The Unlikely Watch Collectors: Chefs Edition

In just a few years, chefs have risen to superstardom. During this period of confinement and boredom, their advice has been more solicited and followed than ever before. Quick to step up to the culinary plate (pun intended), chefs remind us life can be about celebrating the freedom of indulgence and exalting in the pleasures of fine dining.

The list of talented and well-known chefs, who are also ardent enthusiasts or even serious collectors, is as long as your arm. But a few names are particularly worth mentioning due to the eclectic nature of their choices. It's a question of taste, as it happens.

Of course, no list of watch collection chefs would be complete without a mention of the sorely missed Anthony Bourdain. So, let's look at his collection first.

In October 2019, almost a year and a half after his tragic death, iGavel Auctions sold Anthony Bourdain's watch collection with a large portion of the proceeds going to a scholarship fund at his alma mater, The Culinary Institute of America. Among the watches sold, there are four standouts.
 

First is the chef's 39mm TAG Heuer Monaco featuring a date aperture at 6 o'clock, a Calibre HEUER02 Automatic in-house movement, and a perforated racing strap made of blue alligator. Faithful to the Steve McQueen original, Anthony Bourdain's Monaco has a metallic blue sunburst dial, white details, and red central and sub-dial hands, and it cost the winning bidder $20,627 to get their hands on it.
 

Then there is the Patek Philippe. Not much is known about Bourdain's history with the watch, but his Patek Philippe Calatrava Isochronism with a 33mm 18k gold case and glass caseback sold for $26,250 at the iGavel auction.
 

Third-up is the late chef's Panerai Radiomir. Sadly, the exact reference is not noted on the auction listing; however, given the wire lugs and steel case, it is most likely a PAM 337. By auction close, the Radiomir of the Kitchen Confidential author had sold for $33,750.
 

Last, but certainly not least, is his Rolex Oyster Date Perpetual. Seen on his wrist in several episodes of No Reservations, Bourdain's stainless steel Rolex measures 34mm, with an engine-turned bezel, a date window at 3 o'clock, and luminous baton hour markers atop a starburst blue dial. And by the time the auction closed, this piece set its new owner back a whopping $48,750.
 

Gordon Ramsay, one of the first chefs to embrace television stardom with his Kitchen Nightmares, is always quick to show off his recent acquisition: a Rolex Submariner ref. 1680.
 

But we know for certain that the Rolex-lover also has, among other things, one of the very first Rolex Submariners dating from 1953, an 18K white gold Submariner “Smurf,” an Omega Seamaster, and a Breitling Chrono Avenger M1.
 

Daniel Boulud, one of New York's top restauranteurs, two-Michelin-star chef, and co-president of Citymeals-on-Wheels (a charity providing homebound elderly New Yorkers with meals), also has an extensive collection, although it is a bit more varied than the Rolex-laden Gordan Ramsay collection.
 

Indeed, with over 20 watches in his collection, he could easily wear a different watch each day.

On Monday, he can start the week off strong wearing his Rolex GMT Master II "Batman" with a stainless steel case and Jubilee bracelet.
 

On Tuesday, he can wear his 41mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph featuring a blue dial with a "Grande Tapisserie" pattern, rhodium-toned counters, and white gold applied hour-markers. Eventually, Chef Boulud plans to give this piece to his son for his 21st birthday.
 

On Wednesday, he can wear the Van Cleef & Arpels watch his wife gave him to wear on their wedding day in 2013. Originally designed by Pierre Arpels in 1949, Chef Boulud's Pierre Arpels watch features a 38mm rose gold case, a creamy white dial with honeycomb motif, and a dark brown alligator strap.
 

On Thursday, he can wear his Cartier Santos 100 Carbon featuring a rose gold bezel and ADLC scratch-resistant coating during the dinner rush.
 

Then on Friday, he can wear his white-dialed Rolex Daytona ref. 16520. This watch is especially important and sentimental as it was a gift from the father of a young colleague Chef Boulud once took under his wing but who tragically died in a plane crash.
 

Finally, Chef Boulud can dedicate weekends to Panerai. First, on Saturday, he can paint the town black wearing his black ceramic PAM 292 Radiomir.
 

Next, for Sunday brunch, he can wear his rare Panerai Ferrari Granturismo Chronograph with bright yellow dial. Then, at Sunday dinner, he can wear the 18K rose gold Radiomir 8 Days GMT given to him by a couple of friends on his 60th birthday.
 

Another chic piece in his collection is the Perrelet First Class A1073. This watch features a blue guilloché dial, 42.5mm brushed and polished steel case, 6 o'clock date window, and an in-house P-321 automatic movement.
 

Finally, the host of the French language equivalent of Kitchen Nightmares, called Cauchemar en cuisine, also counts an iconic Chopard Mille Miglia as part of his collection. Specifically, Chef Etchebest owns a limited edition Mille Miglia GT XL Rosso Corsa.
 

When this 1,000-piece limited edition was released in 2011, its vivid Alfa Romeo-cum-Ferrari red-varnished dial with silver-toned counters and large 44mm case made the entire watch world stop and take notice. Now, it adorns the wrist of one of the best chefs in the world.

Timing is an essential element of any successful kitchen. It’s safe to safe that anyone who has cooked anything in their life has used a watch or clock in the process. Here are a few chefs that didn’t make the cut but still give plenty of culinary (and horological) inspiration.