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4 Australian businessmen proving their watches are all business
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4 Australian businessmen proving their watches are all business

Nick Gould

Today we are focusing on the watches owned and worn by prominent Aussie businessmen, from mining magnates to property moguls and shopping centre kings. 

Sir Frank Lowy AC

Frank Lowy and his Lange. Image: Getty Images

 

First up we have Sir Frank Lowy AC, who co-founded the Westfield Group, which developed and owned a number of shopping centres in Australasia, Europe and the United States. Lowy frequently wears a yellow gold IWC Portugieser Chronograph, which is a classic two-register chronograph with a 40mm case. It pairs nicely with business attire. His most notable watch is his Lange 1 Daymatic from A. Lange & Söhne. This timepiece features the brand’s signature oversized date, with the addition of the day of the week indicator, and is self-winding with a power reserve of 50 hours.

 

James Symond

Next, we have James Symond, the CEO of Aussie Home Loans. He shares a love of timepieces with his uncle John Symond, who founded the company and was featured in this article regarding his love of watches.

James Symond and his Daytona. Image: Sydney Morning Herald

James is often spotted wearing pieces from Rolex, including a Ref 116500 Daytona with white dial, a Deepsea D-Blue, and a Patek Philippe 5960 Annual Calendar Chronograph. A lesser-known watch in his collection is the Breguet Classique Tourbillon with regulator style layout, a watch you don’t see every day. It stands out with the tourbillon visible at the 6 o’clock position.

James Symond and his Breguet Image: Sydney Morning Herald

Andrew Forrest

Mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, is the former CEO and current non-executive chairman of the Fortescue Metals Group. He owns and often wears an IWC Ingenieur, which is the French word for Engineer. This timepiece was designed to resist magnetic fields when released in 1955, and received a refreshed design in 1976, courtesy of Gérald Genta, the man who designed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilius. The model on the wrist of Forrest is a IW5005-01 with a 45mm stainless steel case and 7 days of power reserve.

Andrew Forrest and his IWC. Image: The West Australian

Another watch he is commonly seen wearing is his trusty Rolex Day-Date with president bracelet in yellow gold. This watch needs no introduction as it is such an iconic piece. Forrest’s Day-Date has a white dial with applied Roman numerals.

Andrew Forrest and his Rolex. Image: The West Australian

James Murdoch

James Murdoch and his Ressence. Image: Vanity Fair

The final person we are featuring is James Murdoch, the son of media magnate Rupert Murdoch. James was previously the CEO of 21st Century Fox and News Corp. He favours various sport model Rolexes, such as the GMT-Master and the Submariner, but a watch from an independent brand is the one that might surprise. He has a black Ressence Type 3. This watch tells the time using a series of rotating discs and does not have a traditional crown, with time adjustment and winding done from the back of the watch.