Royal Timepieces

As a purveyor of fine watches, we find ourselves leaning forward when watching the television, looking to see exactly which wrist piece  the celebrity, footballer or filmstar is wearing. And royalty - do you know which watch the Queen wears? or Prince William? Its fascinating to find out the chosen timepiece of such individuals. Did you know we can trace wristwatches in the UK right back to Queen Elizabeth I?  To complete her appearance not only would she wear earrings and a diamond or pearl necklace, but her close friend Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, gave her a watch incased in a bracelet. The first known wristwatch in England. So they started the trend, and began a history of royalty wearing fine timepieces right back then! The queen owns - as you would imagine of course- several watches. Her most famous being the Jaeger LeCoultre watch she was wearing at her coronation. As the official timekeepers for the Diamond jubilee Pageant, Jaeger Lecoultre presented her with one similar, a model called the 101. royalpic1 It is by no means her only watch, she is seen wearing a variety, including the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, below. They are both such delicate bejewelled items, as indeed ‘fit for a  queen’. royalpic2 Prince William is quite well known for his choice of timepiece. He is usually seen with his Omega Seamaster, which was a gift from his mother.  His professional mid-sized model is a chronometer with blue dial, blue bezel and steel case.  This is the watch brand synonymous with James Bond too; all leading men then! royalpic3 His brother Prince Harry has been captured by the press many times wearing his Rolex Explorer II. His features a white dial, bright orange hands and date dial. It's a larger sized model than his brothers, but suits Harry well. royalpic4 And what of the other royals?  Prince Andrew is also a Rolex wearer, and has worn a Platinum Rolex Day-Date for more than 25 years now. Zara Philips is a Rolex Ambassador, and wears a Rolex Datejust. royalpic5 But not wearing a Rolex is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. If and when she choses to sport a watch in public, its a Cartier Ballon Bleu, in steel, featuring a blue sapphire cabochon crown that perfectly matches her engagement ring. Its not the flashy model either, just as in her dress sense; she's choose classy and understated. It comes without any diamonds and her quartz movement model is lower priced than its automatic mechanical version. royalpic6 Prince Charles is a little harder to pin down. He is pictured below wearing his Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronograph. But its not his only watch, and he tends to discreetly tuck them in his sleeve, making media work hard to identify it. royalpic7 So do any of your favourite timepieces appear on the wrist of our Royal family? Do you approve of their choices? If you would like us to source any desirable watch for you, please contact us and we will do our best. If you have any high quality watches, royal or otherwise, to sell,  do also contact us, and we will do our best to help.