"I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on a journey, reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again.” Those musings on time feel particularly poignant now, following the British actor's death. There’s something rather comforting about the idea of time as a companion, particularly when you consider Stewart’s lifelong fascination with the very objects we use to measure it. Because, as it turns out, Patrick Stewart was quite the watch guy.
Not simply someone who happened to wear an expensive timepiece on the red carpet, but a genuine enthusiast with an appreciation for the craftsmanship, history, and ingenuity behind them. He bought his first watch at 18 and, by his own admission, never threw one away. Behind every watch there is an idea, a design, a concept, an innovation, and the watchmaker's desire to create something that is greater than anything that has ever existed before.” It's an enthusiasm that stayed with him throughout his life, from the Rolex he reportedly spent almost all his savings on after arriving in Hollywood to his enduring affection for IWC Schaffhausen.
And, naturally, there were some rather lovely watches along the way. So, in celebration of an extraordinary career and a life well lived, we've taken a look back at some of Patrick Stewart's finest watch moments. Perhaps the most meaningful watch in Stewart's story is one for which we don't have an exact reference.
Long before he became one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors, Stewart was given a rather unexpected piece of career advice by the actress Eva Marie Saint. She advised him that appearances mattered, and that an expensive watch might help convince producers he was already a successful actor. So, she took him to a Beverly Hills jeweller, where he picked out a Rolex.
It cost him his entire savings. It's touching anecdote given Stewart's modest upbringing. Having grown up in poverty, he admitted that it took him years to feel comfortable spending money on beautiful things.
But eventually, he came to realize there was nothing wrong with enjoying the rewards of his success. Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 to the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix One of Stewart's most entertaining watch moments came at the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix, when he joined Daniel Ricciardo on the podium and celebrated the Australian driver's third-place finish by drinking champagne from his racing boot. And while most people were understandably distracted by the sight of Captain Picard downing champagne from a sweaty shoe, there was a rather lovely watch on his wrist, a Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80.
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