As we know dear friends of IWS, American history is full of personalities who have left an indelible mark; from politics to entrepreneurship, from research to music, each personality has always been accompanied by a timepiece, which has marked its unrepeatable moments.
Speaking of music, let’s talk today about an icon, considered the star of Rock and Roll: a man with an eccentric, almost glitzy style and movements capable of enchanting audiences, especially female audiences, with that sensual movement of the pelvis that later, earned him the nickname “Elvis The Pelvis.”
We are talking about Elvis Presley, the eternal boy with the deep voice, who in his short career, sold records, breaking every sales record and leaving an indelible mark on the international music scene.
One of his hallmarks, as anticipated, was his style, which certainly did not go unnoticed, such as flamboyant luxury cars, flamboyant clothes, and, of course, his watches!
Although he was not a collector, he boasted pieces that today could be called “watchmaking unicorns,” such as a Rolex King Midas, Omega Constellations, a probable one-of-a-kind Ebel, entirely in gold with a carved bracelet, and many others.
For him they were just accessories to be displayed to match his clothing, in a use that brought them closer to jewelry, and which he gave as tokens of affection to friends and colleagues to whom he was particularly close.
Hamilton Ventura
So famous on Elvis’s wrist that it was nicknamed “The Elvis Watch,” the Hamilton Ventura was the first electromechanical watch in history, born in 1957 and featuring the unusual triangular case (its development was the result of ten years of research).
In the postwar period, in fact, the race to find an alternative way to power watches begins, with the help of a small electric battery developed in collaboration with the National Carbon Company (now Energizer). Its H500 mechanism, however, falls victim to some failures, which are later solved in 1961 with the H505 caliber.
It was worn by “The King” during the filming of the movie “Blue Hawaii,” and thanks to its wrist, the Hamilton Watch Company managed to sell more than 11,500 pieces just after its launch.
Omega Constellation
Elvis was also particularly fond of a family of watches from the Swiss watchmaker Omega: a series called Constellation that owes its fame to its elegance and precision.
The Tiffany & Co. signed white gold Omega “Elvis Presley” with manual movement (caliber 510) dating from 1960 was given to him by his record company to celebrate his sales milestone of 75 million copies.
The bezel is set with 44 brilliant-cut diamonds, framing the thin applied hour markers and “baton” spheres. It was sold to the Swiss watchmaker during the May 13, 2018 Phillips auction in Geneva for 1,812,500 Swiss francs. Today it is part of the collection at the Omega Museum.
Before it was auctioned, the watch in question belonged to the grandson of a man who was probably Elvis’s fun. The latter expressed a strong admiration for the precious white gold timepiece and was offered by Elvis to exchange it for a diamond-studded Hamilton. A curious and unusual story, but one that happened often since the king of rock and roll used to make such exchanges.
Another valuable Omega Constellation entered his collection around the 1960s, with an unmistakably “Elvis The Pelvis” style.
It features a rather unusual configuration: studded with precious stones, the bracelet is integrated with the case, and the dial has a “spiral” pattern, round hour markers (covered with diamonds) and arrow-style spheres.
It is rumored to have been auctioned off in 2016 in Geneva, at an unknown figure.
Also famous is another Omega Constellation he wore while enlisted in the U.S. Army and which later inspired a famous film, in which he himself starred, namely, 1960’s Cafe Europa.
This timepiece from the Geneva-based maison has a less pompous style this time around: a rose gold-plated steel case, a black dial, and a leather strap.
First given as a gift to its musician Charlie Hodge, this Omega Constellation has been making the rounds of auction houses since 2011 until it was hammered out by Antiquorum for $37,500.
Rolex Submariner
No less noteworthy is the 1962 Rolex Submariner 6538 Big Crown, which appeared on Elvis’ wrist during the filming of the movie “Girls Girls.” This watch was already known to have appeared in 007 – Dr. No, worn by Sean Connery, in the version with a NATO strap.
Rolex King Midas
Perhaps the most intriguing watch in “The King’s” collection: we are talking about the Rolex King Midas. A real gold “ingot” that perfectly suits the singer’s eccentric style, with a minimalist trait, but one that stands out on the wrist. Oh yes, the Picasso of watchmaking Gérald Genta, had got it right: it was in fact, one of his first hits.
This model was produced by the crowned house in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces; it is the reference 9630, completely in solid gold, with a pentagonal case and a bracelet that perfectly complements the case. It mounted a Piaget caliber 650 hand-wound time-only movement.
Well, we can certainly say that it is more like a piece of jewelry, rather than a watch, as the dial with its “little hands” is barely visible among all that gold!
This magnificent clock had been given to him as a gift in 1970, by a concert promoter, as a thank you for the six shows performed at the Houston Astrodome. It is currently on display in his former Graceland residence in Memphis, Tennessee, the site of the permanent exhibit dedicated to the King of Rock and Roll.
Ebel
Staying on the subject of rare watchmaking pieces, Elvis owned one that turns out to be a one-of-a-kind piece created especially for him by Swiss watchmaker Ebel. With a “bob” case made entirely of 14k yellow gold, it has a bezel studded with white diamonds and an entirely sculpted gold bracelet. A work of art, in short!
This marvel, bearing high the name of the Swiss manufacture, was given by Elvis (as was his wont) to his friend and singer JD Sumner.
As of 2022, Elvis’s Ebel was located at an antique store in New Orleans. The owner, Bill Rau, explained that he bought it from a private collector; it would have ended up in the latter’s hands around 2018, after being displayed in the Elvis Museum’s collection at Graceland. The price? $495,000.
Currently, however, we do not know whether the watch is still in his possession.
Final Thoughts
Certainly the aforementioned watches are just a few from an almost endless collection of Elvis watches, and almost certainly more will pop up over the years; in fact, as we have already mentioned, he used to give them as gifts or exchange them with friends, colleagues and even his admirers.
He was not particularly a clockwork enthusiast in fact, if we are to be honest, he did not give much weight to material possessions, but rather to emotional ones because contrary to what one thinks or can imagine, Elvis was a deep guy with a great passion and talent for music.
Perhaps that is why he gave his possessions to those he was fondly attached to, perhaps that is why it was his love for his Priscilla that destroyed him.
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