The Rolex Midas is a unique and rare model from Rolex, notable for its distinctive design and luxurious appeal. Produced in the 1960s, it features an asymmetrical case shape resembling a cushion, often made from solid gold. The watch is known for its elegant style, with a minimalist dial and a combination of gold and sometimes diamond accents, making it a coveted piece among collectors. Including The King Elvis!

Price: $104,573.00 USD *That’s if you can find one, you may need the Midas Touch!

“The Midas Touch is a term referencing a legendary ability to turn everything one touches into gold, originating from the Greek myth of King Midas. It is also used metaphorically to describe the ability of individuals, particularly entrepreneurs, to be highly successful or to create wealth.”

Now if you ever wanted to be the centre of the universe this watch would definitely help. The huge Jacob & Co. Astronomia measuring in at 43.4mm is opulence at its best. Encased in a rose gold case and powered by the exclusive Jacob & Co. , the manually-wound JCAM19 calibre watch operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour.  Precious stones represent the seven planets – White Granite for Mercury, Rhodonite for Venus, Red Jasper for Mars, Pietersite for Jupiter, Tiger Eye for Saturn, Blue Calcite for Uranus and Lapis Lazuli for Neptune. The timepiece performs one full counter-clockwise revolution every 10 minutes. If your stars are aligned you can pick one up for $460,000 AUD (approx.) Buy here.

12 gold-plated signs of the zodiac

In the iconic movie Scarface from 1984, Tony Montana (played by legendary actor Al Pacino) wore a very unique and today discontinued 28mm quartz Omega ‘La Magique’ limited to only 261 pieces worldwide. The watch was released one year before the movies premiere.

The “La Magique” is an 18k yellow gold timepiece, with sapphire crystal, and a gold chain bracelet.

The watch is sometimes called ‘The Phantom’ because of its transparent dial, which creates the effect of the watch’s hands floating over the wearer’s skin, hence the name ‘La Magique’

So if you want to channel your Cuban gangster you can buy it here second hand for a cool A$30,892.20

“In This Country, You Gotta Make The Money First. Then When You Get The Money, You Get The Power. Then When You Get The Power, Then You Get The Women.” Tony Montana

Now for any fan of The Godfather this is a must. This stainless steel Datejust Rolex was gifted to Brando after he won the Academy Award for best actor in his portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in this iconic movie in 1973, is now up for auction. It’s engraved with ‘Vito’s’ MB’ and comes with a handwritten letter of provenance from the previous owner. So if want this 31mm steel not to special Rolex (only special because of it’s connection) you can bid at GWS Auctions and maybe make them an offer they can’t refuse (probably not a  horses head). When we last looked bidding was around the $6500 USD mark, so it’s quite reasonable at the moment, with auction ending 11 May. From GWS Auctions:

“…Marlon Brando is considered by many as one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time. He was ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth-greatest movie star among male movie stars whose screen debuts occurred in or before 1950, and was one of only four professional actors (along with Charlie Chaplin, Ronald Reagan and Marilyn Monroe) named in 1999 by Time magazine as one of its 100 Most Important People of the Century. The watch was given by Brando to Academy Award nominated designer Patricia Norris in 1976 after the pair developed a friendship and he told her that he wanted her to have the timepiece and that it “would fit her well.” The watch measures 8.5″ in length and will be accompanied by a handwritten letter of provenance from the previous owner who purchased the watch after Patricia Norris passed away…”

*Update: Sold $40000 Unverified.

Speaking of Marlon Brando watches, check out this 18k yellow gold Vacheron Constantin timepiece gifted from Zsa Zsa Gabor to celebrate the release of On the Waterfront.

 Auction in 2009 and got six times the expected amount, $18,000 USD.

So just you have just retired from you’re high flying executive job and they give you the obligatory Gold watch, well the last thing you want to do in retirement is wind your watch, you would rather be playing a round of golf, or sunning yourself on a beach in the Bahamas, sipping Pina Colada’s, well what you need is one of these beauties a Stockinger Watch Winder Cabinet. Now this has class written all over it. According to ablogtowatch.com, “Each individual Beluwo watch winder can be programmed for a specific watch based on a database of model specifications that currently includes information on over 8,000 watches. The winders further employ a 16 hour active phase along with 8 hours of rest, and are set using a smartphone or tablet computer.” The  Cabinets can be fully customized, and are available in various materials such as wood, carbon fiber and metallic exteriors and placed anywhere in your mansion. Two other great features is that the watches are set to face upright (the 12 o’clock) position when they are not winding but most importantly operate virtually in silence.  The Watch Winder Cabinet collection pieces start at 3,600 (AUD). Now you can truly enjoy your retirement in peace, Chin-chin! Photo courtesy of ablogtowatch.com.

No – we’re not talking about some movie memorabilia from the 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic action film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, we’re talking about this stunner from watch makers Eric Coudray and Kari Voutilainen. The two have combined to produce the Legacy Machine Thunderdome time piece which has the world’s fastest triple-axis regulating mechanism, with 3 axes revolving in record-breaking 8 seconds, 12 seconds and 20 seconds.

“Rising above a sea of blue guillochage is a rotating spherical mass of gears, pinions and cages. Somehow, from this chaos of motion, order is extracted. Time is indicated on an inclined dial of stretched lacquer, proving that even the wildest horological whirlwinds can be tamed into the logic of hours and minutes.”

The reverse of the LM Thunderdome engine is equally rewarding.

Ousing with Kari Voutilainen aesthetics

$410,000

Photos: MB&F

Now we’ve had some pearler of celebrity watches on TheNews before but these are right up there. Two pocket watches, one owned by renown American Novelist Ernest Hemmingway and the other French Hotelier, Charles C. Ritz are up for auction at Christies. Both are manual and 18k Gold,  Hemingway’s is a L. Leroy & Cie a split Seconds Chronograph and Ritz’s Vacheron Constantin. Here’s a great article explaining Hemingway’s connection to the Ritz in Paris with other luminaires such as F. Scott Fitzgerald. 5 minutes with… Ernest Hemingway’s pocket watch.

 Signed photograph from Charles Ritz were given to him as a gift, letter dated 2012.

Estimate $21,000-$36,000

Photos: Christies

Not only is David Beckham a great footballer, one of the sexiest men alive, married to a style icon Posh Spice but he also a avid watch collector. He’s a brand ambassador for Breitling and Bentley watches, but he also owns this beauty a Jacob & Co Global 3 watch, which is also a favourite brand of Victoria’s. This stunner is black and rose gold with each of the 4 circles displaying different times for where ever David may be round the world and the fifth for normal time and what watch for Becks wouldn’t be complete without an alligator skin strap. @jacobandco.

So you thought that you everything about Rolex’s, well think again. The world most famous brand of wristwatch now has and equally exquisite limited edition book The Impossible Collection, published by Assouline ($1160 AUD), which will give you a deeper insight it this icon. Starting from its founder Hans Wilsdorf in 1905 and his mission to produce the first wristwatch, for it to be the first to receive a Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision and the first waterproof one. Covering the rich history of the brand from the model worn by Sir Edmond Hillary’s to the summit of Mount Everest to the one worn by Australian George Lazenby in James Bond’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It’s filled with amazing photographs (even of some never before seen in print) and to top it off comes in a linen clamshell presentation case.

(Image courtesy AP)