Rolex

The Rolex Day-Date was introduced in 1956 as the flagship model in Rolex’s catalog. Produced only in precious metals, it also held the distinction as the first watch to display both the day and date in full on the dial. Crafted in typical Rolex fashion, hewn from a solid block of gold in the robust waterproof oyster case, it was a watch favored by captains of industry, celebrities, and presidents. So much so, that the watch in many circles is known as simply as the ‘Rolex President’.

Its reputation was such that advertising for the watch featured lines like: “When a man has the world in his hands, you expect to find a Rolex on his wrist” and “It speaks volumes about you, in 26 languages” to simply “the president’s watch”. Yet rarely do we see these storied watches come into the public eye, as many remain with the families or end up in museum collections. This Rolex ‘President’, a 1963 Day-Date belonged to the distinguished Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser – a celebrated and cherished figure in the Arab world whose leadership of Egypt in the 20^th Century had a dramatic and lasting impact.

Gamal Abdel Nasser became the second President of Egypt in 1954, and was a widely celebrated leader known for his great strides towards social justice, his call for peace throughout all Arab nations, and large-scale public works projects like the Aswan High Dam which caused immediate economic, agricultural, and ecological benefits to the country – as well as resulted in the Metropolitan Museum of Art receiving the Temple of Dendur. 

President Nasser was always known as a man of the people and considered widely accessible to the general population, and as such, he was not a man of material possessions. This Rolex Day-Date was in-fact a gift, and in looking at the reverse you see an inscription in Arabic that reads: “Mr. Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963”. Anwar El Sadat, who later became Vice President of Egypt in 1969, and then President of Egypt in 1970, had been a life-long friend of Gamal Abdel Nasser. Sadat had been in the Egyptian Military Academy with Nasser. Making this a Rolex ‘President’ gifted to a ‘President’ from a ‘President’.

Despite his lack of material possessions, this watch and his friendship with Sadat meant a great deal to Nasser – and this watch is ever present throughout many historic moments of his presidency. It can be seen in photographs during pivotal moments like the Six-Day War as well his many diplomatic meetings on his quest to unite the Arabic world. The watch is ever present straight through to his passing in September of 1970. “Shortly after Nasser’s passing” remembers President Nasser’s Grandson – also Gamal Abdel Nasser, “my Grandmother, gave my father the watch that was worn up until his death. As the eldest son, she wanted him to have it. A few years before my father’s passing in September of 2011, he showed me the watch for the first time, and passed it on to me as his mother had done with him.”

After hosting the Arab League Summit, President Nasser suffered a fatal heart attack. His state funeral was attended by crowds estimated at over five million people following the procession through the streets of Cairo to his burial grounds. As a testament to his unifying power, nearly every Arab head of state was in attendance. Having never owned a house and with his few material possessions being donated by the Nasser family to his namesake museum in Cairo, this Rolex Day-Date remains his sole possession outside any museum collection. It is a witness to history, and a truly presidential Rolex.