Round-UpThe Top Celebrity Watch Auctions In Recent History
While Jay-Z auctioned his glittering Jacob & Co at a whopping 1.5 million USD on October 3, here's listing other celebrity watch auctions involving stellar timepieces
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Celebrities who auction personal memorabilia are often seasoned collectors themselves, and during such instances, dip into their existing collectibles to support a cause. For instance, American rap mogul, Jay-Z, also a luxe watch collector, auctioned his Jacob & Co Caviar Tourbillion World Timer at record price of USD 1.5 million on October 3, 2023, to an unknown bidder at the charity auction by criminal-justice advocacy organisation he cofounded with artist Meek Mill and six others, called Reform Alliance, which rehabilitates ex-convicts. The 48mm, 18-karat white gold mechanical watch features 294 baguette-cut diamonds on the case and 204 on the dial, including buckle. It runs on the in-house manual-winding tourbillion that beats at 21,600vph and 120 hours power reserve, which supports three time zones for 25 global cities. Here’s a list of prominent celebrity watch auctions in recent history.
Russell Crowe
Panerai Luminor GMT 2001
Even the most happening divorce party—an increasingly popular trend to celebrate newfound freedom—can never hold a candle to the celebrity watch auctions such as ‘The Art Of Divorce’ that actor Russell Crowe held in collaboration with Sotheby’s Australia on April 7, 2018. To rub it in, the auction took place on the actor’s birthday, which was also his wedding anniversary, and the same month when his divorce with singer Danielle Spencer got finalised in 2012. Claiming this was a Marie Condo move, Crowe auctioned 227 personal items including a Mercedes-Benz car, motorbike, prop horses, film costumes, Australian art, and realised over USD 3.7 million. The motley included couple of luxe watches, including the Panerai Luminor GMT reference PAM00063 (c.2001) that was one of the two watches Crowe purchased when he was in Madrid for the premiere Proof of Life (2000). On the same day, Crowe was announced as one of the Academy Awards nominees for best actor, for Gladiator (2000)—which he eventually won.
The Australian actor admits to never having seen a Panerai before till he spotted the ‘big bold watch’ on the hands of stunt man Sven and actor Ralf Moeller at the Gladiator sets. This GMT watch features 44mm cushion-shaped case from stainless steel with black dial having Super-LumiNova applied indexes, 24-hour markers for dual time zone, and brown leather strap fastened with stainless steel Panerai buckle. It runs on the self-winding ETA calibre 2893-2 that offers up to 42-hour power reserve. The watch sold for AUD 14,000, accompanied with a Panerai guarantee, certificate, booklet and box and a letter from Russell Crowe.
John F Kennedy
Omega Ultra Thin Reference OT3980
Omega paid USD 420,000 for the famed 18-karat gold Omega Ultra Thin Reference OT3980 dress watch that belonged to the 35th US President John F Kennedy at a 2005 auction. It was initially presumed that this Tank-style watch was a Cartier, as a rectangular case Omega was unusual. By ‘Ultra Thin’, this case measured just three millimetres heightwise, and the in-house movement produced upto 35 hours of power reserve. Post auction, the brand proceeded to exhibit the timepiece at the Omega Museum in Biel, Switzerland, displaying it next to the first watch worn on the moon.
The Omega Ultra Thin was a gift to then Senator JFK from his friend Grant Stockdale in 1960, a Floridan businessman who later served as the US ambassador to Ireland. This gesture is engraved on the caseback with the words, ‘President of the United States John F Kennedy from his friend Grant.’ JFK was so happy with the watch that he wore it to his 1961 inauguration; it is visible in the iconic Life Magazine photograph showing him and his wife Jacqueline in the Presidential Box. Jacqueline in a thank you note to Grant, described the watch as the ‘thinnest, most elegant wristwatch’ she’d laid eyes on.
George Clooney
Omega Speedmaster 50th Anniversary Snoopy Watch
American actor George Clooney parted with his Omega Snoopy for the 5th Annual Veterans Day Celebrity Auction campaign (2021) by NGO Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) that builds special homes for injured post-9/11 veterans. This Omega Speedmaster had won the prestigious Silver Snoopy Award from NASA astronauts as their appreciation for the brand in its contributions towards space programs, including the rescue of Apollo 13 and bringing it home. The main highlight is the beloved Snoopy, the whimsical beagle from the iconic comic strip Peanuts by illustrator Charles M Schluz.
The 42mm stainless steel case is designed after the first Speedmaster watch worn during the first expedition to the moon in the 1969. The highlight is the playful beagle Snoopy, present on the dial, as well as the caseback. A space-suited Snoopy looks snug surrounded by stars within the chronograph sub-dial positioned at nine o’clock, while at the caseback, it sits inside a tiny Command and Service Module (CSM) whizzing past the moon and the Earth (which is a disk rotates once per minute, in sync with the watch’s small seconds hand) tailed the words ‘Eyes on the stars’. The silver dial on the METAS certified watch is laser-engraved with Ag925, and consists of blue PVD angle-shaped hour markers and hands, plus two more blue counters at six and nine o’clock; the entire composition encircled by a blue ceramic bezel imprinted with an unusual tachymeter. The watch has a blue nylon fabric strap, and the lining is embossed with the route plan of Apollo 13 mission.
Daniel Craig
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Skyfall 007
While Omega auctioned two of their timepieces that Daniel Craig wore as his last outing as James Bond in No Time To Die (2021), it’s the titanium Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Skyfall 007 auctioned in 2012 that stole hearts. Estimated to sell between 5,000-8,000 GBP, the Skyfall 007 watch was bagged for a whopping 157,250 GBP. This entire amount was donated to ORBIS International, an NGO devoted to preventing blindness, and treating various eye ailments in developing nations. This automatic watch features signature elements on the matt black dial such as Arabic quarters at six, nine and 12 o’clock, tapered and SuperLumiNova applied baton and dot hour markers and hands, central sweeping seconds, date aperture at three o’clock, and unidirectional rotating ceramic bezel with helium escape valve at 10 o’clock.
Nestled within the 42mm case of this dive watch is the two-barreled Omega Co-axial 8500, an automatic winding chronometer movement with co-axial escapement. For that special Bond touch, ‘SKYFALL 007’ is engraved on the rotor and a gun-shaped ‘007’ replaces the seven o’clock hour marker.
Bradley Cooper
IWC Big Pilot Watch
Among the spate of recent celebrity watch auctions, the IWC Big Pilot Watch that actor Bradley Cooper wore to the 91st Academy Awards became part of an online auction by Sotheby’s and the full proceeds went to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation supporting NGO Arrimage for teaching visually impaired kids to read drawings via touch. Engraved on the caseback is a sweet, yet poignant message ‘It is only with the heart one can see rightly’, extoling the values of NGO Arrimage. As the IWC brand ambassador, Cooper provided the buyer with a personal letter, accompanied by the IWC guarantee, booklets, presentation case, and of course, the watch. This two-tone 18-karat 5N gold and blue dial wonder with 46.2mm case runs on automatic calibre 51111, offers up to 168-hour power reserve. A date aperture sits at six o’clock and date sub-dial at three o’clock.
