Feature: Why Does Prince William Only Wear Omega?

You could say that as a senior member of one of the world’s oldest and richest monarchies, Prince William is a man of remarkable restraint and modesty. Unlike the offspring of some royal families, he’s never been one for ripping around the streets of West London in a gold-plated Lamborghini and Instagramming a gilded existence of Dom Perignon and Balenciaga hoodies.

So it’s fair to assume the future King of England doesn’t have a watch-safe full of bust-down AP Royal Oaks and Richard Mille's hidden away in the basement of Kensington Palace. In fact, there’s every reason to believe that Prince William—whose personal wealth is estimated at a not-to-be-sniffed-at £30m—owns no more than one watch. And not an exorbitantly expensive, hard-to-get watch, either! It’s a modest, battery-powered Omega Seamaster from the Pierce Brosnan Bond-era.

Prince William practises watch monogamy with this trusty Omega Seamaster

Why, then, when he could easily go on a lavish Bond Street spending spree and nab himself a few Rolex watches and Patek Phillipe watches (let’s be honest, it’s what you would do if you were a prince, right?), does William faithfully stick to not only one brand, but one watch?

Fit For A King…. And Almost Anything Else

For all his frugal ways, William’s watch monogamy is nothing to do with him being a humble, regular guy. The People’s Prince. A man who knows the price of a pint of semi-skimmed milk and mucks in with the dish-washing when he visits his in-laws.

The watch was actually a gift from his beloved late mother, Princess Diana, tragically killed in a car crash in 1997. She gave the watch to William when he was in his early teens and studying at Eton College, though it’s unknown whether it was a birthday gift or a reward for some kick-ass exam results.

Considering its huge sentimental value, we love the fact that William isn’t one for keeping the watch in his sock draw and bringing it out occasionally to toy with and polish lovingly with the bottom of his shirt (come on, we all do this!). This is a watch that gets as much wrist time as, well, an actual wrist.

A qualified helicopter rescue pilot, Wills has been spotted wearing his Omega Seamaster in the cockpit, while on Royal tours around the world and when meeting renowned luxury watch aficionado, rapper Jay Z—who was presumably left slightly underwhelmed by the future king’s lack of bling. He wears it with a t-shirt and jeans while playing with the kids, and he wears it with a suit when hob-nobbing with presidents and sheiks.

He even wore it for his wedding to Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, ensuring he was dead on time for the big day at Westminster Abbey.

What He Should Wear

William’s father has always championed British-made goods and is something of an unofficial Savile Row ambassador with his handmade suits and shoes. William could do the same with luxury watches by wearing something made in the UK—a Bremont aviation watch, perhaps. Or he could really impress the hardcore horology crowd with a one-off piece by the celebrated independent English watchmaker, Roger Smith.

British brand Bremont would be a perfect fit for the future King of England

Just a few ideas for his next birthday present, Kate, if you’re reading this. You’d probably get a decent discount, what with being a high-profile duchess and everything.

Also, one day he’s going to inherit some rather nice pieces from his dad, Prince Charles, who’s been known to sport several high-end luxury watches from brands such as Parmigiani and Cartier.

Of course, William’s brother Harry, a Rolex and Breitling watches man, might want one or two keepsakes himself—providing he hasn’t been completely disinherited by then for ‘going rogue’. But as the heir to the throne and the elder brother, Wills will probably have his pick of a very plum bunch of lust-worthy high-end timepieces.

We envy him.

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