Watch connoisseurs love exploring what timepieces their favorite celebrities have in their collections. More often than not, the watches celebs wear reflect their personality and style. For example, Tom Hanks wears watches that reflect his quiet elegance while Elton John prefers wrist candy that is as flashy and flamboyant as himself.
So what would one expect to find in the watch collection of Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors of all time? Once again, personality and style rule. The “Saga of Omaha” and Berkshire Hathaway CEO is notoriously frugal. He lives in the same home he purchased in 1958 for $31,500, dines at McDonald’s, and only recently upgraded his Nokia flip phone to an iPhone.He’s also worn the same watch, A Rolex Day-Date, for decades. And he has no watch collection.
Warren Buffett attributes his success by limiting his investments in companies he really likes and believes will have ongoing success. He is very fond of Rolex, and even once attempted to buy the company. Rolex declined because it’s controlled by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation.
Like his stock, Warren has hung on to his Rolex which, according to photos, is either a yellow-gold ref 18038 or ref 18238. Nicknamed “The President,” it’s the preferred watch for US presidents starting with Lyndon B. Johnson The watches have only been made of gold or platinum, so was a splurge for the parsimonious multi-billionaire.
Let’s explore the watch collection that is worthy of presidents and successful investors like Warren Buffett.
Rolex President 18038
First released in 1984-1985, the Rolex President 18038 in 18K yellow gold features a 36mm case with a fluted bezel. The champagne-colored dial features 10 brilliant full baguette diamonds for hour markers, and the hands are titanium. The dial cover is a sapphire crystal. A date window is at 3 o’clock and the Rolex crown and day display is at 12 o’clock. The days of the week have full spellings. It’s powered by the brand’s automatic 3055 movement. It comes with an 18K gold President bracelet with an oyster clasp. This reference has long been discontinued but is available on the secondary market.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Automatic President Watch 228238BKDP
The Rolex President Day-Date 228238BKDP variation has a 40mm 18K gold case with a fluted fixed bezel, screw-down crown, and concealed crown clasp. It’s complemented by a gold-plated Presidents band. The black dial is enhanced by gold-tone hands and indices. A date window is at 3 o’clock and a day display with full spellings is at 12. It’s powered by Rolex’s automatic movement.
Rolex Men’s Day-Date 36
The Rolex Men’s Day-Date 36 variation has a yellow gold 36mm case and gold-tone President bracelet. The champagne dial features black hands and stick indices with black Roman numerals around the outer ring. It has the date display at 3 o’clock and the full-spelling day display at 12. The fixed bezel is fluted. It’s powered by Swiss automatic movement.
Rolex Day-Date 40 President Watch 228239
The Rolex President Watch 228239 celebrates the brand’s 60th anniversary with an iconic olive green dial. The 40mm case is white gold with a screw-down back and crown with a turn-lock double waterproofing system. The dial features white gold beveled deconstructed Roman numerals, a date window at 3 o’clock, and a day display with full spellings at 12. It’s surrounded by a fluted bezel. The three-piece solid link President bracelet has a polished center link and satin-finished outer links with ceramic inserts and a concealed folding buckle. It’s powered by self-winding 3255 automatic movement and has a power reserve of 70 hours.
Rolex Day-Date Rolex President 118238 Watch
The Rolex President 118238 Watch has a 36mm yellow gold case and yellow gold President bracelet with a concealed crown clasp. The antique silver dial features a full set of black Roman numerals edged in gold and Rolex’s signature day-date display. It is powered by automatic 3155 perpetual movement with a self-winding double quickset function.
Credit to Wikimedia for the image used in the header.
