Featured image: Bulova
The watch most closely tied to Frank Sinatra is Bulova: the brand sponsored his 1950s television show, and his daughter Tina has said he owned and wore several Bulovas. The best-documented watch he actually owned is a pink gold Gruen from the 1940s, and we could not verify the often-repeated “Sinatra Rolex Day-Date” story.
Quick answer Sinatra is best linked to Bulova, and Bulova now sells a Frank Sinatra collection (launched in 2020) priced at launch from about $495 to $1,350. Documented personal watches include a Gruen and a Lucien Piccard, and he gave a gold Cartier Pasha to Sammy Davis Jr. We found no reliable evidence for a signature Rolex Day-Date or a Patek Philippe.
Bulova: The Watch Brand Behind Sinatra
Bulova sponsored the mid-1950s Frank Sinatra Show, which was nicknamed “Bulova Watch Time,” and the relationship has been described as lasting more than six decades. In a 2020 Forbes interview, Tina Sinatra said her father owned and wore several Bulova watches, and that he liked a watch that felt light and soft instead of heavy.
That preference explains the design of the Bulova Frank Sinatra collection, which Bulova announced in 2020. It has four series, each named for a Sinatra song, and the dressiest is “The Best Is Yet to Come.”
| Spec | Bulova Frank Sinatra “The Best Is Yet to Come” |
|---|---|
| Reference | 96B346 (steel on bracelet, gray linen dial); other versions on strap |
| Case size | 40 mm, round |
| Case material | Stainless steel, or gold-tone steel |
| Movement | Sellita SW215 manual-wind, 42-hour power reserve, 28,800 vph |
| Caseback | Exhibition (display) caseback |
| Water resistance | Not confirmed in the sources we used; check the model you buy |
| Price | About $1,150 to $1,350 at launch in 2020; other series started at about $495 |
Where to buy
Compare the same watch on both sites: eBay for pre-owned and vintage pieces, Amazon for new stock.
Bulova Frank Sinatra Collection
Seiko Presage Cocktail Time Alternative
Hamilton Jazzmaster Thinline Alternative
Prices and availability change; check the listing before you buy.
Tina Sinatra also told Forbes that her father cared about punctuality, with the motto “If you’re not early, you’re late,” and that his shirt cuffs had to be generous enough to slip over his watch. Those two details say more about how he wore watches than any reference number: slim, quiet and always on time.
The Rest of the Bulova Frank Sinatra Collection
The collection also includes “Fly Me to the Moon,” a 39 mm cushion-case automatic with a Miyota 8215, at about $750 to $825 at launch. “Young at Heart” is a 33.5 mm tonneau watch with a brown or silver-white dial, and Tina Sinatra has named it her favorite because it replaces the 12 with his fedora.
The cheapest, “My Way,” is a quartz tank watch at about $495 to $525. Bulova has since added limited editions, including a Rat Pack model, reference 96B406, limited to 5,000 pieces, which is a 40 mm automatic with a caseback carrying signatures of Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
It is worth being clear about one thing: these are tribute watches, not replicas of a specific watch Sinatra wore.
Watches Sinatra Actually Owned
Gruen was a popular American watch brand in the 1940s, so a Gruen from that decade fits the story of a young Sinatra at the height of his first fame. It is a modest, elegant choice, and a long way from a flashy sports watch.
The documented list is short, and it is full of surprises for anyone expecting a Rolex.
- Gruen “Very-Thin Precision”: a 14K pink gold, 31 mm Swiss watch made in 1944 with a caliber 410 movement. The caseback reads “To Al ‘Flight over America’ Frank Sinatra – Hollywood – 1945.” Sinatra gave it to his friend Al Silvani, and it sold at Antiquorum in New York in June 2009 for $6,000.
- Lucien Piccard: a yellow gold watch with a silver dial, reported as a gift from his second wife, Ava Gardner, and engraved “To Frank and desert night. Ava.”
Those two come from auction records and watch-history writing rather than a single authoritative catalogue, so treat the Piccard details as reported. If you like vintage dress watches with a story, the same era shows up in What Watch Did Elvis Presley Wear?
The Cartier Pasha He Gave Sammy Davis Jr.
Sinatra is also linked to Cartier through a gift. He gave his fellow Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. a yellow gold Cartier Pasha engraved “Sammy, I Luv Ya, F.A.S.” Antiquorum offered a 1987 gold Pasha with that engraving in June 2009, and Watchonista describes it as a quartz two-time-zone model.
The story that Davis was buried wearing it has not been verified, and Watchonista says no one has confirmed a watch being retrieved from his grave. Watchonista also questions the provenance of the auction lot, so we treat it as a reported gift, not proof of what Sinatra wore day to day. For a modern Cartier celebrity example, see What Watch Does Taylor Swift Wear?
What About a Rolex Day-Date or Patek Philippe?
A lot of online listings call a gold Rolex Day-Date the “Frank Sinatra” Rolex, and some say he favored Patek Philippe. We looked for an auction record, a family statement or a period photograph and found none that stands up. The articles we found on Sinatra’s watches do not mention a Rolex, and one notes that he picked different watches from the usual elite dress brands.
The Day-Date is famous as a “President” watch, and our Donald Trump and Warren Buffett articles cover people with better-documented Day-Dates. If you see a Sinatra attribution on a listing, ask for provenance paper.
Other Sinatra Tribute Watches and Affordable Alternatives
Several brands have made Sinatra watches. Ulysse Nardin released the “Stranger” in 2013, a music-box wristwatch that plays “Strangers in the Night.” Raymond Weil released a Frank Sinatra limited edition of its Maestro in 2015 with the Sinatra family, and Oris offered a limited edition in 2005.
For a similar look without the licensing premium, a slim dress watch does the job. The Seiko Presage Cocktail Time and the Hamilton Jazzmaster Thinline are both widely sold, and our best dress watches under $500 guide covers more.
FAQ
What watch did Frank Sinatra wear?
The best-documented watches he owned were a pink gold Gruen and a Lucien Piccard gold watch. He is also closely tied to Bulova, which sponsored his 1950s TV show, and his daughter Tina says he wore several Bulovas.
Did Frank Sinatra wear a Rolex?
We could not verify it. The “Frank Sinatra” Rolex Day-Date label appears in listings, but we found no auction record, photograph or family source that confirms Sinatra wore one.
Is there a Frank Sinatra Bulova watch?
Yes. Bulova launched a Frank Sinatra collection in 2020 with four series named for his songs, including “The Best Is Yet to Come” and “My Way,” and later added a Rat Pack limited edition.
How much is the Bulova Frank Sinatra watch?
At launch in 2020 prices ran from about $495 for the quartz “My Way” to about $1,350 for the “Best Is Yet to Come” on a bracelet. Current prices vary by retailer and model.
What watch did Frank Sinatra give Sammy Davis Jr.?
A yellow gold Cartier Pasha engraved “Sammy, I Luv Ya, F.A.S.” A 1987 Pasha with that engraving was offered by Antiquorum in 2009, though whether Davis was buried with it remains unconfirmed.
Sources
- Forbes: Tina Sinatra on Bulova’s Frank Sinatra watch collection
- aBlogtoWatch: A Closer Look At The Bulova Frank Sinatra Watch Collection
- Antiquorum: Gruen watch, Estate of Al Silvani (Lot 254)
- Watchonista: Is this the watch Sammy Davis Jr. was buried with?
- Oracle of Time: Face Time, Frank Sinatra