From SwissWatchExpo… Spotlight on: Famous watches, named after
famous men.
In the watch world, it has become common practice to give watches nicknames. Often, it’s because
of their unique characteristics – like the GMT-Master’s colorful bezels.
A reserve few, meanwhile, have been named after personalities. Over the years, distinguished
men have helped secure the place of watches in horological history.
How many of these men can you identify? And which watch was never actually worn by them?
Stay tuned, to find out.
Let’s start with the famous Paul Newman Daytona, considered a holy grail watch among
collectors.
When actor Paul Newman took up motor racing in the 1960’s, he was gifted by his wife,
actress Joanne Woodward, with a Rolex Daytona ref 6239. He was said to have worn the watch
daily, even until his death in 2008.
The association with Newman stuck. Unique for their tri-tone dial and Art Deco text.
Daytonas with exotic dials have been dubbed “Paul Newman” models since then.
The Orange Hand Rolex Explorer II is nicknamed the “Steve McQueen”, even though there
was no proof that he ever wore one.
McQueen was only misquoted in a magazine interview, as having worn the watch. Nevertheless, rumors
that the “King of Cool” wore the Explorer II helped popularize the watch.
What Steve actually wore as his daily watch, and was often photographed with, is the Rolex
Submariner reference 5512. Auction house Antiquorum sold the actual watch in 2009.
Legendary actor Clint Eastwood loves his Rolex GMT Master so much, that he has worn it several
times on the big screen.
The reference 16753 GMT Master Rootbeer appeared in 1982’s Firefox and 1993’s In the
Line of Fire.
It’s clear though that the watch is more than just a movie prop. Eastwood is also often
photographed wearing it off-duty, hence the name stuck.
In 2012, Oscar-winning director James Cameron set out to explore the Mariana Trench, in
a Rolex supported mission.
Located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, it’s the deepest point of the Earth; and
Cameron successfully descended to it. A specially-designed Rolex watch, built to handle massive pressure
underwater, accompanied Cameron.
To celebrate the mission’s success, Rolex released the D-Blue Cameron dial Sea-Dweller
timepiece. It comes with a gradient black-to-blue dial and the Deepsea name printed in bright
green.
Did you know? The classic Cartier Santos-Dumont, is named after an iconic aviator.
One of the first wristwatches ever created, Louis Cartier designed the watch in order
to solve the dilemma of Alberto Santos-Dumont – that of a watch he can wear while flying
a plane.
IWC also has a special line of watches dedicated to French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
Cousteau Aquatimer watches feature a trademark deep blue dial and special back engravings,
as a homage to his work in preserving the seas.
Classic in design, and named after great individuals, these watches will stand the test of time.
Which one was your favorite? Tell us in the comments section.
Want more celebrity watch collections? Click on the upper right screen, for our Watches
and Hollywood playlist.
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