Tom Brady Just Sold $4.6 Million Worth of Watches. Here Are Our Favorites.
StyleOne legendary all-gold Rolex reached $1.1 million on its own.By Oren HartovDecember 11, 2024All images courtesy Sotheby'sSave this storySaveSave this storySaveWant more insider watch coverage? Get Box + Papers, GQ's newsletter devoted to the watch world, sent to your inbox every Friday. Sign up here.On Tuesday night, Tom Brady brought 21 of his personal watches to auction, where they sold for a total of $4.6 million—not bad for a night’s work. The auction attracted 800 registered participants from 45 countries, showing how far the legend of his collection has grown since Brady revealed the range of his pieces over the past few years. From solid-gold Rolex Daytonas to colorful Richard Milles to complicated IWCs, the former NFL QB is now known as one of the most prolific collectors in the world.Some of the pieces that came under the hammer last night were worn on significant occasions in Brady’s life and career, such as the IWC pilot’s watch he rocked while celebrating his 2021 Super Bowl victory. Others, such as a complicated Patek Philippe pocket watch from 1917, are the type of fare that one doesn’t typically associate with seven-time Super Bowl champs and reflect a wide-ranging interest and knowledge. A few lots sold in excess of $200,000 each, while one lot—a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “John Player Special”—achieved $1.1 million. While watches such as the rare “JPS” are significant on their own, there’s no doubt about the premium afforded to anything that was once owned by Brady, who is widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time.Check out some of the star lots below.Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ‘John Player Special’: $1.1 millionThere are vintage hand-wound Daytonas, then there are vintage hand-wound Daytonas in solid gold, vintage hand-wound Daytonas in solid gold with “Paul Newman” dials, and at the highest end of the scale, hand-wound Daytonas in solid gold with “Paul Newman” dials owned by Tom Brady. This one from 1969, dubbed a “John Player Special” due to its resemblance to the Lotus F1 cars sponsored by John Player cigarettes, came on a gold Jubilee bracelet and was worn by Brady when Robert Kraft announced the quarterback's coming induction into the New England Patriots' Hall of Fame. Notably, the watch sold for less than a record-breaking JPS last year, which sold for $2,491,655. (Of course, there are many factors, like market strength and the condition of the watch to consider. The 2023 sale was described as the best one the house had seen in a decade, but it’s worthwhile to examine the potential Brady Bump where we can.)Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ‘The Roast’: $720,000There’s nothing quite like a pièce unique to pique collectors' interest—and this is no typical pièce unique: Crafted from white gold and featuring a diamond-set bezel, it’s a one-off Royal Oak with a beautiful salmon-colored tapisserie evolutive–pattern dial that appears to radiate from the center outward. The typical indices have been replaced with Brady’s name spelled out in calibré-cut and baguette diamonds, while the number seven is spelled out in Roman numerals. Even the automatic winding rotor has Brady’s signature on it. And while it might appear a tad odd for anyone other than Brady to wear this thing in public, that didn’t stop a superfan from forking over $720K for it.Patek Philippe Grand Complication Pocket Watch Retailed by Tiffany & Co: $264,000Most PopularGQ RecommendsPercival's Black Friday Sale Is Packed with Jolly Good Menswear DealsBy Reed NelsonGQ RecommendsThis Aesop Sale Smells Too Good To Be True (But It Is)By Danielle DiMeglioStyleThe 21 Best-Dressed Stars from Our GQ Men of the Year Party 2024By The Editors of GQWhile much of Brady’s collection focuses on heavy-hitting wristwatches from Rolex, Richard Mille, IWC, and others, it would seem that his horological tastes are much more adventurous than we might have imagined: This Grand Complication—a timepiece containing three or more complications—was made by Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. and sold in May 1917, just a month after the United States declared war on Germany during the First World War. Oversized at 53mm in 18K yellow gold, it features a stunning eggshell dial and a movement with a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph, and a perpetual calendar with moon phases. A bidder in the room last night snagged it for roughly a quarter-million bucks—pretty good value when you consider that Patek made only two such watches per year back then!Rolex ref. 126710BLNR GMT-Master II ‘Batman’: $60,000The final sale price of this GMT is the best example of how Brady’s provenance can inflate the value of a watch. This 2019 update to the famed travel-time watch typically goes for $15,000 to $20,000 on the secondary market. But the chance to buy a watch once owned by the greatest quarterback in NFL history at least tripled the value of this Rolex sport icon.IWC Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Edition ‘SFTI’: $42,000While it might not have done big money like th
Want more insider watch coverage? Get Box + Papers, GQ's newsletter devoted to the watch world, sent to your inbox every Friday. Sign up here.
On Tuesday night, Tom Brady brought 21 of his personal watches to auction, where they sold for a total of $4.6 million—not bad for a night’s work. The auction attracted 800 registered participants from 45 countries, showing how far the legend of his collection has grown since Brady revealed the range of his pieces over the past few years. From solid-gold Rolex Daytonas to colorful Richard Milles to complicated IWCs, the former NFL QB is now known as one of the most prolific collectors in the world.
Some of the pieces that came under the hammer last night were worn on significant occasions in Brady’s life and career, such as the IWC pilot’s watch he rocked while celebrating his 2021 Super Bowl victory. Others, such as a complicated Patek Philippe pocket watch from 1917, are the type of fare that one doesn’t typically associate with seven-time Super Bowl champs and reflect a wide-ranging interest and knowledge. A few lots sold in excess of $200,000 each, while one lot—a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “John Player Special”—achieved $1.1 million. While watches such as the rare “JPS” are significant on their own, there’s no doubt about the premium afforded to anything that was once owned by Brady, who is widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time.
Check out some of the star lots below.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ‘John Player Special’: $1.1 million
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There are vintage hand-wound Daytonas, then there are vintage hand-wound Daytonas in solid gold, vintage hand-wound Daytonas in solid gold with “Paul Newman” dials, and at the highest end of the scale, hand-wound Daytonas in solid gold with “Paul Newman” dials owned by Tom Brady. This one from 1969, dubbed a “John Player Special” due to its resemblance to the Lotus F1 cars sponsored by John Player cigarettes, came on a gold Jubilee bracelet and was worn by Brady when Robert Kraft announced the quarterback's coming induction into the New England Patriots' Hall of Fame. Notably, the watch sold for less than a record-breaking JPS last year, which sold for $2,491,655. (Of course, there are many factors, like market strength and the condition of the watch to consider. The 2023 sale was described as the best one the house had seen in a decade, but it’s worthwhile to examine the potential Brady Bump where we can.)
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ‘The Roast’: $720,000
There’s nothing quite like a pièce unique to pique collectors' interest—and this is no typical pièce unique: Crafted from white gold and featuring a diamond-set bezel, it’s a one-off Royal Oak with a beautiful salmon-colored tapisserie evolutive–pattern dial that appears to radiate from the center outward. The typical indices have been replaced with Brady’s name spelled out in calibré-cut and baguette diamonds, while the number seven is spelled out in Roman numerals. Even the automatic winding rotor has Brady’s signature on it. And while it might appear a tad odd for anyone other than Brady to wear this thing in public, that didn’t stop a superfan from forking over $720K for it.
Patek Philippe Grand Complication Pocket Watch Retailed by Tiffany & Co: $264,000
While much of Brady’s collection focuses on heavy-hitting wristwatches from Rolex, Richard Mille, IWC, and others, it would seem that his horological tastes are much more adventurous than we might have imagined: This Grand Complication—a timepiece containing three or more complications—was made by Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. and sold in May 1917, just a month after the United States declared war on Germany during the First World War. Oversized at 53mm in 18K yellow gold, it features a stunning eggshell dial and a movement with a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph, and a perpetual calendar with moon phases. A bidder in the room last night snagged it for roughly a quarter-million bucks—pretty good value when you consider that Patek made only two such watches per year back then!
Rolex ref. 126710BLNR GMT-Master II ‘Batman’: $60,000
The final sale price of this GMT is the best example of how Brady’s provenance can inflate the value of a watch. This 2019 update to the famed travel-time watch typically goes for $15,000 to $20,000 on the secondary market. But the chance to buy a watch once owned by the greatest quarterback in NFL history at least tripled the value of this Rolex sport icon.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Edition ‘SFTI’: $42,000
While it might not have done big money like the vintage treasures listed above, this modern tool watch from the International Watch Company is perhaps more personally significant to Brady. He wore this exact piece to the Super Bowl Champion Parade in 2021 (as well as on several other occasions) and even said in 2020 that he’d likely never sell it. But things change, and a lucky bidder was able to pick it up for the (relatively) attainable sum of $42,000. Measuring 44.5mm in ceramic and ceratanium, it’s a cool, blacked-out take on the brand’s typical pilot’s chronograph, made in tribute to the US Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (a.k.a. “Top Gun”).
