This week Elvis Presley broken an all-time chart record with the album “The Wonder of You”when it reached number one. This is the 13th time an Elvis album has reached the top of the charts, the record was previously shared with Madonna.
Elvis Presley was not only known for his music – he was also known for spending a lot of his money on jewellery – including watches. So, to commemorate Elvis’ record breaking achievement we’re going to take a look at Elvis’ watch collection!
The Christmas Gift That May or May Not Be Real!
One of the most famous watches in Elvis’ watch collection is the watch allegedly given to Elvis by his managed Col. Parker. The Rolex was assumed to have been given to Elvis as a Christmas gift and was engraved “ELVIS MERRY CHRISTMAS YOUR PAL COL. TOM PARKER”.
The watch was believed to have been genuinely been owned by Elvis Presley and was recently auctioned by Christie’s. But after a little bit of digging some people suggested that the watch was never actually given to Elvis by Colonel Tom Parker. His second wife Loanne Parker was one of these people. She said that the Colonel would never have bought Elvis jewellery – he was a thrifty man and was appalled at the large sums of money Elvis spent on jewellery! She also said that the Colonel had a purely business relationship with Elvis, so he would not have called him “pal” and that he would have signed it “Colonel” not “Col. Tom Parker”.
As neither Elvis nor Colonel Tom Parker are living today, it’s impossible to verify whether the watch was really owned by Elvis or not. But if it was, it would certainly have made for a very interesting story.
The Rolex in Elvis’ Watch Collection
Although the legitimacy of the Colonel’s Christmas gift is doubted – his love of Rolex’s is not. Elvis’ watch collection includes some very rare Rolex watches. One of the most interesting is the incredibly rare gold Rolex King Midas which was the heaviest watch available at the time. Only 1,000 of these square faced watches were made and Elvis owned number 343.
This Rolex was presented to Elvis after he played 6 consecutive sold-out shows at the Houston Astrodome. The watch was engraved “TO ELVIS PRESLEY FROM THE HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW OFFICERS 1970”.
The OMEGA Which Sold For Over $50,000
If there is any watch manufacturer which Elvis is known for wearing then that manufacturer would definitely be OMEGA. The watch in Elvis’ watch collection that he was most known for is not one that fits the character of the man. The modest and understated OMEGA Constellation Calendar was one which he was often seen wearing – most famously when on military duty in the 1950’s.
The watch was auctioned off in June 2012 and was only valued at $10,000-$20,000. In the end the watch sold for more than double its initial valuation, with the final price coming in at $52,000!
One of Elvis’ Favourite Watches
It’s hard to believe it, but at one time Elvis Presley was not a world famous superstar. And while Elvis’ watch collection grew to a large level, at one time Elvis was known just for wearing one watch – the Hamilton Ventura.
This watch is so famous that it recently appeared in Men In Black III. This watch was made by an all-American manufacturer, so it’s no surprise that it became known for appearing on the wrist of an all-American boy! There are a couple of stories surrounding the way that he managed to acquire the watch.
The first story is that watch was given as a gift by a casino manager before he became world famous. He loved the watch so much that he wore it all the time and sent many, many thank you letters to the manager. The other (and much more likely story) is that Hamilton gave him the watch to wear in his movie Blue Hawaii and he liked it so much that he kept it.
Although, I have to say, that I much prefer the first story!
The Hamilton Ventura was the first electrical quartz powered watch and was known for its distinctive arrowhead-shaped dial. The watch is the only endorsed by the Elvis Presley estate and Hamilton have produced many special edition replicas over the years. It’s the must-have watch for any serious Elvis Presley fan!
Images: ElvisExpressRadio, Jake’s Rolex World, Hamilton Watch
