Up Close With Elvis Presley’s Omega Watch

Elvis Presley was known to have a soft spot for nice watches. In 2018, Presley’s Omega dress watch, made of white gold and with 44 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel, was auctioned for US$1.8 million. The watch ended up in the Omega Museum in Biel, Switzerland.

Elvis Presley’s Omega watch

During my last visit to Omega in Biel, they took the Elvis Presley watch out of the display and let me wear it and observe it up close. But before I go into details about the Tiffany & Co.-signed Omega watch, let’s dig into how it ended up with Elvis Presley.

Now, I must admit, my knowledge about Elvis Presley is limited to what I have read about him on Wikipedia, a documentary I watched years ago, and the 2022 movie Elvis (worth watching). I also listen to his songs, of course. Aside from a healthy dose of admiration for some people, I find it difficult to get starstruck. But putting on a watch that once belonged to John F. Kennedy (also in the Omega museum), a NASA astronaut who walked on the Moon, or Elvis Presley remains something special.

Elvis Presley Day on February 25th

The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll has an estimated one billion records sold worldwide to his name. But 65 years ago, in 1960, that number was much lower yet still very impressive. That year, when he had his hit “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”, he hit a milestone of 75 million records sold. According to later research, Elvis Presley reached this number on December 25th, 1960. His recording company RCA Victor (now RCA Records) decided to celebrate this on February 25th, 1961, and honor the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll with “Elvis Presley Day.” On this day, he also received a plaque commemorating the 75 million records he had sold worldwide.

A representative of RCA Victor also went to a Tiffany & Co. store and purchased this white gold and diamond-set Omega watch for Elvis Presley. The case back has the following text engraved — “To Elvis 75 Million Records RCA Victor 12-25-60.”

An exchange of diamond-set watches

Elvis Presley wore the white gold Omega during the concert on February 25th, 1961, and probably later on as well. According to the Elvis Presley Museum, Elvis met with someone who was wearing a diamond-studded Hamilton watch. Presley, who was known to give away or trade watches, proposed a trade as the Hamilton owner was also admiring the King’s white gold Omega. Years later, this Omega watch ended up in that man’s nephew’s hands, and it was auctioned by Phillips in 2018 for US$1.8 million.

An American-made case

According to the auction listing, RCA Victor bought this Omega ref. H6582/D96043 in 1960. Inside is a hand-wound caliber 510. But that reference number did not make much sense to me, and I later found out why. The American manufacturer Jonell Watch Case Company made the case. Based on its serial number (15926025), Omega found that it contained the caliber 510, dial, and handset sent to the brand’s US agent Norman Morris on April 15th, 1958.

Elvis Presley’s watch-to-be ended up at Tiffany & Co., and the store’s logo was stamped on the dial. Tiffany & Co. still does this today for Patek Philippe watches, for example. For the auction, Elvis Presley’s Omega Tiffany & Co. watch came with a certificate of authenticity from the Elvis Presley Museum and a letter signed by Jimmy Velvet, the museum’s founder and CEO.

Elvis Presley’s Omega on the wrist

Back to the Omega Museum in Biel earlier this year. It was not easy to have the Elvis Presley watch taken out of the display; it needed a formal OK, and a security guard was also present. Of course, I fully understand the precautions as this is an incredibly valuable piece in the Omega Museum. Once on the wrist, though, it was easy to forget about one’s surroundings. This watch once belonged to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. He had it on his wrist while singing his songs, and now it was on my wrist. At 33mm wide, the watch is a bit small, but it appears slightly bigger due to its silver dial and diamond-set bezel. The strap is not original, and honestly, it’s a weird choice for this watch, but that’s how Phillips auctioned it.

The dial of Elvis Presley’s Omega is no longer in pristine condition as it shows some marks and spots, but the applied indexes and printed logos are still intact. The small sub-dial has an azurage texture, which creates depth on the dial.

On the case back of Presley’s Omega is the engraving from RCA Victor. Besides that, there’s a mention of the use of 18K gold.

An Omega ref. 14727 with caliber 510 — Image: Black Bough

Trying to find another

As the watch’s reference number is pretty useless (as it is not an Omega reference), I started to look for watches with caliber 510 that have similar looks, and I ran into this ref. 14727.

However, most Omega watches from that era come with alpha or dauphine hands. Elvis’s watch comes with pencil hands. The similarities are mainly in the dial with its applied hour markers and circular-engraved sub-dial at 6 o’clock. I did not find another example in white gold, let alone one with the same pencil hands. It’s a pity because I like this white gold Omega’s elegant shape and size. On the other hand, I guess it makes Elvis’s watch a unique piece.

After I wore the watch for a while, took some photos and a little video, I returned the watch to someone from the Omega Museum. Elvis Presley’s Omega is not the only watch in the museum with a famous name as the previous owner, but it surely speaks to the imagination of many. I’d like to extend a big “thank you” to the Omega Museum for letting me handle the watch.

Let me know what you think of Elvis Presley’s taste in watches. And while you’re at it, why don’t you also list your favorite Elvis songs?