As the race towards the 2020 election gains pace, I’ve been thinking about the watches of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, and what their timepieces say about their political stances.
One of the Democratic frontrunners for the 2020 election, Bernie’s strong socialist views have won him a strong set of followers amongst the youth and minority groups that want to take on the corporate establishment.
So, does Bernie’s watch fit his political views?
Bernie’s modest stainless steel Citizen Eco-Drive features battery-less technology, which promises to keep on going with minimum maintenance. Whilst Bernie’s political career does seem to keep on going, his heart attack has prompted many voters to wonder if Bernie’s battery can last the distance…
One of the keys to Bernie’s popularity is his appeal to the ‘everyman’. Does his watch back this up? I’d suggest yes. His Eco-Drive is robust, but not flashy. Given the surge in his book sales, he could certainly afford a significantly more expensive watch.
Yes, Bernie wears his heart on his sleeve figuratively and literally. The Citizen Eco-Drive mirrors Bernie’s anti-bank, socialist political agenda.
Trump does have a watch collection, but he doesn’t flaunt it as much as you might expect given his self-proclaimed wealth.
The watch most commonly associated with Trump is the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968 he wore during his victorious election night in 2016.
The most striking feature of the watch is the square, ultra-thin 5mm case. It is a collectors item and you’ll be lucky to find a similar piece for less than $25,000. At this price point, it sure matches Trump’s desire for luxury and exclusivity.
I’m comfortable arguing this watch isn’t affordable for the everyman and is better suited towards the white privilege commonly associated with Wall St bankers. Trump has made his position on being close with Wall St clear, which is echoed in this watch choice.
Perhaps Trumps strong views on capitalism are best evidenced by his very own watch line, the ‘Donald J. Trump Signature Collection’ he unveiled in 2005 and sold exclusively at Macy’s. Inspired by popular watch brands, the collection was only in shops for 1 year. Sure, this can be seen as another of Trump’s failed business ventures. But, isn’t that capitalism at play? He gave it a shot, the market rejected it and he clearly moved on without it affecting him too much.
Trump’s timepieces also tend to mirror his political views.
Taylor Swift wears a watch featuring a cat on the face in the video for her song You Need To Calm Down.
You get a solid glimpse of the cat dial at the 20 second mark when she sings the lyrics ‘And I’m just like damn, it’s 7am‘.
Watch below:
The cat watch originally sold for $35 via Taylor Swift’s official fan store and came with a digital download of the album ‘Lover’, but has not been available for some time. You can potentially still find one on eBay for a premium or find a similar cat watch on Amazon.
The cat watch features the words TAYLOR SWIFT on the back of the case, a turquoise band and the number 13 (Taytay’s lucky number) on the dial where 1 would normally be.
Taylor’s Instagram feed often features pics of her furry friends Benjamin Button, Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey. The below pic is one of my favorites:
She freely talks about her love of cats in the following interview:
Given Taylor’s fascination with her own 4 legged cuties, it’s perhaps not surprising that she made an appearance in the musical movie Cats.
Bradley Cooper wears an IWC Big Pilot IW500901 in the 2015 movie Aloha.
Bradley Cooper plays Brian Gilcrest, a military pilot contractor that needs to return to Hawaii to oversee the traditional blessing of a pedestrian gate. This gate is important to billionaire Carson Welch’s (Bill Murray) plans to construct a space centre nearby.
On arrival in Hawaii, Brian finds his ex-girlfriend Tracy (Rachel McAdams) married with two kids. One of which he later finds out is actually his daughter.
Emma Stone plays Captain Allison Ng, a young spritely “quarter Hawaiian” love interest that shares the same fascination with space and exploration as Brian did as a youngster. Brian would eventually turn his affections from Tracy to Allison.
Whilst generally considered a box-office flop (generating $26 million at a cost of $52 million), I really enjoyed seeing Bradley Cooper wear a watch he clearly admires, in a plot line that makes complete sense for him do do so (ie a pilot wearing a pilot watch).
Cooper wears the statement watch throughout the movie. There’s actually few scenes where he doesn’t wear it. This wasn’t some prop decision, this is most likely Cooper’s personal watch as he is a long-time fan of IWC.
He’s been spotted wearing the exact same watch multiple times, including to the tennis with Gerrard Butler and to the movie premier of the Guardians of the Galaxy (both below):
In 2018, IWC decided to cement their relationship with Cooper by making him an official brand ambassador saying:
“With his pursuit of quality and creativity, he is a perfect match for IWC”
Pros
Cons
The IWC Big Pilot is an impressive watch that incorporates vintage 1930’s design into a practical, well designed iconic timepiece. If you like larger watches and have a good sized budget to spend, this is definitely worth adding to your shortlist.
Want to pull off a similar look to the IWC Big Pilot, but don’t have that sort of cash handy? Then, the Citizen Eco-Drive Avion is a great choice. Featuring a slightly smaller size of 45mm and also in stainless steel, this watch might be the sensible introduction to big watches you need before investing in something more expensive.
Pros
Cons
Stephen Curry, guard for the Golden State Warriors NBA team and two time league MVP, is actually a bit of a watch collector.
The notoriously under-sized boy from Charlotte sprung out of his father’s (Dell Curry) footprints during the 2012-13 season with a record 272 three pointers made during the regular season. Steph has since shattered this record on several occasions and led the Warriors to NBA glory during the 2015, 2017 and 2018 seasons. He is a phenomenal talent that many now regard as the best shooter in NBA history. However, it wasn’t always this way, as the following short documentary shows his long term struggle to overcome his small stature. Give it a watch, it’s a great story of perseverance.
Steph Curry wears multiple watch brands ranging from high end Rolexes, to the more affordable Movado Museum Classic. With a $35 million salary (2018 Golden State), Steph can clearly afford to wear exclusively super high-end watches if he was so inclined, but we like that the family man mixes up his flashy watches with some simple, elegant and attainable timepieces.
Stephen has been spotted wearing various Rolexes. For the big occasions, he appears to prefer his impressive Rolex Deepsea diver. He wore this whilst accepting his MVP trophy in 2016 and when he met President Obama in 2015 through his charity efforts on fighting malaria. His Deepsea is a large 44mm steel oyster model featuring self winding calibre 3135 movement, patented scratch resistance Cerachrom unidirectional bezel with 60 min graduations, and a 70 hour power reserve. Make no mistake, this is a serious dive watch, but obviously also carries the elegance for occasions such as meeting the US President.
Steph also owns a 40mm Everose Day-Date President he’s previously sported to some games.
One of Steph’s more attainable, yet elegant timepieces is his Movado Museum Classic that he’s worn to post-game press conferences.
We find that Steph wearing a watch with a family friendly budget to a press conference where his daughter, Riley, stole the show to be quite fitting. The classy, yet relaxed Movado with a simple numberless blackface is dressed up with the goldtone hands and the signature dot at 12 o’clock. This watch suits Stephen Curry’s image perfectly.
We couldn’t let this opportunity slip to show you the video of Riley taking control of yet another press conference with her effortless charm:
You can grab yourself a Movado Museum Classic from Amazon below. Whilst we can’t guarantee it will help you become the next MVP, you can at least look the part.
Warren Buffett, currently worth $90B and 3rd on Forbes rich list behind Jezz Bezos and friend Bill Gates, made his fortune by being an incredibly astute investor in various companies. Known for his frugal and practical nature despite his immense wealth, we’re naturally interested in type of watch the ‘Oracle from Omaha’ chooses to wear.
The following video features some inspirational moments from Buffett, giving a great glimpse into the type of mindset that has allowed him to generate such wealth and provides insight into his core values.
Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down.
- Warren Buffett
Certainly not exactly a watch for the masses with a current price tag of $27,895.00, the 18K Rolex Day Date is not overly flashy either. Known for its classic, timeless elegance, the Rolex Day Date is perhaps the most instantly recognizable watch in the world.
The most popular size of the Rolex Day Date is the 36mm, but you can certainly go bigger with a 40mm models. As the name suggests, the Day Date features the full day name on the dial, along with the date at 3 o’clock. Today, the movement is controlled by Rolex’s Calibre 3255, with self-winding mechanical movement offering superb precision, power reserve and resistance to shocks and magnetism.
Given Warren’s appetite for a good deal, perhaps today he’d be looking for a pre-owned watch like this one which retails for , significantly less than the retail price of a new Rolex.
Bernie Sanders, the United States Senator for Vermont raised to fame during the 2016 Presidential election when he eventually lost out to the Democratic nomination for US President to Hillary Clinton.
Known for his strong stance against corporate greed in applying his interpretation of democratic socialism, Sanders rallied a vocal fan-base that continued to find support after the 2016 presidential nomination defeat. Given his strong political views on the influence of corporations and role of social welfare, we thought it would be interesting to find out what watch the Senator chooses to wear.
The stainless steel dress watch is 39mm wide, with a black face, three hand functions, date function at 3 o’clock and water resistance rated to 30m – but certainly don’t take it diving (check out our guide to dive watches for this). Citizen has done a really good job of marketing their watch to the “everyday man” since their founding in 1930’s, something Bernie is no doubt aware of when choosing this watch as it fits his political profile perfectly. The Eco-Drive technology pioneered by Citizen does mean that Bernie can campaign without ever having to worry about changing his watch battery (unlike Donald Trump’s largely ill-received foray into watch manufacturing).
The model that Bernie wears (BM0910-57E) is hard to find for retail purchase today. But, that doesn’t really matter as we prefer the style and sleekness of the titanium version of the eco-drive. Both versions of the watch are affordable and stay true to Bernie’s “everyday” appeal.
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and the second richest man in the world (behind Jeff Bezos, but still in front of long time friend Warren Buffett) wears a remarkably modest watch.
Gates is also well known for his many philanthropic endeavors. In fact, one of the primary reasons he is no longer the richest man in the world is because he has chosen to give away a substantial part of his fortune. He, along with Warren Buffet, also influenced many other mega-rich celebrities and entrepreneurs to donate at least half of their wealth through “the Giving Pledge”. Well played Mr Gates.
Given Mr Gates’ wealth, you’d possibly expect him to be sporting a super exclusive Rolex, Omega or similar. But no, fitting with Mr Gates’ rather conservative lifestyle, he opts to wear what he calls a “$10 watch”. This $10 watch is actually a Casio Illuminator W214H-1AV, and whilst it is certainly an inexpensive watch, you may have to pay a little more than the $10 quoted by Bill (check Amazon for current price).
Check out the video below by Politico where when asked whether the watch he is wearing is similar to a medical watch he is currently speaking about, Bill responds with “no, this is a $10 watch.”
This is a homage watch to the much more expensive and iconic Rolex Submariner and is a very practical watch for those on a budget, but still expect to get wet from time to time and want a durable watch that won’t break under the stresses of an active lifestyle. Whilst more than $10, few would argue that this watch is out of character with Bill’s preference for functionality over glamour. An affordable watch for the most active keyboard warriors, this would be our choice when emulating the style and philosophy of a man worth 90+ Billion.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a popular US sitcom that spices up the regular “cop-show” format with easy watching humor led by Andy Sandberg’s character Jake Peralta. Jake’s good, but often naive intentions land him and his precinct in difficult, and humorous, situations. The show has received praise (and awards) for the way they blend current social issues into the story line, such as the Captain Holt’s sexuality.
Terry Crews plays Terry Jeffords, a Detective Sergeant with a hard-ass appearance, but has recently become well acquainted with his softer side after being taken off field duty following the birth of his twin daughters. Terry has an annoying habit of referring to himself in the third person, but this gentle giant makes up for it with his leadership and support of his team through thick and thin.
Terry wears a Luminox Navy Seal Colormark throughout the series. Given his bulky, muscular stature, and need to be ready for whatever life as a cop throws at him, the Luminox Navy Seal is a solid choice. With Swiss quartz movement, this watch features a black dial, black unidirectional bezel with white contrasting bezel markers, white hour markers and date displayed at 3 o’clock. The 200m water resistance is rather expected given the “Navy Seal” model, and whilst I can’t recall an episode where Terry needs to hunt any criminals underwater, he can if duty calls!I need to eat 10,000 calories a day to maintain muscle mass!
Terry Jeffords, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Check out some of Terry’s finer moments in the mashup below:
Summary
You don't need to be a massive unit like Terry to enjoy this watch. True, Terry makes the 44mm case look rather small on his over-sized wrists, but this quality tool watch is meant to be a little bulky. Bottom line is that this is an impressive watch for the price if you're after something durable that you can count on during a busy lifestyle, that still makes a statement in the office.
Elvis Presly (@elvis) was a much loved American singer and actor. The “King of Rock and Roll” has been credited by Rolling Stone as ‘single-handedly changed the course of music and culture in the mid-1950s’ . His voice, presence, dancing, clothing and sleek good looks allowed him to reach heights no artist had before him.
Given his impeccable style, it’s not surprising that Elvis held a strong appreciation for watches, boasting an impressive collection, and often using watches as a vehicle for appreciation. There are numerous witness accounts of him giving away watches as presents.
Whilst not an exhaustive list, the below gives you a good overview of the types of watches Elvis adored.
This watch made headlines in 2018 when it sold at auction for $1.8 Milliion – a record for an Omega watch. The watch was a gift to Elvis from his record company, RCA Records, for selling 75 million records. The story goes that Elvis swapped this watch to the seller’s uncle after the uncle expressed admiration for the King’s Tiffany Omega. Elvis, being the generous soul he was, offered to swap it for the uncle’s diamond studded Hamilton.
The watch is an 18K white gold Omega with 44 round cut diamonds on the bezel, Tiffany & Co stamped on the dial, 33mm case and is powered by a manual caliber 510 movement. Engraved on the back is “To Elvis, 75 Million Records, RCA Victor, 12-25-60.”
Can’t afford the $1.8M+ price tag next time this watch comes up for auction? Check out an Omega De Ville or for something more affordable, the Vincero Kairos is worthwhile exploring.
It was not out of pure chivalry that Elvis swapped his Tiffany Omega for a Hamilton. He was really quite fond of the asymmetrical design. Most notably wearing a Hamilton Ventura in the 1961 film, Blue Hawaii. Elvis reportedly owned several Hamilton’s and even gave some away as presents.
Hamilton watches have a polarizing history – you either love the design, or you don’t. The early success of the Ventura has been largely attributed to it being the first battery powered watch that the public was able to afford and the futuristic design by Richard Arbib. Hamilton re-released the Ventura in 2017 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the initial 1957 release. The new Classic Ventura features a case with dimensions 32.3mm x 50.3mm, quartz movement and a leather strap. Given the relative affordability of the Hamilton Ventura, this watch is within reach for most Elvis fans.
Check out the Hamilton Ventura on Amazon
Elvis was clearly an Omega fan, with the Omega Constellation also featuring prominently during the years he served for the US Army. He was stationed in Germany with friend, and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Charlie Hodge from 1958 to 1960. Charlie often praised and commented Presley on the watch, leading to Presley eventually giving the watch to Charlie as a present. The watch was auctioned in 2012, fetching $52,500.
Whilst the King’s Omega Constellation probably won’t be coming up for auction again anytime soon, Omega still makes the Constellation if you share similar tastes to Elvis and want to own one yourself.
Elvis was a true watch aficionado with tastes ranging through all price points. On the more exclusive end was his collection of Rolex’s, including the Rolex Submariner “Big Crown” worn in the 1962 movie Girls, Girls, Girls. There’s numerous scenes in the movie where he proudly sports the Rolex Submariner 6538 “Big Crown”, as shown in the image above. Coincidentally, this watch became famous for being the watch that Sean Connery wore in the first Bond film, Dr No, which also came out in 1962. It’s fitting that such a revered pop icon chose to wear a watch that would also go on to become an icon in its own right.
As the nickname suggests, the watch features an over sized winding crown without any crown guards. Controlled by Rolex’s Calibre 1030 movement, the early Submariner’s dial focuses on simplicity, as they don’t have day or date functions as these only came in later models (1960 onwards).
We aren’t sure what happened to Elvis’s Submariner. Given how popular the “Big Crown” is with watch collectors anyway, adding certified Elvis ownership would certainly have this watch fetching big money at auctions – perhaps even rivaling the $1.8M of the Tiffany Omega. If you want your own Girls, Girls, Girls watch, you can always invest in a modern Rolex Submariner, or for something more affordable, a Casio MDV106-1A is a solid, practical option.
The very popular and talented actor Kit Harington has displayed his style by wearing Jaeger LeCoultre Automatic Stainless Steel Men’s Watch Q1338421.
Christopher Catesby Harington, famously known to the world as Kit Harington, is an English actor from London. Kit graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama at the University of London in 2008. His career had a fantabulous beginning through the smash hit television series, Game of Thrones in 2011. His name may be Kit Harington, but almost everyone knows him as Jon Snow, the role that he portrays in the show.
Jon Snow is a fictional character with a powerful story line. Game of Thrones continues to receive near universal appreciation and highly positive reviews because of its thrilling, entertaining and tense plot line.
One of my favorite Jon Snow scenes is below -- this “King of the North” speech drives shivers up my spine and almost makes me want to to pick up a sword and join the Night’s Watch myself!
Ever since its premiered, GOT has had a successful run with each of its seasons providing unique and captivating story twists. Kit Harington has received many accolades for his performance in the series. The show has also helped him to earn critical acclaim and a massive fan base across the world. He is the proud recipient of the Gold Derby TV awards for Best Drama Supporting Actor for his performance in Game of Thrones. He became one of the highest paid actors in a television series in 2017. He has also featured in several films – you can find more about Kit Harington at IMDB.
Looks aside, this watch packs a strong feature set to provide serious performance. It is water resistant up to 50 meters, and very light weight at just 1.1 lbs. The Swiss made watch flaunts a 43-hour power reserve. It is stylish and sleek with a case diameter of 41mm, case thickness of 7.5 mm and bandwidth of 18 mm. The watch has an automatic movement and ialso contains a deployment buckle.
Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Automatic Stainless Steel Mens Watch Q1338421 comes with an ultra sleek design combined with an aesthetically pleasing appearance that captures the attention of admirers. It’s authentically elegant, with high-quality alligator patterned leather for the strap, silver sunray dial, fixed stainless steel bezel, and a scratch resistant sapphire crystal make the watch worth considering even if you’re not the Prince of Dragonstone.
Summary
Recommended for those that desire elegance, luxurious appeal and solid performance in their watch. The price tag reflects the luxury aesthetics, which may put it out of reach for many to add to their collection.
