The Unlikely Watch Collector: King Charles III

Fresh off our profile of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II (HERE), we take a look at the future King in waiting, Prince Charles penchant for watches.

Prince Charles was one of the first world figures to become infected with COVID-19. Luckily, after a few days of self-quarantine, the disease had run its course. When it came time to reassure an entire nation concerned about his health, the Prince of Wales took to social media.
 

During a message broadcast on the IGTV channel of his Instagram account, which boasts over a million subscribers, the future king proclaimed, "None of us can say when this will end but end it will. Until it does, let's try to live with hope and faith, in ourselves and each other, (and) look forward to better times to come." The very picture of endurance at 71 years old, more than 60 of them spent as the Prince of Wales, the future heir to the throne has long been wont to measure the passing time on many an elegant dial.
 

During his IGTV broadcast, one detail certainly did not go unnoticed by his thousands of followers: a rare Toric chronograph made by Parmigiani Fleurier. The elegant gold watch was clearly visible on his wrist.
 

Founded by the watchmaker Michel Parmigiani in May 1996, with the support of the Sandoz Family Foundation, the British royal wearing one of their timepieces is a mark of great esteem for this modest Swiss maison. Moreover, as an informed watchmaking enthusiast and discerning collector, it is the connoisseur's choice for the Prince of Wales. And after a modicum of research, it is believed the watch was probably purchased surreptitiously on Prince Charles’ behalf by a member of his inner circle on an incognito trip to the brand's London store.
 

This was the second public appearance for this watch, which is, seemingly, a go-to choice for the future king. In fact, during Prince Harry's wedding, as millions of onlookers' eyes were glued to the bride's gown, Prince Charles cast a discreet glance down at the watch peeking out from his grey jacket sleeve, thus signaling the ceremony could begin on time. Royal British protocol – as reliable as Swiss clockwork.
 

For a period of time, Prince Charles also favored an interesting aviator watch: a Hamilton RAF Pilot’s Chronograph 924-3306. Charles is thought to have received this in August 1971 while training as a jet pilot at RAF Cranwell. Highly sought-after among collectors of military watches, the 41mm asymmetric steel chronograph belongs to a series of four models produced by the watchmaking brands CWC, Precista, Newmark, and Hamilton in response to a special tender issued by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. The four watches came to be known by the nickname the "Fab Four," just like the Beatles.
 

In the 1980s, he liked to switch between a Santos de Cartier watch, in a square gold and steel version, and his gold Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. The Swiss manufacture had presented an engraved Reverso to Edward VII in 1937 specifically for his coronation. The watch was probably never worn, however, since it had to be specially engraved and ended up being delivered to Buckingham Palace just a few days before the king's abdication.