Orlando Bloom has lived the majority of his adult life in the spotlight. Just two days after he graduated theatre school in ‘99, he landed the role of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings, followed swiftly by Pirates of the Caribbean, quickly becoming a household name. But what remained out of the spotlight, until a robbery in 2009, was his impressive, and much loved, watch collection. Read on to discover more about his fascinating watch collection.
The Bling Ring
Although one or two of the watches were spotted on his wrist, the content and extent of Orlando Bloom’s collection wasn’t really known, nor discussed. But this all changed in 2009, when he was targeted by the gang of eight teenagers known as ‘The Bling Ring’. This group spent 10 months in 2008/09 robbing around fifty houses, including those of stars such as Paris Hilton, Audrina Patridge, Rachel Bilson, Megan Fox, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom.
Bloom’s watches were hidden in a secret nook inside a wall, concealed behind a bookcase, and as a result he started to become uneasy after the burglary. When his prized watches were hidden so well, how could anyone have found them without being close to him? He even suspected his cleaning lady, which caused a large rift between them, culminating in her refused to work for him anymore, so when it turned out that the burglars were simply a group of kids, he was shocked, along with the rest of the world. However, because of the theft which inspired the 2013 film 'The Bling Ring', we now have a better idea of the treasures that lie in Orlando Bloom’s watch collection.
The Rolex Milgauss 6543
The 6543 was the first model to have been been produced under the name 'Milgauss' and was produced in very limited quantities for a very limited time in the 1950s, meaning that they are extremely rare and desired by collectors. Originally, the Milgauss was designed for people who work within a magnetic field, and therefore can withstand an impressive 1,000 gauss magnetic flux density. Bloom’s particular copy has a 'black rotating bezel and a dial that has changed from black to brown over the years. Collectors call this a tropical dial and they fetch a high premium.
Image source: Rolex Magazine
The ‘Steve McQueen'
The Rolex Explorer II 1655 rose to fame as a result of a different celebrity, Steve McQueen. Although it didn’t start as a star in the Rolex collection, unsubstantiated rumours that McQueen wore one caused it to become massively popular, and even nicknamed after it. The Explorer II 1655 was built for people who spend a lot of time in the dark, such as cave explorers, and includes an orange pointer to indicate whether it’s day or night. Whether or not Steve McQueen ever wore one is still up for debate, but we know for sure that Orlando Bloom owns an Explorer II 1655 from 1973.
A 1973 Explorer II 1655, previously offered on Catawiki
The Rolex Submariner 6538
On the other hand, there is no question of the star-quality of the Submariner 6538. The watch was featured on the wrist of Sean Connery in several James Bond films, including ‘Dr. No’, and later models in ‘From Russia with Love’ and ‘Goldfinger’, and spurring the nickname 'The James Bond’ Rolex. This model became so loved by collectors because, really, who doesn't wish they were James Bond? The Submariner stays true to its name by functioning all the way to 200 metres under the water, another reason why they are so popular amongst collectors, including Orlando Bloom. He not only owns the 6538, but also the 5513 and the 16610.
Rolex Submariner 6538 worn by Sean Connery in Dr. No. Image source: Hodinkee
It wasn't just Rolexes that were stolen from the collection, along with the above mentioned timepieces were two IWCs and one Bremont. Yet with the cooperation of Bloom, the police found the perpetrators a couple of weeks later, and the watches were returned. We guess the moral of the story is not to mess with a true collector…
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