The Unlikely Watch Collector: Muhammad Ali

The first pugilist to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions, Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers in history. He quickly rose to prominence after winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome when he was only 18.

Instead of limiting himself to prize fights in Las Vegas, he promoted bouts in locations such as Switzerland, Malaysia, Ireland, Japan, Canada, Germany, the Philippines, and, most famously, 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire (we highly recommend watching the Oscar-winning 1996 documentary When We Were Kings to get the full picture of his enduring global impact). In short: Ali was an international sensation.

More than a boxer, he was also a social activist and civil rights icon, equally celebrated for his message of Black pride and Black resistance to white domination and for refusing induction into the US Army during the Vietnam War.

It is because he was a giant inside and outside the ring that 19 years after his last official fight, as the 20^th century was coming to a close, Ali was named “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated and “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC in 1999.

Even today, 66 years after he first became a superstar at the Rome Olympics and ten years after his death in 2016, Ali is still one of the most recognizable people on the planet.

Of course, Ali’s watches also packed a punch, so let’s have a look at his collection.

The timepiece most associated with Ali is the Cartier Tank Louis Cartier JC. The Louis Cartier, introduced in the 1920s, is the most recognizable design in the Tank family. But Ali’s version has a little extra backstory.

When Cartier’s founder Louis-François Cartier died, the business was split three ways among his grandsons. And these brothers operated independently from three different cities: Paris, London, and New York. Jean-Jacques Cartier (the “JC” in the “Tank Louis Cartier JC” model moniker) operated the London branch.

Each branch of Cartier had its own distinct personality, but London in the swinging 1960s was the epicenter of all that was cool. And although the Louis Cartier was already a legend, it was quickly adopted by the jet set, including icons like Andy Warhol, Jackie Kennedy, Yves Saint Laurent, and Muhammad Ali.
 

The London Tank was offered in three sizes: Small (26mm by 18mm); Medium (28mm by 21mm); and Large (31mm by 23mm). Case metal options were yellow gold, white gold, or, very rarely, a two-tone of both.

Ali picked his up in 1976 in Puerto Rico, where he was training for a match. Yes, men’s watch sizes would be considered small by today’s standards, so the idea of seeing a heavyweight champ wearing a slim, understated dress watch might seem surprising. But remember, Ali was also famous for trash-talking, often using freestyle rhyming schemes and spoken-word poetry, so we don’t think he would feel much pressure to adhere to current sizing trends.

While the Cartier was Ali’s signature watch, he also owned a simple yet classic time-only Omega. And while Ali was famous for his pre-match boasting and trash-talking, he also had a humble side, as evidenced by this modest stainless-steel watch.

Still, it is a watch worth bragging about. This 1960s-era Omega watch is engraved with a personal message, “ALI 10/30/1974" on the caseback. (Side note: You should also watch Spike Lee’s 2020 film One Night in Miami, which is a fictionalized telling of one incredible night when Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered to discuss their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the 1960s).