The most interesting watches in David Beckham’s collection
Jamie Weiss“As soon as we got money, it was like, ‘I want to buy a nice watch,'” David Beckham recounts in the first episode of Netflix’s blockbuster new limited series, Beckham. The four-part biographical series, which shares an intimate look at the life and family of the world’s most famous footballer, has quickly become essential viewing across the globe: despite the fact he retired over a decade ago, David Beckham’s story is one that still resonates strongly with football diehards and dilettantes alike, and he remains one of the most famous people on the planet. Even if you don’t give a toss about football, it’s definitely worth a watch.
Like many famous people, Beckham also has a cracking watch collection, something which the series touches on very early. Becks has always been into his watches, and the man boasts a pretty impressive collection of timepieces (even if most of them are Tudors). I’ve rounded up some of what I think are his most interesting pieces, some of which you might have spotted if you’ve binged the show already.
Rolex Yacht-Master ref. 16628
In the first episode of Beckham, we’re treated to some archival footage of a very young Golden Balls showing off a rather blingy gold watch: the Rolex Yacht-Master ref. 16628. Introduced in 1992, the ref. 16628 was the first-ever Yacht-Master reference (guess Beckham’s an early adopter) and remains a historically significant watch for Rolex. The last Rolex model introduced before the Yacht-Master was the Rolex Daytona in 1964 – that’s a 28-year gap – with the Yacht-Master representing Rolex’s first attempt at making a dedicated luxury sports watch collection.
Beckham’s Yacht-Master ref. 16628 features a white dial with black lume plots, with the non-cardinal direction plots embellished by small arrows pointing towards the centre of the dial. It’s an unusual design that Rolex hasn’t replicated since. It’s also the watch that got former Time+Tide contributor Jeremy into watches.
Jacob & Co. Global Five Time Zone
You weren’t an A-lister in the early Naughties unless you had a Jacob & Co. watch, and both David and Victoria Beckham were customers of the outlandish brand. Becks famously posed for a photo with brand founder Jacob Arabo back in the day showing off his Global Five Time Zone, a sporty take on Jacob’s famous Five Time Zone design that’s been frequently misidentified over the years.
Featuring a carbon fibre face and a quartz movement, this blingy statement piece is, as the name implies, capable of telling the time in five different time zones, with four of the watch’s five faces dedicated to New York, Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles, the latter of which Beckham made his home between 2007 and 2012 when he played for LA Galaxy in the MLS.
Bamford x Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea
Beckham owns more than a few Rolexes, including a rose gold Day-Date 40 ref. 228345RBR-0011 and a GMT-Master ‘Root Beer’ ref. 1675, but his most interesting Rolex is probably his custom Sea-Dweller Deepsea, which we spotted him wearing back in 2020 while sitting courtside at an NBA game. We believe this beefy ‘super diver’ has been murdered out with a black PVD treatment courtesy of the Bamford Watch Department (something other sources corroborate) but it’s never been 100% confirmed whether or not Bamford customised Becks’ watch, nor have the public ever got a close enough look at the watch to figure it out.
Becks also owns another, unmodified Sea-Dweller Deepsea, as well as a Sea-Dweller and a vintage Submariner ref. 5513. Guess he just really likes Rolex dive watches.
Patek Philippe Grand Complications Celestial ref. 6102P
One of the most refined and expensive pieces in the former Galáctico’s collection, the Patek Philippe Grand Complications Celestial ref. 6102P is a particularly fine example of the Holy Trinity brand’s astronomical watches. Crafted from platinum, this high-end model’s dial features three rotating metalized sapphire crystal discs that display the exact configuration of the nocturnal sky in the Northern Hemisphere, illustrating the movement of stars and the phases and orbit of the moon, with an ellipse framing the portion of the night sky visible from Geneva. This is classic Patek horological artistry and an unbelievably classy watch.
Beckham isn’t the only celebrity who’s got one of these in his collection. Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z has also been spotted wearing one, and fellow sporting great LeBron James owns a Grand Complications Celestial ref. 6102R (i.e. the same watch except in rose gold).
Tudor Pelagos ‘Inter Miami’
Since 2017, Beckham has been a Tudor ambassador and is rarely seen these days not wearing a Tudor watch, with the star typically wearing the brand’s latest release (he’s even leaked a few watches ahead of time). He’s been spotted wearing so many different Tudors that it’s not calling each of them out (especially considering he probably doesn’t own many of them), but his piece unique Pelagos is definitely worth talking about.
In 2020, Inter Miami – the MLS club Beckham co-owns and serves as the president of – had its maiden season, and to celebrate the season, Tudor gifted Beckham a one-off Pelagos ref. 25600TN with an Inter Miami crest at 6 o’clock in place of the model’s typical wall of text. Now that’s a flex.