Rolex is probably the most celebrity friendly watch brand. The company not only teams up with sports celebs (particularly tennis) such as Ana Ivanovic, Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki, but it’s also the favorite of lots of celebs. You will see celebs such as Brad Pitt wearing a Rolex in magazine photoshoots, as well as tons of paparazzi shots of other celebs who wear their own personal Rolexs while out and about.
James Gandolfini
Gandolfini is best known from his staring role in The Sopranos. On the show, his character wore a gold Rolex Day Date, also known as The President. His wife Carmela also wore a Rolex. In real life, Gandolfini wore a Rolex Submariner. It came to the public’s attention when it was stolen by an ambulance driver in Italy after Gandolfini had a heart attack and was bring brought to the hospital.
Paul Newman
Paul Newman is probably the celebrity most clearly associated with Rolex. This is because he wore one religiously for several decades. The story goes that his wife Joanne Woodward gave him the watch after they stared in the movie Winning, which was about racecar driving. The type of Rolex he wore was the Rolex Daytona. It was not a popular style at the time, but after he started getting photographed wearing it, the demand increased. His particular Rolex Daytona had a very unique dial and is a bit of a rarity.
John Mayer
John Mayer is a famous Rolex fan. He collects Rolexes, and has been known to gift them to friends and girlfriends such as Jennifer Aniston. Mayer is such a Rolex aficionado that he has been known to make recommendations to other celebs, as well as contribute to industry magazines and write articles about his favorite Rolex models.
His first Rolex watch was a Rolex Explorer II.
Mayer and his Rolex watches made their way into the news when there was a dust up about some Rolex watches he brought which he feared were fake. Eventually the lawsuit was dropped and he said he feels that the watches were genuine.
Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen wore a Tag in the movie Le Mans which was about race car driving. However, when it came to what watch he wore off screen, it was Rolex, specifically the Submariner. The brand became so associated with McQueen that Rolex created the “Steve McQueen Rolex” which was the Explorer II. This is the same watch that John Mayer first got when he hit it big as a musician.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is famous for collecting both Rolex watches as well as Patek Philippe. In fact, he is famous for auctioning off some of his rare watches to benefit his Crossroads charity.
Che Guevara and Fidel Castro
Che is famous around the world as a leader for the underclass, however he (and his fellow communist friend Fidel) wore Rolex watches. Che was a doctor and Fidel was a lawyer, so they were not unaccustomed to luxury and wore Rolex watches proudly. Fidel even sometimes wore two on the same wrist, as is documented in Life Magazine.
Elle Macpherson
Elle is an interesting example of how a celeb can impact an entire fashion movement, in this case women wearing mens watches. Elle was perhaps the most iconic supermodel of the 80s, and in many of her photoshoots (especially the swimsuit photoshoots) she was photographed wearing a mens gold Rolex Daytona.
Eminem
Eminem is not a big spender, he doesn’t go around with lots of bling and flashy cars like most rappers, but his one luxury was a Rolex. He gave an interview a while ago and he said that he had to ask his business manager if he was rich enough to get a Rolex. It was funny, he admitted, because he was selling millions of albums at the time.
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom is another collector of Rolex watches, much like John Mayer. Bloom’s collection was made famous when he was robbed of many of his 40 plus collectible watches. The incident even made it’s way into the movie Bling Ring, which was about a group of rich kids who went around burglarizing homes of celebs like Bloom, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan.
Hunter S. Thompson
Gonzo journalist was famous for his ever present Rolex. His particular model was a GMT master. He, like Fidel, was also sometimes seen wearing two Rolex watches on the same wrist.