Feature: What's On The Wrists Of Rock Royalty?
When they’ve given up the groupies, drugs, boozing and throwing TVs out of hotel room windows, what does an ageing rock legend do with their time and money? Most of them would rather stay at home in their country mansions sipping cups of Darjeeling than tour the world belting out their greatest hits.
Or they resort to more sedate hobbies and interests. The Who’s Roger Daltrey, for example, owns his own trout fishery, while Rod Stewart likes to play with his model train set - no doubt while wearing comfy slippers and sipping a mug of Horlicks. Poodle-haired Queen guitarist Brian May appears to have devoted his life to saving Britain’s badger population.
It’s all a far cry from the days when his bandmate Freddie Mercury hosted parties where naked dwarves served cocaine to guests on silver platters.
Hell-raisers Of Horology
And then there are those who develop an interest in fine timepieces. Pick a gnarly-faced rock ‘n’ roll icon from the past thirty years and the chances are they have a top-notch watch collection.
From suit-wearing smoothies like Bryan Ferry to former hell-raisers like the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, they’re all at it.
Someone like Ferry – with his Savile Row suits and handmade shoes – was always going to have some incredible watches in his drawer. And we’re not talking Hublots and diamond-speckled Daytonas either.
Bryan Ferry has been seen wearing a two-tone Rolex Day-Date, among other watches
In 2015 he helped design a timepiece for ultra-luxurious Swiss brand H. Moser & Cie, an elegant time-only watch in a rose gold round case. He’s also been seen in the past with a Rolex two-tone Datejust and Explorer (Ref 1016). A style icon and arbiter of good taste indeed.
Keith’s Cartier And Paul's Patek
You’d think his polar opposite, Keith Richards, would have at least one watch bearing a skull and cross bones to echo the ring he famously wears. One from Bell & Ross’ Cyber Skull range would be perfect.
The kind of watch Keith Richards should wear but doesn't
But the grizzled Stones stalwart has surprisingly classic tastes. He’s been seen wearing his rather diminutive Panthere de Cartier countless times over the years, as well as an IWC Portugieser Chrono.
LA heavy metal outfit Guns ‘n’ Roses meanwhile are represented by their guitarist Slash who has been seen with a Breitling Chronomat (ref A13050) and a Rolex Submariner ‘Hulk’ (ref 116610LV).
A Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5165A, as worn by Paul McCartney
Former Beatle Paul McCartney on the other hand seems to have a monogamous relationship with his Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5165A, with no other watch getting a look-in. And Eric Clapton once owned one of the best-looking and rarest vintage Rolexes ever – a Cosmograph Daytona ‘Albino’ (ref 6263) with all-silver dial. It sold at auction in 2015 for just over a million pounds, and the price probably had little to do with the fact that Clapton wore it.
Phil And Mille
And finally there’s Phil Collins, whose tastes are refreshingly mainstream given his estimated net worth of $300m. Among the many watches he’s been seen wearing are a Panerai Luminor Marina (ref PAM00051) and a Rolex Yachtmaster (ref 16622). All easily available and relatively affordable pieces in the pre-owned watches market – truly a man of the people.
Phil Collins owns several watches including a Panerai Luminor
That said, he did own a Richard Mille RM 11 03 until his ex-wife sold some of his watches at a Florida auction earlier this year (also under the hammer were Phil's Rolex GMT Pepsi Master II Meteorite and a rose gold Patek Philippe Nautilus).
Brand co-founder Richard Mille likes his watches to be worn “in situ” so to speak, so the idea of Phil banging his drums in a percussive frenzy while wearing his RM would have been a bit of a coup for Mille. And perhaps he could have even altered the lyrics to one of his songs in tribute.
Tick A Look At Me Now, anyone?
