[Tempvs Ex Machina]

This is just a general observation, but you can see the trends worn by these historical figures play out over the centuries.

The watch moves from the pocket to the wrist, enameling was once very popular and now it's been put on the way-side, the watch is huge (pocket watch) next thin on the wrist then made bigger somewhere in the middle of the two sizes, gold is popular no matter what, and all of them have simple dials compared to the ones seen today and even those in the past, like skeletons, grand complications, etc.

 

[Janne]

Of course it is so, as the historical persons are just like us, with our positive and negative sides.
They became "legends" well after their death.

the new book about gandi shows this, but unfortunately it may be a too candid in it's revelation. so far, it has been banned in one Indian state.

 

[Janne]

Maybe in normal conditions, but from a rowboat on the roughest seas on earth in sub-zero temperatures? I imagine that was extremely difficult. Plus he could only take a sighting when there was a break in the clouds, which wasn't often. The navigator had to keep the watch on a chain around his neck inside his clothing to avoid it getting soaked and/or frozen. Without a working chronometer they would have almost surely died at sea.

The Vikings travveled all around the European "Peninsula", including the notorious Bay of Biscayne. The went by ship from Norway o all the Islands in the North Atlanic, to Iceland, Greenland nd Northern part of the Americas. North Atlantic is a hellish sea.Their boats were open, and could not sail against the wind. They had no accurate compass, but a very crude one (science thinks). No way to measure time.

The Phenicians and ancient Basques did something similar.

I do not want to diminish his incredible feat, just get it into perspective!

 

[Janne]

The Archduchess of Austria, Marie Antonia ordered a Breguet, but did not get it before the plebs killed her.

That is a copy, as the originl was stolen, recovered and wil soon be restored.

She is also known as Marie Antoinette.

 

[drewmcd24]

The Vikings travveled all around the European "Peninsula", including the notorious Bay of Biscayne. The went by ship from Norway o all the Islands in the North Atlanic, to Iceland, Greenland nd Northern part of the Americas. North Atlantic is a hellish sea.Their boats were open, and could not sail against the wind. They had no accurate compass, but a very crude one (science thinks). No way to measure time.

The Phenicians and ancient Basques did something similar.

I do not want to diminish his incredible feat, just get it into perspective!

True, the history of exploration by sea is full of incredible stories of endurance, heroism and amazing discoveries. The fact that there are many doesn't make any one less impressive or worthy of admiration in my opinion.

The Shackelton expedition was lost in the antarctic for almost 18 months. Their ship was crushed by the ice, they had to survice on seal blubber and nothing at all for long periods of time. In the end they had to travel something like 400 nautical miles of open sea to reach an island only a few miles long in the middle of Drake passage. If they had been off course by even a little bit they would have been swept out into the middle of the Atlantic ocean and never seen again. They were frostbitten, starving and dehydrated, and they all made it back home alive.

Sorry, but having just read the book, I feel a kinship with these guys and I'm obligated to make sure that everyone else is appropriately impressed by their story. ;-)

 

[Monocrom]

An excellent thread.

 

[Waveceptor]

Che Guevara wore a Rolex. I've heard conflicting reports that it was either a GMT Master or Submariner.

 

[Monocrom]

Che Guevara wore a Rolex. I've heard conflicting reports that it was either a GMT Master or Submariner.

Now that you mention it, I wonder what a certain W.W.II German leader, and Stalin wore.

(Honestly, I think of the Che as he actually was. Not the false romantic image that many visualize.)

 

[Tempvs Ex Machina]

Now that you mention it, I wonder what a certain W.W.II German leader, and Stalin wore.

(Honestly, I think of the Che as he actually was. Not the false romantic image that many visualize.)

The former wore a silver and gold duo-tone pocket watch. The latter? I'm not sure, both in what he actually wore and the quality of it.

 

[Monocrom]

The former wore a silver and gold duo-tone pocket watch. The latter? I'm not sure, both in what he actually wore and the quality of it.

Thank you for the reply. It's odd, out of all the pics of Stalin out there; you never see him with a watch.

 

[Tempvs Ex Machina]

Thank you for the reply. It's odd, out of all the pics of Stalin out there; you never see him with a watch.

Owning a watch (rather showing it) would go against the philosophy of his party, I'd think.

A few more have been added, enjoy!

ADDED: I just realized Janne already posted Marie Antoinette's Breguet. Sorry!

 

[NWP627]

In 1902 Rudyard Kipling, the British writer, ordered a watch from Patek Philippe. It was enclosed in two cases and decorated with enamel. In the interior was written "Peace brings abundance" and the exterior was decorated with an engraving of the Princess Europa carried by Zeus who was disguised as a bull.

The great 19th Century Austrian composer Johann Strauss the Younger owned a yellow gold Patek Philippe pocket watch with the cover decorated with an enamel picture of an apple tree.
N

 

[Tempvs Ex Machina]

Adding another to this older thread.

Charles Lindbergh designed the aviator watch called the "Lindbergh Hour Angle Navigation", with the collaboration of Longines (circa 1946).

Source: Charles Lindbergh: Record Setting Pilot, Isolationist, National Icon, And Watch Designer - HODINKEE - Wristwatch News, Reviews, & Original Stories

 

[William2]

Fascinating thread; well worth resurrecting.

 

[WWII70]

Re: Historically famous figures and their watches

Very cool, especially Churchill's Breguet pocket watch. I was just reading his biography and it mentioned the watch. In typical Churchillian fashion, he called it "The Turnip" due to its large size.

Winston Churchill's gold Breguet pocket watch:

Among the items that Churchill kept on his person attached to a heavy gold waistcoat-chain:
a small round gold case for holding gold sovereigns
a V for Victory emblem
a silver head of Napoleon (of whom he was a great admirer)
a keepsake medallion of the Westminster Abbey Division by-election of 1924 (which WSC lost by just 43 votes)
a garnet-stone set in a gold heart (the gift of Clementine on their wedding day in September 1908)
another golden heart, which Clementine gave Winston on his 90th Birthday

 

[WWII70]

I am not sure Stalin cared much for time and he regularly made other heads of state and diplomats wait for him. He kept notoriously late hours until the middle of the night.

As to the notion that timepieces were too bourgeois for the Bolsheviks, Lenin wore a Moser and it is on display at the Museum of Lenin in Moscow.

http://www.museum.ru/C5640

Watch of V.I. Lenin.

Type:
Watch

Producer:
Firm of "Moser".

Date:
1910's

Size:
3,4х1,0х4,5 cm.

Material:
White metal

Condition:
No outside damage. Scratches on the crystal

Inventory number:
LV-67

Thank you for the reply. It's odd, out of all the pics of Stalin out there; you never see him with a watch.

 

[KiwiDivemaster]

Great thread TS. Looks like Breguet, Patek, and Rolex take center stage for historical figures. Great to see all of the different styles.

 

[STEVIE]

An interesting thread TS. I don't really care about the infamous world of politicians, despots and warmongerers and those celebs who can't think past gold Rolex.

I do greatly admire and respect explorers. Especially men like Aldrin and the others you mentioned.

Omega Speedmaster wins it for me as being one of the greatest watches of this era.

Just my 2c

 

[PanzerOrange]

Owning a watch (rather showing it) would go against the philosophy of his party, I'd think.

I've read from the Russian sources that Joseph Stalin had a small collection of watches.
It was quoted that one of his timepieces was a golden Longines pocket watch.

needless to say, Stalin also wore domestic Pobeda watches (he actually personally approved their design).

the bolshevik revolution leader Vladimir Lenin wore Moser & Cie (silver, manufactured 1910).

Brezhnev was extremely sophisticated WIS and had a very large collection of watches (Rolex, Pateks, to name the few -- most received as gifts from foreigners).
here is a famous picture of him on his yacht, wearing a golden Rolex Datejust I think...

Khrushev was known to wear a fancy rectangular watch, a gift from a foreign ambassador. Maybe JLC Reverso? Who knows... but he didn't wear his watches often because he was convinced that they block blood circulation.

 

[PanzerOrange]

to continue my post on Russian leaders...

Gorbachev publicly wore Poljot while he was still holding his seat. Later, probably right before he retired, he was spotted numerous times flashing his golden Omega Constellation.

Yeltsin, the first Russian president, was a fan of Rolex.

the modern Russian elites (from politicians to oil tycoons) are all WIS and constantly try to outdo each other -- mostly Pateks, VCs, Breguets, Ulysse Nardins, Rolex, Blancpains, etc.

Putin has a huge collection of watches, but he is mostly seen wearing Blancpain Aqualung Grand Date or Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar. Putin also is known to have A Lange & Sohne Tubograph Pour Le Merite in his collection.

Medvedev also has a big collection, most often spotted wearing Breguet Classique.