Elvis Presley's watches: what the king wore
The King of Rock’N’Roll, Elvis Presley, was famous for wearing a number of watches, all of which reflect the era and image of the man as he moved through the different stages of his life and career. The King, as befits his name, liked to live lavishly: he drove big cars and wore flamboyant outfits accessorised with expensive jewellery, with the watch to match.
Elvis Aaron Presley, aka the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, is arguably one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. In his extraordinary 30-year career, the native Mississippian broke countless sales records. Estimates put his total record sales at more than a billion since the start of his career in 1954. Who doesn’t know his classics like Jailhouse Rock, In the Ghetto, and Suspicious Minds? Elvis performed countless concerts over the years, racking up more than 1,000 live shows between 1969 and his death in 1977. He also managed to squeeze in appearances in 31 movies, the most famous of which include Blue Hawaii (1961) and Viva Las Vegas (1964). Elvis was recognized with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at just 36 years of age and holds the title of Best-Selling Solo Artist in U.S. History.
Beyond the world of entertainment, however, Elvis was also interested in fine timepieces. The King owned a gold Rolex King Midas, several Hamilton Ventura models, and two Omega Constellations.
When he was stationed in Germany during a stint in the US Army between 1958-1960 he wore an Omega Constellation with a black face and gold bezel. The pictures of him wearing the watch in his army uniform show a slim, handsome, all-American hero. A suitably clean-cut watch for a rock’n’roll star doing national service. So far, so predictable.
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His flamboyant tastes really made themselves apparent when he wore the Hamilton Ventura while shooting the 1961 film Blue Hawaii, in which he starred as a demob happy soldier returning home in search of love and laughs. It was the world’s first watch with a battery-powered movement and its peculiar triangular shape recalls the rocketship tail fins of the flamboyant American cars of the time. It’s the kind of watch a Jetson would wear.
When renowned American industrial designer Richard Arbib first sat down with a blank sheet of paper and was told by Hamilton to design whatever he wanted without regard for practicality, he could never have known that the very first sketch he made would become a 20th century icon that’s still turning heads more than 60 years later. This is the story of the Ventura.
The beginnings of Ventura took place in 1950s America. It was a time of transition. As the world emerged from years of conflict and austerity, there was suddenly time for growth, prosperity and the start of a rebellious counter culture that teenagers seized upon. Part of this movement was a new style of music, known as Rock and Roll, that would impact the whole world as it fused many different styles to create a distinctive sound – and a new look – that still influences artists today. Leather jackets, denim jeans and slick, sculpted hairstyles were part of the look and became the new uniform of youth.
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Our favourite watch comes from his debauched Vegas years: the Rolex King Midas designed by none other than Gérald Genta of Nautilus and Royal Oak fame. Genta often took inspiration from unlikely sources and integrated them into the design of his bracelets and cases. For example, the Patek Philippe Nautilus famously takes its cues from the porthole of a ship. The King Midas, as the name suggests, has been inspired by antiquity, in this case the Parthenon temple of Athena.
When you lay the watch on its side, with the crown facing up, the triangular case recalls the roof of the temple, while the lines in the links of the integrated bracelet ingeniously resemble the columns. Meanwhile, the grooves of the crown are soft and curved rather than sharp, giving it the appearance of a sun, while the words “King” and “Midas” flank it on either side. It’s all-gold construction means it weighs 185 grams, making it one of the heaviest wristwatches. Truly a watch fit for a man whose every touch turns to gold.
Sources: GQ magazine, Rolex, Omega, Hamilton