Stylish Men and their Iconic Watches

By:Matthew Lopez | Posted: July 29, 2021

Banner Photo© The New York Times

Over the past few decades, we have spotted celebrities, world leaders, and athletes sporting fascinating timepieces that make us just stand in awe, and with just a click on your smartphone, it can go viral. But very few of them endure becoming style icons in their own right. Today, we will take a closer look at some of the most stylish men who have made timekeeping chic.

 

Pablo Picasso

In this iconic photograph by Yousuf Karsh (right), Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is photographed seen wearing a Jaeger Le-Coultre Triple Calendar Ref. 141.008.1 (left)  (© Christie’s/© Estate of Yousuf Karsh).

 

1. Pablo Picasso and his Jaeger Le-Coultre Triple Calendar Ref. 141.008.1

One of the most prolific and influential artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso, is renowned for being one of the leading figures in the modernist art movement of Cubism. Despite being a passionate supporter of the French Communist Party, Picasso was a lover of the finer things in life and sought to cultivate his image in the public eye. 

He was never a watch collector, but his taste in the few timepieces he owned is unmatched. Picasso has been spotted wearing both a Rolex GMT-Master or a Patek Philippe moon-phase complication. Both timepieces have yet to be rediscovered to this day. But of all the watches he has been pictured with, one truly stands out, a Jaeger Le-Coultre Triple Calendar Ref. 141.008.1.

In 1954, the famed portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh pictured the aging artist wearing the said watch. Known as the reference 141.008.1, the timepiece contains a silvered two-tone dial kept inside a tear-drop-shaped 14-karat yellow gold case. 

The watch, thought to have been lost, has since been located presently in possession of Rafael López-Cambil, the ex-husband of Picasso’s youngest daughter, the fashion designer Paloma Picasso. It is most likely that the watch was part of the inheritance given to Paloma after successfully winning a substantial share in her father’s estate after a lengthy court battle.  What we can be sure, if this timepiece were to resurface at a public auction, it will not only endear to watch enthusiasts but even to the general public who wish to own a piece of the master’s greatness. 

 

 

Paul NewmanAmerican actor Paul Newman (left) photographed wearing his highly coveted Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 (right). (© Douglas Kirkland, Corbis via Getty Images/© Phillips Auctioneers)

 

2. Paul Newman and his Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona Ref. 6239

Watch enthusiasts will always recognize his name and his eponymous wristwatch, but others remember him for his good looks and well-dressed demeanor. American actor Paul Newman best known for his roles in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Color of Money (1986), was a consummate lover of motorsport racing. This passion for racing prompted his wife and fellow actress Joanne Woodward to give him a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 with an exotic dial and its case back carefully inscribed with “Drive Carefully Me.” 

For Newman, the watch became a pride and joy on his wrist through his constant travels for film shoots and even brought on his race for the 24 Hours of Le Mans were even polled at second place. As the story goes, the watch subsequently was gifted to his then daughter’s boyfriend, James Cox, and stayed in his possession for over thirty-three years. 

At that time, the Rolex Daytona with these exotic dials were rediscovered after Newman was spotted wearing the watch in a magazine. Hence, it became known as the “Paul Newman” Daytona. When it resurfaced in 2017 at a Phillips auction in New York, the watch sold for a record USD 17.752 million, making it the most expensive Rolex ever sold at auction. If not for this gentleman always wearing his most prized possession wherever the present craze for this watch would never come into fruition today. 

 

Karl Lagerfeld

 German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld (left) was photographed wearing all-black Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 5402 (right). (© WatchProSite)

 

3. Karl Lagerfeld and his customized “All-Black” Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 5402

Always in his trademark uniform of a black and white suit, dark-rimmed sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and his white hair tied into a ponytail, German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld was a force of nature that had a significant influence on modern fashion. As the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, he helped revitalize the long-dead haute couture brand into the modern powerhouse that we know today. 

For decades, Lagerfeld has always sported a customized Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 5402 since purchasing upon its launch in 1972. With its octagonal case with an integrated bracelet made in the most basic of metal, stainless steel, the watch was subjected to PVD coating all around. Over time the coating wore off, especially on the edges of the case and the bezel due to consistent wear, and that is all evident given that Lagerfeld has been seen wearing the timepiece since the 1970s and never left his side. 

In 2002, he penned a thank you note to the manufacture when the watch was sent for servicing through a retailer based in Milan: 

“…I bought the famous Royal Oak the year of its launch. She has never left my wrist since. I have started to collect other watches, but I’ve always come back to my good Royal Oak that I adore and that never leaves me anymore….”

Recently, Sotheby’s has announced that items from the collection of the late fashion designer will be sold in Monaco, scheduled for the second half of 2021. Though it is yet to be determined if his personal Royal Oak will be offered at the upcoming sale, one thing is for sure; this watch will serve as a final ode to the legacy of this fashion icon.

 

Andy Warhol

A self-portrait taken on a Polaroid featuring American artist Andy Warhol (left) photographed wearing his time-only Cartier Tank Louis in 1970 (right).  (© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./© Leslie Hindman Auctioneers)

 

4. Andy Warhol and his Cartier Tank Louis

One of the pioneers of the pop art movement in the 1960s, Andy Warhol, redefined modern art through his depictions of celebrities and the plight of society through commercialization. Unlike Picasso, he was an avid and eclectic collector of 19th-century paintings, cookie jars, wigs, and most of all, watches. Warhol had been an astute purchaser of timepieces from simple dress-only timepieces from Bulgari and Piaget to highly-prized chronographs and complications from Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Audemars Piguet

In fact, at the time of his death in 1987, 313 watches were found in his Manhattan townhouse and later sold in a highly publicized auction at Sotheby’s the following year. But of all the timepieces owned by the pop icon, there is just one he valued the most: his Cartier Tank Louis. The solid 18-karat yellow gold wristwatch with its distinctive white dial and studded with Roman numerals was probably one of the early timepieces in Warhol’s collection. 

Instead as a watch, Warhol always wore his watch as a piece of jewelry as he remarked in an interview in 1979:

 “…I don’t wear a Tank watch to tell the time. In fact, I never wind it. I wear a Tank because it’s the watch to wear….”

Since its sale in 1988, the watch has been revered by both watch aficionados and art historians alike for its close association with the American artist. A Polaroid self-portrait of Warhol wearing the watch is permanently on display at the aptly called “Andy Warhol Watch Salon” within the inner sanctum of The Cartier Mansion, the flagship boutique store along 653 Fifth Avenue in New York City. As for the watch itself, it has since changed hands twice, first sold at the Sotheby’s auction in 1988 to a Kansas City-based businessman David A Stickelberand. Upon his death, the watch and other properties owned by the businessman were auctioned off at a Leslie Hindman auction in 2012. 

Given the rise in prominence in the artworks of Warhol, this exceptional timepiece will surely draw crowds if it resurfaces once again.

 

Gianni AgnelliItalian industrialist and style icon Gianni Agnelli (left) photographed wearing his exceeding rare Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 1415HU (right). (© Patek Philippe /© Getty Images)

 

5. Gianni Agnelli and his Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 1415HU

An Italian industrialist, an international jet-set, and most of all, an enduring icon of cool, these characteristics perfectly describe Giovanni “Gianni” Agnelli. The man behind the transformation of the fortunes of Italian carmaker Fiat and the owner of the football club Juventus, Agnelli, redefined modern fashion sense and style and influenced modern menswear as we know it today. 

“L’Avvocato,” or “The Lawyer,” as he was fondly called, was widely remembered in the way he wore a wristwatch over his shirt sleeve. His best friend and close confidant, Taki Theodoracopulos, recounts that Agnelli would wear his wristwatch in this manner as his customized shirts were cut very close to his wrist that was no room to wear a wristwatch underneath. The result was the Italian businessman being spotted wearing a wide arrange of timepieces through the years, including an all-black decked-out Porsche Design chronograph, a Hamilton Pulsar P2, and an Omega Seamaster Ploprof. But one timepiece truly stands apart within his collection, a Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 1415HU.

Photographed on Agnelli’s wrist in around 1960, this exceeding rare Ref. 1415HU (Heures Universelle or World Time) was the brainchild of Swiss watchmaker Louis Cottier. He pioneered creating a timepiece that can indicate different time zones. First produced in 1939, the watch is cased in a pink gold case featuring a bezel with 28 cities and studded with a gilt, pink dial. 

As a businessman whose automotive empire has an extensive international presence, Agnelli would have worn this timepiece as he constantly traveled on his private jet. Upon his death in 2003, this timepiece has yet to resurface at a public auction. Still, we feel that collectors want to replicate L’Avvocato’s style by getting this highly coveted timepiece in their collection. 

Fashions Fade; Style is Eternal

Style does not come easy, but if done right effortlessly, one can quickly become a trendsetter whose style would even outlast them. As these personalities in history have shown, a watch is just as crucial to one’s accessory as that custom-fitted suit from your tailor. Take the fitting words from the late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent who once said: “…Fashions fade; style is eternal…”

 

Do you wish to have a stylish timepiece on your wrist today? Find out more at the Vintage Grail website. For more information, contact us at [email protected] or contact us at (+63) 917 159 1211

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