King Philippe — watch collection

About King Philippe’s watch collection

King Philippe of Belgium ascended to the throne on 21 July 2013, succeeding his father King Albert II. Born in 1960, he trained as a military pilot with the Belgian Air Component and holds advanced degrees from the Royal Military Academy in Brussels and Oxford University. As the seventh King of the Belgians, Philippe serves as head of state of a constitutional monarchy and is widely regarded as a measured, dutiful figure in European royal circles — present at NATO summits, state visits, and national ceremonies throughout the year, but rarely courting personal publicity.

The King Philippe watch collection, at least as far as public sightings go, leans toward functional, understated sports watches rather than dress pieces. The clearest evidence of his personal taste comes from a sighting shared via the Belgian Royal Palace's own social channels, which revealed Philippe wearing the Rolex GMT-Master II reference 116710BLNR — the steel, Oyster-cased GMT that collectors have long called the 'Batman' because of its two-tone blue and black Cerachrom bezel. Rolex introduced the 116710BLNR at Baselworld in 2013, the same year Philippe became king, and it was the first instance of the manufacture producing a two-color ceramic bezel in that specific combination. The reference has since been discontinued, replaced by the 126710BLNR on a Jubilee bracelet, which makes Philippe's version a piece collectors actively seek out.

That a reigning European monarch would wear a discontinued steel sports Rolex rather than a high-complication dress watch from a traditional royal-adjacent manufacture says something concrete about Philippe's personal approach. The GMT-Master II is a tool watch at its core — built around a pilot's need to read two time zones simultaneously — and its appearance on the wrist of a former military pilot is a straightforward fit. It reflects practicality over ceremony, which appears consistent with the broader public image of a monarch who tends to let his work speak louder than his wardrobe.