In all the strides and styles that defined Elvis Presley — spinning hips, clothes, cars, all laughter laughter, their hair! — His collection of watches probably didn’t cause a dazzling scream in the teenage world in the late 1950s.
However “Elvis” A new biography of the singer’s life celebrates it all. Directed by Baz Luhrmann (the same Panash that turned music and dance into characters in movies such as the Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom), this movie is said to be a tribute to humility Watch Collection And love for trading was often overlooked in a very short period of 42 years.
“The watch was a symbol of his success and was a big part of his story. As his career evolved, he collected more valuable watches,” four times in the film. Oscar-winning costume and production designer Catherine Martin said: A telephone interview from her home in her native Australia. “They were status symbols, but Elvis still exchanged and handed out the watch. He exchanged it for a stranger who praised the watch. It was crazy.”
Martin, who is also a film producer and married to Rahman, said Presley’s love for watches is essential to telling his story. As a “king”, but mixed with his folk roots.
“Elvis was an absolutely iconoclasm dresser and he was always decorating his watch,” Martin said. “He constantly reinvented himself throughout his career. I don’t think he’s shocking now, but in the 50’s he seemed to be a member of the Sex Pistols.”
The radical transformation of Presley, played by Austin Butler in the film, is the story of “Elvis,” including a turbulent relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who discovered the singer in 1955. Provides many of the lines.
Martin said watches have always been an integral part of many scenes in the film, especially because Presley has always paid great attention to how to wear watches and how to make accessories.
“Even in the 1968 TV Special, in his black leather outfit, he had Bulova Accutron Custom leather wristband made for astronauts“She said, referring to Presley’s famous comeback concert on television. “Many of the watches he wore were about advances in technological style. He was always interested in what the latest watches were.”
The watch that started everything was the watch he owned when he was a big hit. The triangular Hamilton Ventura, created by American industrial designer Robert Arbib and known as the world’s first battery-powered watch. This is the signature of Presley, who appeared in the gold version of the 1961 movie “Blue Hawaii,” and the watch company that reintroduced “Elvis Watch” in 2015 to commemorate his 80th birthday. (This was also seen in all four “Men in Black” movies.)
“I didn’t happen to get to the’Elvis Watch’because it’s a very iconic watch and it’s so well known that I don’t want it to be a major part of the story,” Martin said. “There’s still a lot to tell over the last 40 years. I don’t want to deny that this watch was very important in the story of Elvis, but it was common.”
One example is the Omega Constellation, which was stationed in Germany with the United States Army from 1958 to 1960. It was one of the original constellation lines in pink gold with a black “sniper” dial. Presley later handed it over to his friend and fellow musician Charlie Hodge.
Antiquorum auctioned the watch in June 2012 and expected sales of $ 10,000 to $ 20,000. It sold for $ 52,500.
And then there was the second Omega Constellation given to Presley by his record company RCA in 1961. The 33 mm white gold watch has a silver dial and is accented with 44 round diamonds on the bezel. The caseback is engraved with “To Elvis, 75 Million Records, RCA Victor, 12-25-60”. The letters under the Omega logo indicate that RCA purchased the watch from Tiffany.
Legend has it that Presley replaced it with a fan’s watch, and his nephew put up the watch at an auction with Philips in 2018. It sold for CHF 1.8 million (about $ 1.87 million today) and has become the most expensive Omega of the time, ever sold. Top bidder: OMEGA itself, which added a watch to the collection of museums in Bienne, Switzerland.
One of the watches that stood out in the second half of Elvis’ career was the Rolex King Midas. It has an asymmetrical case with a wide bracelet and was designed by Gerald Genta, the origin of the names of legendary watches such as Royal Oak and Nautilus. The concert promoter presented Midas to Presley in 1970 for a six-day sold-out concert. It is currently on permanent display at Presley’s home in Graceland, Memphis, and died in 1977.
“King Midas is a very unusual form, and Buzz happens to own it, so Austin Butler wore it in the movie,” Martin said. “Some watches were rented or bought online. Some were so valuable that I couldn’t put them in the set, so I made a duplicate.”
The film’s subject matter, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last month, certainly falls into a larger category than the real thing, where Rahman and Martin seem to be attracted to filmmaking (2013 edition). Like “The Great Gatsby”)).
“The Elvis character arc is fascinating, as is the fact that he was the extraordinary stylist who created his own look,” Martin said. “He became super fast and super famous, and the clock was important to him to show that he had accomplished it.”