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Top 17 Most Popular Celebrity Rolex (and other) watches of all time as of 2023

Today we will be speaking about the most popular celebrity Rolex watches worn in famous movies, up to the time of this writing (2023), but also about a variety of other popular watches worn in blockbuster movies.

We will start by introducing the top 7 most popular celebrity Rolex watches, followed by the top 10 most popular watches ever worn on screen by celebrities, as of 2023.

Without any further ado, let’s dive straight in!

Table of Contents

Top 7 most popular, recognizable celebrity Rolex watches:

Sleek, elegant, and sophisticated, the Rolex watches are synonymous with luxury and expense, and a popular choice for a myriad of celebrities.

On film and television, Rolex has been popularised to convey the great wealth and suavity of the characters who wear it. The timepiece has become a part of modern culture.

Because of its desirability and connections with prosperity and success, Rolex watches will forever be linked to a celebrity. The world’s biggest names have sported the watch.

• Marlon Brando’s deranged officer wears the popular GMT-Master Rolex in the hot jungle in Apocalypse Now.
• Dennis Hopper uses one to time his ticking bombs in Speed.
• Danny Devito tries to bribe an alien with his Rolex before being zapped by a laser.
• David Oyelowo sports a golden Datejust as Martin Luther King, Jr in Selma.

Indeed, throughout the decades, the popular Rolex brand enhanced its brand identity, and its celebrity by being been seen countless times on film and television.

So what are the most popular celebrity Rolex watches worn as of 2023?

1. Paul Newman’s Daytona

On October 26 2017, one of the popular Rolexes belonging to the late, great Hollywood celebrity and actor was sold at auction.

The winning bid came in at $17.75 million, making this Rolex wristwatch the most expensive ever sold.

Ironically when the original Daytona models were released they were the most undesirable, less popular Rolex watches on the market. It took 20 years for Rolex Daytona watches to become popular, thanks to a small group of savvy vintage collectors and celebrities.

Paul Newman was gifted a Daytona by his wife in 1969. The man and watch soon became inseparable and there are a plethora of photographs of the two complementing each other. The Hollywood legend and celebrity famously wore his iconic Rolex Daytona every day from 1972 until his death in 2008.

That’s some excellent value for money. Paul Newman’s association with the watch was so successful that it encouraged Rolex to produce a second series so that they could meet the demand.

With the Daytona, Newman is forever remembered as a style icon. The air of cool the watch gave Newman clearly influenced the massive rise in popularity, and the value that this Rolex model received after his passing.

2. 007’s Submariner

Named for its ability to stay waterproof for up to 330 feet, Rolex Submariner’s durability raised in popularity when being worn by celebrity spy James Bond himself.

Bond wears Rolexes in Ian Fleming’s spy novels, but it wasn’t until 1962’s Dr No that we got to see it on the big screen. Celebrity actor Sean Connery straps on a black and silver Rolex Submariner watch while hunting down the eponymous villain.

The Rolex Submariner watch is continued to be made popular when worn by Connery’s Bond in From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball.

When it came time for a new 007, ill-fated George Lazenby stepped up to the plate wearing an elegant all-silver Submariner.

Another popular celebrity playing Bond, Roger Moore, wore a 5513 model Rolex watch in 1973’s Live and Let Die. In the film “Q” modified the timepiece by turning it into a handy buzzsaw useful in escape attempts.

The Rolex Submariner was the perfect style choice for Bond and is still popular and sought after by collectors and celebrities alike. It remains perhaps cinema’s most iconic timepiece.

3. Tom Cruise’s Day-Date

The hugely popular actor sports an all-gold Rolex Day-Date in the 1988 road movie Rain Man.

In the film, Cruise plays the long-suffering wheeler-dealer brother of autistic Dustin Hoffman. Cruise is forced to travel across the country with Hoffman and the contrast between the two can be seen clearly in the way they dress.

The filmmakers use this extravagant and hugely popular Rolex model to convey Cruise’s character’s success as a Lamborghini car salesman.

4. Dustin Hoffman’s GMT-Master

Onto another Rain Man star now.

For several decades, veteran actor and celebrity Dustin Hoffman wore his red and blue Rolex wristwatch both in front of the camera and in public.

He was wearing it when he won his Oscar for Best Actor.

The Rolex was gifted to him by none other than the company’s own executive during the latter half of the 60’s. He clearly treasured it. Just like celebrity actor Paul Newman, both man and the Rolex watch became inseparable.

Next time you’re watching Straw Dogs or Marathon Man look out for it.

5. James Cameron’s Submariner

One of the greatest filmmakers of all time, James Cameron’s works include Titanic, Avatar, Terminator and Aliens.

He wore the watch for 20 years throughout his film career. It was with him on 33 dives to the real Titanic.

He eventually gifted his popular Rolex Submariner to the chief of an Amazonian tribe because it was the most valuable object in his possession. He missed it greatly and soon bought a replacement Submariner.

As Cameron says: “It’s the one constant companion. People come and go — the watch is always there.”

6. Michael Caine’s Datejust

Michael Caine is the classic British actor in one of the all-time great gangster flicks.

However, in this Cockney – Geordie revenge-flick he wears a Swiss watch. The Rolex Datejust is probably the most popular of all the celebrity Rolex watches.

In Get Carter, Caine plays a violent London gangster out for vengeance when his brother is killed. The film is one of Michael Cane’s most memorable roles.

Featuring all the classic design features that made this watch so iconic, it’s no surprise that Jack Carter wears it.

Throughout his bloody quest for revenge, Jack Carter wears the stylish and popular Rolex Datejust with a gold face and brown strap. It features prominently in the iconic poster of Caine pointing a shotgun toward the viewer. It is one of the ultimate modern images of power.

7. Surprisingly, American Psycho (2000) made Rolex Datejust even more popular than before!

Cool film face – certain labels didn’t want to be associated with the film.

For instance, Cerrutti said the film’s main character Patrick Bateman could wear their suits but not while he was killing anyone.

The line ‘Hey! Don’t touch the Rolex’ had to be dropped for similar reasons.

Let us now turn our attention to the top 10 most popular watches worn by celebrities in movies, beyond Rolex

1. Batman Begins (2005)

Watch worn: Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931

Celebrity director Christopher Nolan, the mastermind behind the Dark Knight Rises sought out specialist watchmakers Jaeger-LeCoultre as the designers of Bruce Wayne’s popular timepiece.

The Swiss watchmakers made a special edition of the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931, complete with a Batman symbol. The most significant feature about this Jaeger-LeCoultre is that it has two sides – its steel back can be flipped to protect the face of the watch.

2. Collateral (2004)

Watch worn: IWC Vintage Ingeniuer Automatic IW3233

Tom Cruise’s silver haired hitman is Hollywood’s vision of a slick mercenary.

He wears an IWC Vintage Ingeniuer Automatic IW3233. This fits perfectly with Cruise’s characters smart, understated style.

3. Drive (2011)

Watch worn: Patek Phillipe

Ryan Gosling had girls falling at his feet in 2011 with his role as the scorpion jacketed ‘Driver’.

The enigmatic character resonated with male and female fans as the films sense of style captured the hearts and minds of movie goers.

The driver wore a Patek Phillipe with a brown strap.

4. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Watch worn: Vintage Lancet

Some things you just have to do, in the popular cult film Pulp Fiction, a young Butch (Bruce Willis) meets his father’s friend who has something to tell him and it isn’t that the watch is a Lancet….

5. Back to the Future (1985)

Watch worn: Casio CA53W Twincept Databank

Marty McFly takes us back in time with this iconic Casio calculator watch.

At the time it was a regular watch but a combination of the films popularity and our love for all things 80’s nostalgia has made it a relatively niche product.

6. Aliens (1986)

Watch worn: Seiko Speedtimer 7A28-7000

This watch is a brilliant example of 80’s fashion.

The watch is stylish enough for our heroine but also sturdy enough to do battle with a spaceship infested by human-hating xenomorphs.

7. Ghostbusters (1984)

Watch worn: Seiko M516 ‘Voice Note’ Watch

Seiko watches were really popular in the 80’s. This watch was specifically created for the Ghosbusters film. It really has all the gadgets required for ‘busting’ Ghosts.

8. 2001: A Space Oddysey (1968)

Watch worn: Hamilton Custom

Celebrity director Stanley Kubrick personally approached the Swiss-American manufacturing company, Hamilton to create the watches for the cosmonauts in his science-fiction classic.

The watches symbolise the way that children of the late 60’s saw the future. Note the sharp angles and functional design. It’s a totally different style to the white, clear, curved science fiction films of today.

9. Real Madrid’s success rewarded with fine watches in 2014…

Real Madrid’s players were all awarded not just one, but two watches for winning a historic 10^th European cup against cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid in May 2014.

One of the watches was the popular €30,000 (at the time) Panerai Radiomir GMT Oro Rosso (pictured above), with a polished 18K red gold bezel, clasp, and case. The luxury pieces had an alligator skin strap, and each player’s name was engraved into the back.

But that wasn’t all, Christmas had well and truly come early for the Spanish club’s players when their celebrity player Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured here in a luxury yacht) decided to gift each of them an €8,200 watch made by Bulgari. Each timepiece was engraved with Ronaldo’s trademark abbreviation ‘CR7’, the player’s name and the words ‘La Decima.’

Defender Alvaro Arbeloa was so happy with his watch that he took to Twitter to post a picture of it, which can be seen below:

Sports and fine watches – intrinsically linked

This is proof – if any were needed – that celebrity watches are highly popular and sought-after assets both by collectors and celebrities; Ronaldo himself is known to be a watch enthusiast.

And, with his spot at the top of football’s rich list, he certainly has the capital to pursue that enthusiasm. In fact, Ronaldo has been an ambassador of watch manufacturing giants TAG Heuer, and Jacob & Co, to name only a few.

The passion for luxury watches among young, successful, and popular sportspeople is evident. As an asset of style and status, they’re remarkable and, for fashionable and rich young athletes, extremely alluring.

Indeed, the aforementioned TAG Heuer has long-standing connections with the Formula 1 scene. Celebrity drivers Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso – among many more – have all held an ambassadorship for the watch manufacturer.

Other popular ambassadors for the German/Swiss company included tennis player Maria Sharapova, golfer Tiger Woods, and cross-country skier Therese Johaug. Additionally, the company has connections with the silver screen; a clutch of Hollywood and Bollywood stars have previously endorsed them. Former ambassador Leonardo DiCaprio especially is known to be a luxury watch connoisseur.