Multi-millionaire real estate investor, ‘#1 sales trainer in the world’ and New York Times bestselling author, Grant Cardone has quite a serious watch collection.
As you might expect, Grant has watches that are some serious heavy hitters. Any one of them costs more than my entire humble collection.
He definitely has a distinct style – larger, sporty watches, often in precious metals. He also has a few really unique pieces that hold significant meaning to him.
Thanks to a video from a fellow watch YouTuber, Teddy Baldassarre, we were able to get the inside scoop on Grant’s collection. Before we break down his collection 1 by 1, you can find the video below.
Photo credits go to Grant Cardone and Teddy Baldassare so be sure to check out the video and show them some love!
-Anthony
1. Rolex Datejust Two-Tone
The first watch Grant Cardone ever bought was stainless steel, two-tone Rolex Datejust.
Though he doesn’t mention specific references for most of the watches, it looks to be a Datejust 16233. 36mm two-tone Datejust with Jubilee and gold dial.
He bought it when he was about 38 and estimated he hadn’t had another watch for the next 10 years.
With a watch as classic and timeless as a Datejust, can you really blame him? I’d personally argue a Rolex Datejust is one of the best one-watch collections anyone can own. It can stealthily fit under a cuff for more formal occasions, but pairs well with casual wear on the right strap.
He paid $800 for it, about 20 years ago. Good luck finding one at that price anymore!
2. Rolex Yacht-Master II 116689
The second watch Grant ever owned is a watch no longer in his collection,
A Rolex Yachtmaster II White Gold he’s since gifted to a business partner.
One heck of a gift!
We didn’t get a chance to take a look at it, but we can presume it was the YACHT-MASTER II 116689, in white gold and platinum.
3. Roger Dubuis
He purchased the watch in Venice, on his honeymoon.
After spending $1.50 on some wine and pizza, he decided to take a look around the watch dealer…
He came out with this watch and a receipt for over $55,000 dollars. Do you know how much pizza he could’ve bought instead?!
The watch is 15 years old now and he still loves it as much today as the day he bought it, presumably partially for the fact he bought it on his honeymoon, marking such a monumental point in his life.
Again, no particular mention of a reference, nor a close up shot, but plenty of Grant staring at the watch lovingly.
4. Panerai Luminor PAM
Next is when he started to really establish his taste for larger and sportier watches.
It’s a relatively simple Panerai with a seconds subdial at the 9 o’clock position and cyclops over the date wheel. Like most Panerai, it has a HUGE, extremely legible dial and distinctly protective crown guards that prevent you from accidentally bumping the crown.
5. Hublot Rose Gold Chronograph
The next watch is a Hublot limited to only 25 pieces.
I’m not sure exactly what reference it is – honestly, Hublot is not a brand I’ve spent much time looking into. They’re HUGE and chunky and even if I could afford one, they’re just not my taste. But to each their own!
This model is an extremely chunky, seemingly brushed rose gold case, with a chronograph complication. It has a skeletonized dial and a red chapter ring that admittedly, accents the rose gold and black case rather well.
It has two very large pushers for what I presume to be the activation and reset buttons of the chronograph.
The watch sits on what seems to be one of Hublot’s signature rubber alligator straps. Their straps are made with genuine alligator but rubber lining on the inside, which makes the strap completely waterproof, and comfortable on the wrist.
As soon as he saw it, Grant had to have it, and couldn’t care less if it retained its value or not.
He went home, spent less than a night contemplating it before calling the dealer and trying to put the order in. He couldn’t get his hands on it, at the time, but his wife later bought it and gifted it to Grant on his birthday.
To this day, it’s still one of his favorite watches.
6. Hublot Spirit of Big Bang
It seemed the first rose gold Hublot got him a little bloodhungry as he went and purchased another.
This one is equally as large, but this time in a more rectangular case design very reminiscent to a larger rendition of the modern Richard Mille or Frank Mueller watches.
It also has a skeletonized dial, with two subdials and large chronograph pushers on the side as well.
Again, not a watch that particularly suits my fancy (not that I can afford one), but Grant still likes it to this day, and that’s what watch collecting is all about!
7. Audemars Piguet Millennial
Next up is one of Grant’s favorite watches, a gorgeous and discontinued AP dress watch.
He’s excited by the deployment clasp milled to say “AP” on each of the hinges, nice subtle detail, and a nod to fine workmanship.
The watch is extremely bold and simply legible.
The way he came across this watch was on a ship during a sales conference as he took a detour in Aruba. Looking for cigars, he came across this watch and couldn’t help but to pull the trigger.
Being the natural salesman that he is, he negotiated for it heavily, so we can assume he got a pretty sweet deal.
8. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore
Notice a pattern? Ginormous rose gold chronographs. Grant loves them.
Next up is yet another extremely bulky and sporty rose gold chronograph, the renowned Audemars Royal Oak Offshore.
This is a chronograph variant of the simple and clean Royal Oak. It has a large, geometric case, with large chronograph pushers, a brushed rose gold case and black dial with Arabic numerals.
Out of all the ‘big boy’ rose gold chronographs Grant owns, this one is definitely my favorite. If you ever get bored with this bad boy, let me know, Grant, maybe we can figure out a multiple lifetime payment plan.
9. Roger Dubuis Retrograde Calendar
Next up is a watch with an absolute massive dial, a Roger Dubuis Retrograde Calendar.
With an insanely large rectangular case and Arabic numeral hour markers that stretch almost across a third of the dial, this watch has an extremely unusual look that Grant really likes.
It’s clear that ‘bigger is better’ is definitely a motto he lives by when it comes to his watch collection.
10. Panerai Luminor PAM 00187 Special Edition
Next is a watch that breaks the monotony of rose gold pieces in his collection, but is an extremely unique offering.
It’s a limited edition Panerai Pam 00187, a chronograph dive watch with a whopping 1000m water resistance as marked on the dial by the ‘1000’ written in blue.
That’s right, 1000m. Most watches dive watches are considered a huge success if they manage to reach a 200m water resistance.
300m water resistance and you’re in the upper echelon. 1000m water resistance is absolute unfathomable – and amazing nonetheless.
Though it’s unlikely he’s ever tested the upper limits of the water resistance on this watch, Grant loves to dive and wears it diving.
For a time, he had thought he lost it for a period of 7 years. He missed it so much, he tried to hunt down a new one twice a year, every year.
To no avail, he couldn’t find the watch he had misplaced…
Until 3 or 4 weeks before the interview, when he opened a bag where he found a whopping $20,000 AND his beloved Panerai PAM00187.
If I find a fiver in my pocket, I’m cheery the rest of the day. Imagine finding 20 large that you completely forgot about?
11. Patek Philippe Nautalis Rose Gold 5980
After thinking his watch collection was complete, a few weeks ago a Patek Philippe Nautalis 5980 gets delivered to his house.
It’s absolutely gorgeous, but not exactly what Grant wanted.
He wanted the 40th-anniversary version, he preferred the larger size but was too ‘cheap’ (his words, not mine) at the time to pull the trigger.
24 hours later and he pulled the trigger on the white gold version as well.
12. Patek Philippe Nautilus 5976 40th Anniversary Limited Edition
Next up is the watch Grant REALLY wanted when he picked up the 5980.
A 40th anniversary limited edition Patek Philippe 5976 in white gold with the blue dial. Only 1600 were released at Baselworld 2016.
This watch retails for around $300,000 and sells for around $400,000… If you can find one.
That’s an entire Rolls Royce on your wrist!
13. Roger Dubuis Tourbillon
The final watch in Grant’s collection is one of Grant’s favorite, a Roger Dubuis Tourbillion.
It’s a skeletonized dial that’s not only skeletonized but almost completely see-through, all the way through the display case back.
Due to the nature of the skeletonized mechanics, it’s extremely light. It’s a black watch that seems to be made potentially from carbon fiber, making it so light.
BONUS: Chronoswiss
I guess Grant didn’t have this watch on hand because he only showed a picture of it, but it’s a Chronoswiss that Teddy got really excited about.
The watch is truly a revolution – one of the first skeletonized chronographs ever made. Thanks to Teddy Baldassare for pointing that out, as that’s something I hadn’t even known.
Grant bought this watch in Geneva Switzerland, likely at the 1 of only 3 authorized dealers that carry them, according to Teddy. Teddy really knows his Chronoswiss!
Where Does Grant Buy Watches?
Grant mostly buys his watches online and without a second thought admits that he does absolutely NO research before pulling the trigger.
If he sees a watch he likes, he buys it.
I’m over here second guessing and contemplating if I can afford yet another Seiko and he’s pulling the trigger on Pateks and Richard Mille’s like they’re candy.
But hey, if you’ve got pockets that deep, why not? Life is meant for living.
What Got Him Into Watches?
He didn’t seem to express any wave of passion or the feeling of marking a huge milestone as some do when purchasing a significant or expensive timepiece.
He used to work as a car salesman and everybody in the car business “kinda had a Rolex”, so that’s when he decided to buy his first watch, the Datejust mentioned earlier.
When Did Grant Cardone Start Collecting Watches?
Grant mentions in the interview that he’s ‘cheap’ and extremely conservative thanks to his humble upbringing and didn’t get his first watch until he was 40 years old. Growing up, his family had just enough money to get by, so of course, any luxury items, like watches, were completely off the table.
What Does Grant Think About Watches as an Investment?
After Kevin O’Leary, Shark Tank mogul, made a video mentioning that watches are great investments, it’s been a very hot topic in the watch community.
What does Grant think?
Grant thinks looking at watches as an investment is absolutely ridiculous.
He won’t spend ‘earned’ income on a watch, only watch that he generates from a surplus of ‘passive income’. Again, his words.
I suppose that means after he’s poured as much money as possible back into his businesses and real estate properties, he’ll only take what he generates from the profit as income.
Grant mentions that thinking about a watch as an investment is completely ridiculous.
What Watches Does He Want in the Future?
He’s had his eye on the Richard Mille 1103 in blue for a while. The only thing holding him back is the depreciation of the watch’s value. Can you blame him? Even for a multimillionaire, Richard Milles are HOT on the streets right now and are definitely not cheap. Some can easily run up to $750,000 in the current market.
Who knows how those are going to appreciate over time?
How Would Grant Run a Watch Business?
Grant mentions how brick and mortar authorized watch dealers rarely have enough inventory to meet buyer’s demand and he’s absolutely right.
His strategy would be to sell strictly online, except for potentially major flagship boutique stores.
He’d make sure to properly train his employees how to handle customers.
The Wrap Up
Although Grant Cardone wasn’t always an obsessive watch geek, he’s seemed to develop a passion for them over time. You can tell by the way he marvels at, and talks about the watches in his collection, he understands that they’re more than just a piece of jewelry.
Watches are a significant marker in time, whether that’s marking the memory of a honeymoon trip or being able to recall exactly which watch you were wearing when you made an impressive deal.
I really appreciate Grant’s perspective as someone who’s a businessman first, and a watch collector second. For me, a very big watch ‘addict’, this interview was a nice reminder that sometimes even though I may REALLY want a watch, I don’t always deserve it, just yet, until I’ve earned enough income to afford it comfortably. Thanks, Grant Cardone and Teddy Baldassarre for such an awesome interview!
Check out Joe Rogan’s watch collection also!
