The Watches Of The Sopranos

If you’ve ever had a conversation with me, you know I love HBO's The Sopranos. I’ve watched the series over a dozen times and it’s still the best TV show of all time, in my opinion. Naturally, I always took note of how many watches have made it on the show and what they say about the character wearing them. Even beyond the show, watches have always surrounded the series. In fact, James Gandolfini had 450 Kobold watches made for the cast and crew when the series wrapped up in 2007. I’ve been meaning to do a story about the watches worn on The Sopranos for some time now, so this was a fun one to put together.

Tony Soprano

So, what's the Tony Soprano watch? Of course the boss of the family wears a classic Rolex Day-Date, aka the Rolex President. And we’re talking about the traditional 36mm model with champagne dial and fluted bezel. In fact, I’m fairly certain he wore the Ref. 18038, which was produced from the late 1970s through the late 1980s and was quite an upgrade from the then-previous Ref. 1803 in a few ways, including sapphire crystal and quickset date. It also got the Caliber 3055 movement, which took the Day-Date into 4 Hz territory from 2.75 Hz (we love that sweeping seconds hand). So the fashion rules of being a boss are: no to shorts, but yes to a solid gold Rolex.

Image by Christie's

Honestly, it’s kind of funny to imagine this massive man wearing a 36mm watch but it totally works. If you’re looking to cosplay as Tony, you can pick up one of these Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18038 models for just around that $18,000+ mark.

Carmela Soprano

The Queen of North Caldwell, New Jersey also wears a Rolex for most of the series, though one not quite as flashy. Carmela’s Rolex Lady Datejust is a 26mm model in two-tone on a Jubilee bracelet, which is also about as classic as it gets.

Now, I do have to address one of the funniest moments on the show. In Season 6, Episode 7, “Luxury Lounge,” there is a scene where Christopher mugs Lauren Bacall (played by the real Lauren Bacall) and steals her award show swag bag, which he later gives to Tony. Inside the bag is, among other things, a Baume & Mercier watch that he gifts to Carmela. We don’t ever get to see her wear it, though, because it’s not too long until Carmela throws the watch against the wall after an argument.  Another fun bit about that episode is that there is a fairly long scene where Chris is with Sir Ben Kingsley (because Hollywood) and they’re browsing the luxury lounge where there is a booth for none other than Oris.

But back to Carmela. The Rolex Lady Datejust is actually a fairly demure choice for a family so preoccupied with flashing their wealth. But, hey, Rolex is for life.

Image by Sotheby's

Oh, and we can’t forget Carmela’s cousin Brian, who inadvertently gave Tony some good “investing” advice. In return Tony Soprano gifted him a watch. Not just any watch, a Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Ref. 5037/1G — which is, honestly, a pretty incredible gift. Brian says, “This is like a $15,000 watch,” which must have been way off, though I am not certain of the retail price at the time of airing. These days, that watch starts at about $35,000 on the secondary market, with some listings pushing $50k.

Meadow Soprano

Image by Sotheby's

As for the Soprano children, Meadow definitely brings out the heavy hitters. She’s spotted wearing a steel Cartier Pasha as well as a hilarious Rolex Daytona “Beach” Ref. 116519 which was a limited-edition model done with a pink lacquer dial. It was always a funny choice for Meadow, but the joke’s on us considering these are going for well over $65,000 these days.

Christopher Moltisanti

I didn't forget Tony’s nephew Christopher, who wears at least three different Cartier watches throughout the series. The steel Cartier Roadster probably gets the most screen time but Chrissy also has a solid gold Tank Française as well a gold Pasha.

Some people have mentioned that Chris gifts his Tank to his longtime girlfriend Adriana when he switches over to wearing the Pasha. I have to do another rewatch of season 4 to be entirely sure about this, but I am fairly certain the Tank gets stolen — so Adriana would actually have gone out and bought the same model, which would actually be hilarious.

Uncle Junior

Like patience on a monument, Corrado “Junior” Soprano is consistent in his watch choice. Indeed the most old-school guy wears the most old-school watch, as Tony’s Uncle Junior wears a two-tone Rolex Datejust in 36mm. It is a funny choice to have Uncle Junior wear what is essentially the less flashy version of Tony Soprano's watch (well, Day-Date vs. Datejust) considering how much of the series Corrado spends being jealous of his “successful” nephew (“success” being defined here as being the boss of a crime family).

It looks like Junior wears the Rolex Datejust Ref. 1601, which was produced from 1960 through the early 1980s. These are fairly easy to find as so many of them were produced and you can pick one up starting around $5-6k.

The Goons

Image by Getty

So I won’t give every “associate” of Tony Soprano their own watch section but there are some fun choices here. Paulie “Walnuts” Gaultieri wears a Movado Esperanza, which seems like the absolute correct choice for someone comfortably rooted in the past with no interest in contemporary tastes or styles.

I used to think Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero wore a Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18038 Stella dial, which would have been wild, considering those go for well over $60,000 these days. However, a close inspection makes it look like he might have worn some aftermarket Datejust covered in diamonds and fitted on a Jubilee bracelet, which is not nearly as exciting but definitely more appropriate.

“Don’t look at your watch yet. Save it. Treat yourself!” are words burned into my mind and that will make me ROFL every time. This is the internal monologue of runaway mobster (and possible undercover CIA agent hiding in Afghanistan) Vito Spatafore when he tries to get a normal job. On his wrist is an Oris XXL Worldtimer Chronograph, which is the second Oris reference on the show.

Not a goon, but we can’t forget the Lupertazzi family in New York, across the rivah from our beloved Sopranos. There are only a few instances where you can make it out, but Johnny Sack wears what I thought was a Piaget but looks to be a Concord Centurion.