The Dalai Lama's Watch Collection - From Patek Philippe to Rolex
When one thinks about famous watch collectors, they probably don’t think about the Dalai Lama. Well the 14th Dalai Lama is actually something of a watch collector himself (cue the Willem Dafoe voice). Yes I am talking about the same Dalai Lama that is the highest spiritual leader and former head of state of Tibet. Born in 1935, the Dalai Lama has likely been collecting watches far longer than you or I, and he has amassed a small but enviable collection over the years. And before you yell to the heavens (I know there is no heaven in Buddhism) that it is unseemly for someone like the Dalai Lama to have any worldly possessions, especially luxury watches, I don’t believe it is actually that controversial. It appears that the Dalai Lama was gifted all of his watches. Who is he to not accept the gifts?
The Dalai Lama’s Patek Philippe Watch
The Dalai Lama’s most complicated watch, and definitely his most valuable piece, was something he received in 1943 when he was just 8 years old (the current Dalai Lama assumed his role as Dalai Lama at the age of 4 on February 22, 1940). The Dalai Lama was presented with a Patek Philippe pocket watch Ref. 658 by none other than President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR was a watch collector himself). But FDR did not present the young Dalai Lama with the watch himself. The watch was presented to the Dalai Lama by two members of the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS (the World War II-era predecessor to the CIA), Brooke Dolan and Ilia Tolstoy (the grandson of Leo Tolstoy).
The Patek Philippe Ref. 658 has numerous complications, including a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, moon phase, and split-seconds chronograph. This piece was was in production from 1937 until the late 1950s with only about 15 pieces produced. Because of the rarity of this piece, a market price is hard to come by. Another Reference 658, but with black dial and labeled E. GÜBELIN, was sold at auction by Sotheby’s for $527,000 USD. Given the recent surge in the luxury watch market, and the history behind the Dalai Lama’s piece, one would expect the Dalai Lama’s to fetch far above $1,000,000 USD (in my opinion).
The Dalai Lama’s Rolex Watches
None of the Dalai Lama’s other watches have quite the story of his Patek Philippe pocket watch. But the Dalai Lama also has been seen wearing a couple of different Rolexes. One of the pieces that the Dalai Lama has been spotted wearing fairly often is his gold Rolex Day-Date (presumably, it was also a gift). This watch he is wearing is likely a Ref. 18038, similar to the one pictured on the right. The only difference is that the Dalai Lama has placed his Day-Date on an aftermarket steel, elastic bracelet, which is definitely not standard for a Rolex. It is likely he does this because this bracelet gives more flexibility and would be more comfortable, especially in heat and humidity. The Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18038 with blue dial is currently selling on the secondary market for around $16,000 USD.
Interestingly, the Day-Date is not the Dalai Lama’s Rolex. He has also been spotted wearing a two-tone Datejust on jubilee bracelet. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact Datejust because the Dalai Lama wears his watches mostly with the case on the inside of his wrist. However, we know that the watch is a Datejust and not a Day-Date, because the Day-Date is only offered in gold or platinum, while the Datejust is offered in two-tone.
The Dalai Lama’s Valjoux 7751 Watches
The Dalai Lama’s final watches were the most difficult to spot. The Dalai Lama has been spotted wearing a couple of slightly different timepieces with multiple complications, including day, date, month and moon phase. After searching high-end brands such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, among others, I came to the realization that he wasn’t wearing a high-end timepiece. The Dalai Lama has at least a few watches that house Valjoux 7751 movements. The Valjoux 7751 movement is a workhorse movement made by Valjoux (now ETA and owned by the Swatch Group). Many different brands will purchase Valjoux/ETA movements for use in their timepieces. Because of this, and because his pieces look very similar to many watches with the 7751 movement, it is almost impossible to pinpoint the exact brand and reference. Indeed, many obscure and even defunct watch brands built watches with this movement.
On top of this, the Dalai Lama is known to enjoy fiddling with his watches. While even he will tell you he is not watchmaker, the Dalai Lama has said in Dalai Lama: The Book Of Humanity – A New Ethic For Our Time: “I’ve always liked to repair watches. But from my boyhood I can remember a number of situations in which I completely lost the temper in dealing with the tiny, fine parts. I then picked up the movement and slammed it on the table. Of course, later on I was ashamed of my behaviour and regretted it, especially when I had to return one watch to its owner in a condition worse than their original one.”
It is my belief that the Dalai Lama has tinkered with his watch with the Valjoux 7751 movement, replacing it with different dials. You can see that the two watches he is pictured wearing both have similar cases, and run on the same movement, but the dials are slightly different (including the logo at 3 o’clock).
