The Watches Worn by the World's Most Powerful People

A watch is the one piece of jewellery a powerful person can wear without anyone questioning it. It is functional, understated, and personal, which is exactly why the watches worn at the great moments of the last century tell you something the history books often skip. The watch on the wrist at an inauguration, on a battlefield, or on the surface of the Moon was a genuine choice, and those choices have shaped how we think about the watches themselves ever since.

Here are some of the most significant watches ever worn, and the moments that made them legendary.

The Omega That Went to the Moon

On 21 July 1969, an Omega Speedmaster Professional became the first watch worn on the surface of the Moon. It was on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 mission, the reference 105.012, and it earned its place there the hard way. NASA had put chronographs from several manufacturers through a brutal series of tests, exposing them to extreme heat, cold, vacuum, and shock, and the Speedmaster was the only one that survived to be certified for spaceflight and spacewalks.

There is a lovely footnote to the story. Neil Armstrong, who stepped onto the Moon first, left his own Speedmaster inside the lunar module as a backup after the craft's electronic timer failed, which is why Aldrin's became the first watch actually worn on the lunar surface. The watch has been known as the Moonwatch ever since, and it remains one of the most recognisable timepieces ever made. It is proof that a watch can earn its legend through function rather than luxury.

The Rolex That Became the President

No watch is more tied to power than the Rolex Day-Date, and the association is so strong that the watch's very nickname, the President, comes from it. The story begins not with the Day-Date but with a Datejust.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first US president to wear a Rolex in office. He received a yellow gold Datejust, reference 6305, as a gift from Rolex marking the company's 150,000th certified chronometer, and it was engraved with five stars for his rank as a five-star general along with his initials. When Eisenhower appeared on the cover of Life magazine wearing it, the link between Rolex and the highest office was set.

It was Lyndon B. Johnson who cemented the Day-Date itself, wearing the gold model on its distinctive bracelet and gifting Rolex watches to friends. The Day-Date, launched in 1956 as the first watch to spell out the full day of the week on the dial and made only in gold or platinum, became so associated with presidents and leaders that both the watch and its bracelet took the President name. Rolex never officially christened it that, but the nickname stuck because the association was real. Explore the Rolex collection.

The Omega and the Cartier of John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy's watches suited the refined, European sensibility he projected. His most famous was a slim Omega, an ultra-thin dress watch given to him before the 1961 election by his friend Grant Stockdale. The caseback was engraved with a message anticipating his presidency, and Kennedy wore the watch to his inauguration, which is how a simple dress watch became one of the most storied presidential timepieces of all.

Kennedy was also known to wear a Cartier Tank, the flat, rectangular dress watch that has always sat at the intersection of watchmaking and jewellery. It was an elegant, understated choice that matched his image perfectly, and it is part of why the Tank remains one of the most enduring dress watches ever designed. Explore Cartier watches.

Churchill and the Age of the Pocket Watch

Before the wristwatch took over, the pocket watch was the mark of a statesman, and Winston Churchill belonged to that older tradition. He was known for carrying a Breguet pocket watch, a piece he referred to by an affectionate nickname, continuing a relationship between the Breguet name and European leadership that stretched back over a century to a client list that had included Napoleon Bonaparte and Queen Victoria.

Churchill's link to fine watchmaking did not end there. He was gifted the 100,000th Rolex certified chronometer, a generation before Eisenhower received the 150,000th, which quietly connects two of the most consequential leaders of the twentieth century to the same watchmaker. For the full story of the house that invented so much of modern watchmaking, read the complete Breguet guide or browse the Breguet collection.

Why the Powerful Choose These Watches

Look across these choices and a pattern emerges. The watches worn by powerful people at their defining moments are almost never the flashiest available. They are significant, well made, and understated: a tool watch that survived the Moon, a slim dress watch worn to an inauguration, a gold Rolex that whispered rather than shouted.

This is the quiet lesson of the power watch. Real authority does not need to announce itself, and the people who have it tend to choose watches that signal taste and substance to those who understand, while passing unnoticed by those who do not. It is the same instinct that draws collectors to the classics today: a great watch is a private pleasure and a personal statement at once, and the best of them carry a story on the wrist.

Every one of these watches, or its modern equivalent, sits within reach in the world of authenticated pre-owned watchmaking. Browse the full luxury watch collection, with each piece verified through the authentication process and available to view in person at the Box Park boutique in Dubai.

A Few Common Questions

What watch did JFK wear?

John F. Kennedy's most famous watch was a slim Omega ultra-thin dress watch, given to him before the 1961 election by his friend Grant Stockdale and engraved on the caseback. He wore it to his presidential inauguration. Kennedy was also known to wear a Cartier Tank, the elegant rectangular dress watch that suited his refined public image.

Why is the Rolex Day-Date called the President?

The Rolex Day-Date earned the nickname the President through its long association with US presidents and world leaders. The connection began when Dwight D. Eisenhower wore a gold Rolex Datejust in office, and Lyndon B. Johnson later cemented the Day-Date itself. Rolex never officially named it the President, but the nickname, and the name of its bracelet, stuck because the association was genuine. The Day-Date is made only in gold or platinum.

What watch was worn on the Moon?

The Omega Speedmaster Professional was the first watch worn on the surface of the Moon, on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 mission on 21 July 1969. It was the only chronograph to survive NASA's rigorous testing and be certified for spaceflight, which is why it has been known ever since as the Moonwatch.

What watch did Eisenhower wear?

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first US president to wear a Rolex in office, a yellow gold Datejust given to him by Rolex to mark the company's 150,000th certified chronometer. It was engraved with five stars for his rank as a five-star general and his initials. His appearance wearing it on the cover of Life magazine helped establish the link between Rolex and the presidency.

What kind of watch did Winston Churchill wear?

Winston Churchill belonged to the era of the pocket watch and was known for carrying a Breguet pocket watch, continuing a long association between the Breguet name and European leadership. He was also gifted the 100,000th Rolex certified chronometer, connecting him to the same watchmaker later associated with Eisenhower.

Where can I buy iconic luxury watches in Dubai?

The luxury watch collection at Konesseur includes Rolex, Cartier, Breguet, and other historic houses behind the most iconic watches in history, with every piece verified through the authentication process and available to view in person at the Box Park boutique in Dubai.