Which Rolex Watch Does Warren Buffett Wear?
It’s incredibly satisfying when a watch perfectly matches the personality of its wearer. The tough-guy appeal of Steve McQueen found its ideal counterpart in the fake Rolex Submariner, while the sophisticated irreverence of the first generation Daytona was essentially designed for its contemporary, Paul Newman. But what did the “Oracle of Omaha” – the world’s most successful investor and the seventh richest man in the world – wear on the wrist of Warren Buffett, off the screen?
By the time Buffett earned his master’s degree in economics from Columbia University in 1951, he had already earned nearly $10,000 from his fledgling company. It would take him just a little over a decade more to turn that money into his first million.
By 1962, already a millionaire and adept at identifying and investing in undervalued companies, Buffett began buying stock in a textile manufacturer called Berkshire Hathaway. By 1965, he took control of the company and moved it out of manufacturing and into other areas, instead of beginning to acquire stock in media giants such as The Washington Post and later ABC. Insurance group GEICO and oil company Exxon were also among his early high-profile investments.
Today, Warren Buffett is recognized as one of the most charitable people ever, vouching to donate his entire fortune to good causes, the largest single act of philanthropic goodwill in U.S. history, and also forming The Giving Pledge with Bill Gates in hopes of recruiting more super-rich people to donate their wealth as well.
Warren Buffett’s Rolex definitely has a sapphire crystal, immediately ruling out all the older 4-digit reference models, as the ref. 1803 and all previous calendar watches feature an acrylic crystal. From here, it becomes quite difficult to determine which 36mm Rolex President he owns, but based on the shape and finish of the lugs, it is likely to be one of the 5-digit series models, as the next 6-digit generation has slightly wider lugs and a full high polish finish. This is also evidenced by the fact that he has reportedly owned the same Rolex replica for several decades.
It is no secret that one of the keys to Buffett’s incredible success is generally only investing in companies whose products he likes and uses. Buffett remains perhaps the largest stakeholder in Coca-Cola for just that reason and he has also tried to purchase Rolex in the past and add it to his remarkable portfolio.