Rolex’s Rolex Daytona, Jackie O’s Cartier Tank, and other famous timekeepers have all made auction records last year, and it seems the topic is set to keep on till the year of 2018. However, this week, Phillips Auctions announced one of Elvis Presley’s numerous fine timepieces is now slated for the auction block.
Now there’s a situation here, before getting into the specifics of the cheap replica watch itself, is simple. The PN went down as the most desirable fake omega of all time, and the purchaser of Jackie’s Tank was none other than Kim Kardashian. In comparison, a JLC owned by Bob Hope—at a watch level, at least on the same level—nearly cracked the $30,000 mark this past year.
Of course, we know that Elvis has more fans out there than Bob Hope, but it still begs the question. Further down the rabbit hole you go, the more other obscure Elvis watches you find having crossed the auction block with estimates in the $6-8K and $10-20k range, so if we take the current celeb trend out of the equation, it’s difficult to see this piece hitting its high estimate. In other words, here are lots of details that give this Elvis Omega a touch more cachet.
From a distance, the Omega on offer doesn’t seem like much, though it actually has so much going for it before even getting to its celebrity pedigree. Cased in 18 carat white gold, the slender silver-dialed dress watch is set with 44 round cut brilliant diamonds on its bezel, which is almost surprising considering Elvis Presley’s more “flashy” years did not come until later in his career. Its silvered dial features applied batton indices, as was the most common configuration of the Omega replica pieces of the era. The piece is powered by the brand’s hand-wound calibre 510, which is stamped OTX, designating the piece as having been meant for US export.
As far as the replica Omega concerned, it is not clear where this stamping took place, however overall authenticity is nothing but a concern. The piece is well-documented through its history, and will be sold with a certificate of authenticity from the Elvis Presley Museum, together with a book on Elvis that featured images of him wearing the watch in question.
Those who’ve traced the origin stories of other Elvis replica watches for men in the past will recall that the man was occasionally known for giving away some of his fake watches. In the case of the piece seen here, the story according to Phillips is an interesting one. Therefore, the story goes, the uncle of the current owner crossed paths with the king, and commented on how much he loved the Omega that Elvis happened to be wearing.