up to twice that depth. With its concealed clasp, automatic movement and elegant appearance, the Day-Date quickly acquired its prominent nickname: the Rolex President.

LBJ wore his Rolex when he came into office after Kennedy’s assassination, and continued to wear it proudly throughout his six years as President. The Day-Date remained on his wrist as he pushed the Great Society legislation, pursued his “War on Poverty” and escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War. Other Presidents known to wear the Rolex Day-Date include Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon.

Bill Clinton, Panerai Luminor

While he was in office, President Bill Clinton usually preferred to wear affordable, working class watches. In fact, his timepiece of choice was a Timex Ironman, a watch that usually sells for less than $50. In his personal life, though, Clinton is an avid luxury watch collector. Among his favorites is a black Panerai Luminor Marina, pictured below.

The Panerai Luminor Marina is a heavy, durable luxury watch, featuring stainless steel casing, luminous hands and a black leather strap. At the 3 o’clock position, the watch displays the date, while there are Arabic numerals at the 6, 9 and 12 positions. The watch also features scratch resistant sapphire crystal and is water resistant up to 100 feet.

Since leaving office, Bill Clinton has taken to plenty of speaking engagements. He wore the Panerai Luminor Marina during his wife’s 2008 presidential campaign, when he raised more than $10 million. More recently, Clinton traveled to North Korea to negotiate the release of two American hostages.

Barack Obama, Jorg Gray 6500 Chronograph

Current President Barack Obama wore an impressive TAG Heuer timepiece during most of his 2008 presidential campaign. Since taking office, he has favored a customized Jorg Gray 6500 Chronograph which was given to him for his 46th birthday. Although this watch is not as expensive as the other timepieces on this list, as the current Commander in Chief’s favorite it deserves mention. Cut from solid steel, this durable watch features a matte black dial and an Italian leather buffalo grain strap. It includes a high-precision chronograph, 24-hour hand display, date display and scratch-resistant mineral crystal. The 6500 Chronograph is also water resistant up to 330 feet.

Obama has worn his custom-made watch at many historic events, including his presidential victory speech and inauguration. The watch adorned Obama’s hand when he signed his very first proclamation as President of the United States in January 2009. It’s no surprise that the Jorg Gray 6500 Chronograph is now known far and wide as the Barack Obama Watch.