There’s nothing quite as classic as a wristwatch to elevate a whole outfit and there’s a reason the Rolex watch is a favourite among Irish rugby players.
From sporty styles to timeless, dress pieces, the stars of Irish rugby and their wives each have their own taste when it comes to expensive wristwear – and thankfully, they have the paychecks to match!
EVOKE spoke to watch expert Oisín O’Malley to find out exactly what the Irish rugby players are wearing on their wrists – and how much they are worth. Oisín was a musician with Irish rock band Mrnorth until the band dissolved in 2012 and he went into music production. During the Covid lockdown, he started his own watch channel on YouTube reviewing watches as a passion project which soon gained hundreds of thousands of followers.
Here’s his verdict on the watches worn by the stars and the WAGS of Irish rugby.
Robbie Henshaw
Magon Fórsa Titanium Chronograph
Price: €10,000 – €12,000
Verdict: ‘The Magon watch looks a bit like a rugby ball… It’s high horology [Haute Horlogerie] and it’s inspired by rugby. The sub dials on the dial are oval shape and the strap is the same texture as a rugby ball and the same color as a rugby ball.
‘It’s rugby themed and it’s a handmade Irish watch from a master watchmaker [Stephen McGonigle]. In a sea of Rolexes he’s got a conversation piece.’
Rolex Datejust
Price: €10,950
Verdict: ‘The second one is a Rolex Datejust, and that’s a 41mm [size] with a Jubilee bracelet.
‘The Datejust is a classic Rolex. It’s been around for a very long time and it’s considered one of the more elegant and blingy kind of Rolexes. You can see he’s out for drinks there. He’s sitting at a nice bar and he’s having a cocktail so he’s put on a more elegant, dressy look.’
Rolex ‘Panda’ Daytona
Price: €15,850 – from an authorised dealer
*Market price: €30,000 – cost to buy on the open market
Verdict: ‘He has a ceramic Rolex Daytona with the white dial – that’s known as the ‘Panda’ Daytona [with an Oyster bracelet].
‘That is probably the hardest Rolex to get the call from a Rolex Authorized Dealer [to buy]. That is one of the most desired Rolexes. That watch on the open market carries double the value, it’s like an Hermes Birkin bag.’
Connor Murray
Breitling Chronomat
Price: €10,500
Verdict: ‘Breitling was a very popular brand back in the 90s and noughties. It was kind of the status symbol for men if they made a killing on Wall Street, they’d go out and buy themselves a Breitling. They’re no longer that. Rolex, or Audemars Piguet, or Patek Philippe, or Richard Mille, have taken that position.
‘Breitling are still a popular brand and still respected, but not the most popular guy in the room. [Rugby players] being bigger fellows, they need decent wrist presence. They can’t go for something dainty, they need something a little bit masculine.
‘This Breitling Chronomat is a very strong, masculine watch. It’s a strong brand, it has muscle to it. I think a Breitling suits a chap like this more than a Rolex Datejust, for instance.’
Joanna Cooper
Bulgari Serpenti
Price: €6,500
Verdict: ‘It’s the flavor of the moment right now. The Bulgari Serpenti is a very sought after, it’s based on the serpent – it’s supposed to look like a snake on your wrist and the head of the watch is the head of the snake.
‘You can get them in double bands – she has a single band – but you can get them with a longer snake [band] going around the wrist. They come in rose gold, and yellow gold, and white gold, you can spend a lot of money.
‘What she has there is just the stainless steel one, that’s six or seven grand… She’s gone for something a bit more classic, a bit more under the radar.’
Two-tone Rolex Datejust
Price: €11,850
Verdict: ‘It’s a two-tone yellow gold Rolex Datejust. That could be a vintage piece with the champagne dial and a 31mm watch.
‘It’s a classic. It’s 1970s or 1980s elegance, because it’s two tone – that was something that was very popular in the 80s. It’s a vintage elegance.’
Tadhg Beirne
Breitling Chronomat (potentially a Lions edition)
Estimated price: €6,000 – gifted
Verdict: ‘It’s a Breitling Chronomat, which is potentially a Lions edition for 2021.
‘That would have been gifted to him so he wouldn’t have purchased it and because it’s a limited edition, made only for a few guys, there is no real market price on it. But a Breitling Chronomat, a regular one, would be about €6,000. If it is a Lions edition and you have some Lions fan, they’d probably pay €20k to get it, especially if it’s worn by a player.
‘It’s a strong watch, Breitling it’s a strong brand, it’s got big wrist presence for a big guy.’
Harriet Beirne
Cartier Tank Must
Price: €4,000
Verdict: ‘She’s got a Cartier Tank Must with a white dial on a [steel] bracelet. Cartier is the ultimate elegance for women. It’s feminine elegance and Cartier are the kings of that.
‘It’s a classic [watch]… they’re not a power watch like a Breitling. They’re a dress watch and they carry elegance.’
James Lowe
Rolex Sky Dweller
Retail Price: €16,400
*Market price: €23,000
Verdict: ‘It’s a Rolex Sky Dweller, it looks like a blue dial on an Oyster bracelet. It’s a hard watch to get… it’s pricey but it goes for more on the open market because everybody wants that blue dial.
‘It’s a great powerful watch, very complex watch, and a very large wrist presence. It’s one of the larger of the Rolex watches.’
Rolex Daytona 116519
*Market price: €22,000
Verdict: ‘It is a white gold Daytona [on an Oysterflex bracelet]. It’s an older model. You can get that on the market now for around €22k.
‘It’s a nice watch. Harder to get as it’s a discontinued model.’
Arnica Lowe
Rolex Datejust
Price: €13,450
Verdict: ‘She’s wearing a 36mm Rolex Datejust, which is a classic size, a lot of men wear that too. She has a gold bezel on the Jubilee bracelet with a white dial.
‘That’s a unisex watch… but if she’s married to a rugby player, he wouldn’t wear it.
‘Everyone is into bigger size [watches] these days. It’s more in fashion for women to wear larger watches, and men even larger. What she has on there is a classic, timeless Rolex.’
Rob Kearney
Patek Philipe Aquanaut Flyback Chronograph 5968G
Retail price: €75,000
Market price: €125,000
Verdict: ‘That is a Patek Philippe Aquanaut Flyback Chronograph in army green. Clearly he has celebrity power or a huge spend history to get the call for that watch.
‘It’s very high horology [Haute Horlogerie]. Patek Philippe is one of three watch brands that are considered The Holy Trinity of watch brands; Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin. And if you’re a Holy Trinity wearer, you don’t have a whole lot of time for Rolex wearers, it’s above the Rolex game. It’s a whole other level.
‘This watch is worn by a lot of famous people, including Paul McCartney – he wears a Patek Philippe Aquanaut and he’s worth a bit of a billion.
‘This is high level. If you wear a Patek Philippe, you’d better know what you have on. These things take months and months and months to build. Rolex and a Breitling are mostly machine made, whereas a Patek Philippe is made by hand by fine watchmakers.’
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