On the Pontiff's Wrist: The Watches of the Popes
When you are the Bishop of Rome, the sovereign monarch of a small nation and head of one of the oldest religious institutions in the world, "modesty" can be somewhat subjective. Over the last 200 years, more than a dozen unique Patek Philippe watches have been made for several different popes. Pope Francis, however, is less interested in haute horlogerie. He was frequently seen wearing a Casio MQ-24-7B2 as well as a Swatch Once Again.
The subjectivity of Modesty in the watches of the Popes
Unlike Francis, the popes of the 20th and early 21st centuries before him often sported some of the finest watches available, far outside the price range of the average member of their flock.
Pope Benedict XVI, once considered a style icon by Gentlemen's Quarterly, received a variety of watches from foreign diplomats while pontiff. He famously wore a fine watch at the press conference at which he announced his resignation as Pope, a watch by the "Erhard Junghans" brand from his native Germany.
The model is said to have cost a few thousand dollars, although he did not buy it for himself. He received it as a gift from Volker Kauder, a German politician.
Pope Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI's predecessor, resembled Francis in his humble aesthetic, preferring less showy vestments and simpler episcopal accessories.
The exception to this modesty, however, was his DateJust, which was a constant companion throughout his decades as pope.
Pope Francis: Casio MQ-24-7B2
The Casio MQ-24-7B2 is a quartz watch with a black plastic case and a white dial. The watch is still in production and can be bought for around 20 euros.
Casio confirmed a few years ago that it had never had any communication with the Vatican. This means that the watch was chosen and bought by Pope Francis himself, even when he had the option of choosing a Patek Philippe pièce unique.
In a short exchange of emails, Casio confirmed the make and model of the watch for the first time.
"It appears that Pope Francis wears the Casio MQ-24," said a Casio representative in the company's first public confirmation that the pontiff is wearing one of its watches. "The model is part of our range of basic watches and is enjoyed by many people around the world."
"Basic" is the key word
The MQ24 is one of Casio's most affordable models, with minimal water resistance, no date window and an ordinary, non-sweeping seconds hand. Its dial is undecorated, showing only three pieces of text: the Casio logo, a label for its quartz movement (the cheapest available) and its water-resistance certification.
The hours are marked in simple, easy-to-read Arabic numerals. It has no luminescent markers for reading the time in the dark, and its strap is made of simple black resin.
It is, by all accounts, the most basic watch Casio offers. It costs around 20 euros.
Pope Francis: Swatch Once Again
The most valuable SWATCH ever...
Like any good watch collector, Pope Francis did not limit his collection to a Casio; he also had a Swatch. But it ended up going to auction.
It is not every day (or ever) that you see the Pope's personal watch being auctioned. In fact, the same could be said of many of the watches in the Once Upon A Time Watch Project by Wright Auction in support of The Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation. Also included in this charity watch auction, which took place on 30 November 2022, were watches from well-known figures such as Randall Park, Kenny Rogers, former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, Condoleezza Rice and Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby; but the main star was Pope Francis's personal Swatch.
The Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation
Brian LaViolette, the charity's namesake, was a young man who grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and who began wearing his first watch at just four years old. By the age of 15 he already had a collection of seven watches. Tragically, Brian died in a swimming accident in 1992. His family, led by Kim and Doug LaViolette, vowed to make the most of a terrible tragedy, eventually creating the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation to award university scholarships to children all over the world, from Wisconsin to South Africa. In 2022 the foundation awarded 55 scholarships; since its inception it has awarded a total of more than 1,000 scholarships. All proceeds from The Watch Project support the Scholarship Foundation's efforts.
Charity watch auctions are nothing new, but this one was exciting because many of its donations came from collectors. It is interesting to see collectors coming together to support a charitable cause such as this.
"What they did was take a tragic circumstance and turn it into something good in honour of Brian's memory," says Wind. Let us look at Pope Francis's Swatch, along with some of the other watches that were auctioned for charity.
One of Brian's childhood friends became a priest and managed to connect the LaViolette Foundation with Pope Francis, approaching the Pope's team with the idea of donating a watch to support the organisation. It took about six months, but Pope Francis eventually agreed to donate his personal Swatch, which he can be seen wearing in a number of photographs since he became Pope in 2013.
The Swatch comes with a letter of authenticity signed by Pope Francis's Personal Secretary, Fr Fabio Salerno, addressed to the LaViolette family and the foundation. The watch itself is a simple, modern Swatch, with a white dial and a black plastic case and strap. It is the quintessential Swatch.
From €20 to €51,000
We have all bought watches convincing ourselves that they were a good investment, that they would end up gaining value. This may even have happened with the recent MoonSwatch. Well, Pope Francis's Swatch broke every record!!!
On 30 November 2022, Pope Francis's Swatch Once Again was auctioned. The watch, with a 34mm case diameter, a white dial and a plastic case, reached a record price of around €51,000, and The Brian LaViolette foundation was grateful.
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