Russell Sheldrake
A landslide general election has just taken place in the UK with a massive majority for Labour, as its leader Sir Keir Starmer is set to become to new Prime Minister. While we are not normally one for reporting on political goings on, there is one small facet of this election which peaked our interest. Starmer has been seen, on multiple occasions, sporting a Tissot PRX.World leaders and their wristwear is always a fun topic for any of us watch nerds. It gives us yet another way to measure those who make the big decisions at the highest levels. And if it’s one thing all of us love to do, it is using watches to form groups of identity we can all belong to. So what does Starmer’s choice of a PRX say about him?Well, it fits with his mantra of being an everyman, the son of a toolmaker, that became one of the country’s leading lawyers and now is Prime Minister. There’s every chance he will be wearing his PRX as he goes to his weekly audience with King Charles III who may be wearing his Parmigiani. And if the difference between those two watches doesn’t illustrate the difference between the two men, it’s hard to find another two objects that does.Seeing a world leader wearing a watch that is so readily available and accessible is a great thing, whether you align with him politically or not. We’ve seen the likes of Nicolas “Bling-Bling” Sarkozy wearing a full collection of luxury watches in his time, and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis being seen in our very own Night Surfer collaboration with Zenith.Starmer takes on the role of Prime Minister after the Conservatives have held the position for 14 years, becoming just the seventh Labour Prime Minister in British history. In a historic win, there are plenty of talking points that we will leave for those more politically minded than us, but it’s great to see a watch we love on one of the most public wrists in the world.
05.07.24