inspiration

A watch collection fit for a King

Chaniya James 4 minutes

King Charles III - a freshly crowned king. The Kings watch collection can be described much like himself, stylish and unconventional. He is said to have one of the most diverse and vibrant watch collections in the Royal Family.

With the Coronation of King Charles III, comes not only a new era for the British monarchy but also a new focus for royal watches. This is no small feat, given the influence of the Royal Family. The OMEGA Seamaster can be closely linked to Prince William, the Cartier Tank linked to Princess Diana and the Patek Philippe Ellipse which can be linked to Queen Elizabeth II, worn for a portrait in 1984.

We begin our glimpse into the former Prince’s watch collection with A Hamilton RAF Pilot's Chronograph 924-3306, gifted to the young Prince Charles during his time training as a pilot at RAF Cranwell. The watch has a 41 mm steel chronograph and belongs to a collection of watches which are named the ‘Fab four’ which were standardised military chronographs, in honour of the Royal air forces and Royal navy.

The next watch in the Kings collection take us back to the 70s, looking at one of his favourite watches to date; his Patek Philippe Calatrava. This watch was famously worn by Princess Diana whilst Charles played polo, as a good luck charm.

As a passionate Polo player, it’s only fitting that Charles also owns a yellow gold Jaeger- LeCoultre Reverso. Designed with a rotating case intended to protect the face of the watch from scratches and damage, which could occur during a game of polo. Jaeger-LeCoultre can also be remembered within the Royal family for the Calibre 101 which was worn by Queen Elizabeth II for her coronation – said to be her most favoured watch.

The Royal Family are known for their long-lasting love of Cartier, both jewels and watches. So, it comes as no surprise that King Charles III has a Cartier in his collection. A beautiful two-tone steel and yellow gold, automatic; Cartier Santos from the 80s.

Finally, our last focus is a piece gifted to the former prince on his 60th birthday in 2008. He visited Harrogate to open a royal ball and the director of Ogden Harrogate joined with representatives from Breguet gifted Charles a 18k gold Classique Breguet model 3680 BA.

Long live the King and his watch collection.

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