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Royal Watchers: The Queen has
Royal Watchers
While checking the time in public may not be the best regal protocol, the royal family owns a fabulous array of timepieces. But who favours what?
world’s smallest mechanical calibre. 50 years later, in 2012, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented her with a white gold replica 101 watch in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.
More recently, a more understated watch, the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars in gold, has been seen on the Queen’s wrist a number of times, most latterly when she addressed the nation in April 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic.
Of all the accolades achieved by the Queen in her 70-year reign, accomplished watch collector is one of the lesser known. The now 35-yearold puplication titled The Queen’s Jewels: The Personal Collection of Elizabeth II, estimated the monarch had at least 14 wristwatches in her collection – a number much larger now. Most are feminine and discreet (staring at a watch in the hope an engagement will soon be over is a royal no-no). And, as one might expect, brands tend towards the giants of Swiss watch makers, including Patek Philppe, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin – the latter being a particular royal favourite. Princess Margaret’s diamond-encrusted Vacheron Constantin timepiece, estimated to make some £1,000 at Christie’s sale in 2006, sold for £26,400.
Many of the watches in the Queen’s collection are gifts. On her marriage to Prince Philip on November 20, 1947, the Swiss Federal Council gave her a 1947 Vacheron Constantin gold and diamond cocktail watch, which was subsequently given to Princess Diana after her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981. Like the rest of us, passing on watches down the generations is common.
Coronation watch
The Queen wore another gift on her coronation day. Named ‘La Reine’ , it was a present from Vincent Auriol, the French president of the day, and was a discreet Jaeger-LeCoultre 101. Famous for its small movement, which was developed in 1929, it’s still considered to be the
Swiss masters
Above A Cartier art deco watch, dated 1911, given to Princess Margaret on her 20th birthday in 1940, by the Queen Mother (who bought it second hand from the jewellers for £100) sold for £57,600 (against an estimate of £2,000£3,000) at Christie’s sale in 2006, image courtesy of Christie’s
Above right Patek Philppe made the diamond-encrusted watch for the Queen
Right The Prince with his Parmigiani Fleurier Toric on a royal walkabout, image Shutterstock Patek Philippe is another favourite with the Queen. We know this because, in 2015, she loaned her Patek Philippe 4975/1G (made specially for her) to an exhibition of the Swiss maker at London’s Saatchi Gallery where it appeared alongside Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s Patek Philippe watches.
The watch face is encrusted with baguette-cut diamonds, and it sits on decadent strands of pearl. The Queen also wore it at the State Opening of the House of Lords in 2006. Another Patek Philippe, the Golden Ellipse – in white gold with a blue dial and diamond bezel – is another recurring favourite.
The Queen was also an early adopter of the Omega Ladymatic, developed in 1955 and famous for being the first automatic ladies’ wristwatch. The newly-crowned monarch jumped on the new watch trend on its launch, and has been seen wearing a gold version through the decades, including in her official portrait from 1992.
Prince Charles
The heir apparent has inherited his mother’s love of unusual timepieces, with a comprehensive collection. Known for his love of craftsmanship and heritage, Prince Charles’ taste is both classic and eclectic. For many years the Patek Philippe ref. 3445 (also seen on Princess Diana’s wrist in 1981) was a tried- and-tested favourite. Prior to that, he wore a wider variety of models including a two-tone Cartier Santos and yellow gold Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. In addition, he owns a Hamilton RAF Pilot’s Chronograph, which he likely received during his training at RAF College, Cranwell.
Today, he is most often seen sporting an 18ct yellow gold 39mm-diameter Parmigiani Fleurier Toric chronograph with Roman numerals. Somewhat of a new arrival by Swiss watchmaker standards, Parmigiani was founded in 1996, and its rare Fleurier Toric with gold case and black leather strap has been Charles’ watch of choice on several recent occasions, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding and at Royal Ascot in 2019.
The Prince also received a classic Breguet 3680BA, engraved with the Prince’s seal, and given to him on his 60th birthday by the jewellers Ogden of Harrogate.
Above A Parmigiani Fleurier Toric chronograph, image courtesy of Parmigiani
Right Prince William wears an Omega Seamaster Professional given to him by his mother, image courtesy of Omega
Below left Charles received the Breguet 3680BA on his 60th birthday
Below Presented by the jewellers Ogden of Harrogate it is engraved with the Prince’s seal and dated November 14, 2008
Below right The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tend to wear the same watches most days, image Shutterstock
As well as the diamond-set Vacheron Constantin watch given to her by the Queen, Princess Diana was most often photographed with two of Cartier’s iconic Tank watches –a Tank Louis Cartier with a yellow gold case and a black alligator bracelet, and a yellow gold Tank Française. The latter hadn’t been seen in public for years until 2020 when Meghan Markle wore it (along with a Cartier bracelet that also belonged to Princess Diana) during her appearance at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit.
The Cartier Tank dates back to 1918 and draws design inspiration from the then-new Renault military tanks seen by Louis Cartier during the WWI. Other celebrities who sported the Cartier Tank included Jackie Kennedy, Yves Saint Laurent and Andy Warhol. The Tank Française was introduced in 1996.
Princess Diana also owned a gold Patek Philippe ref. 3618 given to her by Prince Charles on her 20th birthday. In fact, she famously wore it alongside Prince Charles’ Patek Philippe ref. 3445 for luck watching him play polo at Guards Polo Club in Windsor in 1981.
William, Duke of Cambridge
Prince William never goes out without his Omega Seamaster Professional 300M mid-size– a gift from his mother, Princess Diana. The watch, which he wore when he married Kate Middleton in 2011, is a classic quartz model in stainless steel with a blue dial.
Should he ever need it, the Seamaster features a date dial, a chronometer, a screw-in crown, a unidirectional rotating bezel, and a helium-escape valve. The dial is covered with sapphire crystal, resistant to scratches, and the wristband is made from stainless steel.
Duchess of Sussex
As mentioned, Meghan owns Princess Diana’s yellow gold Cartier Tank Française (legend has it Prince William took possession of the watch after his mother’s death in 1997, before giving it to Prince Harry in exchange for what became Kate Middleton’s engagement ring).
The other two-tone Cartier Tank was a gift to herself, bought while she was starring in the TV show Suits and is engraved on the back To MM,from MM. Only six models of the Cartier Tank were ever made.
It has a characteristically rectangular shape, with Roman numeral dials, sword shape hands and a simple cabochon sapphire.
Harry, Duke of Sussex
Like his brother, William, Prince Harry doesn’t believe in special occasion watches and tends to wear one of two watches: a Rolex Explorer II ref. 216570, one of only 48 existing models, made on special order for the Attack Helicopter Regiment, in which Prince Harry served during his two tours of Afghanistan. The other is a special version of the Breitling Aerospace Advantage, also presented to Apache pilots who have completed combat missions. The dial features an illustration of an Apache helicopter at the nine o’clock position and the Army Air Corps wings at three o’clock. The Breitling, which he wore at his brother’s wedding, features a digital calendar with the day and date programmed for four years and a chronograph. He wore his Rolex Explorer II at the Diamond Jubilee cathedral service and has also been spotted sporting a Casio G-Shock and Pulsar G10, which is a standard Ministry of Defence issue.
Left The Duchess of Sussex owns two Cartier Tanks, image courtesy of Cartier
Right Harry wears a Rolex Explorer II ref. 216570, image courtesy of Rolex
Below right The Cartier Ballon Bleu is the ideal accessory to the Duchess of Cambridge’s sapphire engagement ring
Duchess of Cambridge
The Duchess of Cambridge is only ever seen with one wristwatch, a 33mm Cartier Ballon Bleu with stainless steel case and matching strap. It has a silver dial and blue sword-shaped hands, complementing her sapphire engagement ring once owned by Princess Diana.
The Ballon Bleu was unveiled in 2007, the name referring to its most distinctive feature –a covered crown housing a cabochon sapphire, which gives an otherwise circular case a shape like a tied-off balloon.
Like many new-era Cartier releases, the Ballon Bleu combines a fresh shape with the maker’s traditional finishing techniques, notably the blued-steel sword hands, Roman numerals and delicate guilloché patterning.
Duchess of Cornwall
Ever happy to plough her own furrow, the watch most worn by the Duchess of Cornwall is a FitBit Charge 3, introduced in 2018. The Duchess was first seen wearing the fitness tracker during an appearance in Wiltshire in 2020. It most recently appeared on the royal wrist when the royal family attended The Commonwealth Day Service At Westminster Abbey on March 14, 2022.
Above The Duchess is rarely seen without her 33mm Cartier Ballon Bleu, image courtesy of Cartier
Above right Princess Margaret in 1965, 10 of her watches sold for a total of £231,000 in 2006
Far right A Cartier art deco platinum diamond set watch with a rose-cut diamond border and hexagonal case, image courtesy of Christie’s
Right A diamond-set Vacheron et Constantin watch belonging to Princess Margaret sold for £26,400, image courtesy of Christie’s
Left The Duchess of Cornwall favours a health-monitoring watch, in discreet black, rather than red
Princess of Style
As a style icon it is little surprise Princess Margaret owned and wore a number of high-end time pieces. In 2006, as part of Christie’s three-day sale of her private possessions (which raised £13.7m), 10 watches were sold, totalling £231,000 in all. The collection included a rare Cartier art deco watch bought by the Queen Mother second hand from the famous jewellers as a present for Princess Margaret’s birthday in 1940 for just £100.
Another Cartier – an art deco platinum diamond set wristwatch, made in 1911, later engraved with the ownership mark of ‘M’ beneath the princess’s coronet, sold for £36,000 (against an estimate of £3,000-£5,000 at the same sale).
