Powerful wrists: Watches of CEOs

The higher the income, the more the standard of living increases. The average salary of managing directors is 86,200 euros per year in Germany; the average salary of CEOs of DAX companies is a stagerring 5.8 million euros on average. Not surprising that with this level of income, the budget for the small but important things in life is correspondingly large.

While actors, athletes and other public figures share their lives with us on social media, the economic leaders of our world are a lot quieter. We went on a search and discovered five exciting watches on the wrists of CEOs around the world.

Dieter Zetsche was CEO of Daimler AG from 2006 to 2019; he has since become Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TUI AG. No one doubts that Zetsche has petrol in his blood with even his wristwatch fitting the bill. The Chopard Mille Miglia GMT is a tribute to the Chopard sponsored Mille Miglia, a legendary car race that takes place once a year in Italy.

The lovingly named corsa più bella del mondo, the most beautiful race in the world, first took place in 1925 and was revived in 1977. 20 years earlier, the race was temporarily suspended after a tragic accident that claimed 12 lives. Today, the Mille Miglia is a breathtaking event for enthusiasts and lovers with a focus on uniformity and reliability of the historic cars.

The fact that Zetsche prefers the GMT version of the Mille Miglia should be extremely useful to him in his job, with which he regularly travels to different time zones around the world.

Indra Nooyi was CEO of the US food and beverage company PepsiCo Inc. for 12 years until she resigned in 2018 and became Co-Director of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center. PepsiCo is the Coca-Cola Company's biggest competitor and produces Pepsi, Mountain Dew and 7 Up, among others.

Indra Nooyi wears a Cartier Tank Francaise. The Cartier Tank is not only one of the most aesthetic wristwatches ever, but also one of the most elegant and stylish watches for ladies' wrists. The model was developed by Louis Cartier in 1917 and is based on the top view (in the sense of a bird's eye view) of the British Mark IV tanks, the construction of which began in the same year. The Cartier Tank Francaise was first presented in 1996 and is a creative development of the historic tank design. One of the main characteristics of the Tank Francaise is its chain-link bracelet and the bold design.

People don’t usually consider Toyota to be in the luxury segment, even though the Japanese company is one of the pioneers when it comes to hybrid and electric motorisation. Akio Toyoda, CEO of Toyota and grandson of the company founder Toyoda Kiichirō, however, loves luxury on his wrist. He wears the classic white gold version of the Patek Philippe Calatrava, the reference 5119G. This watch is characterised by exclusive craftsmanship and an exquisite understated design. The 36 millimetre Dresswatch has a finely guilloché Clous de Paris bezel and should only be identified as a luxury watch by true connoisseurs.

What at first glance seems like a choice that does not fit Toyota very well, fits perfectly at second glance: Patek Philippe is - like Toyota - still owner-managed. The Stern family has been the sole owner of the luxury manufacture since 1932 and is the last independent Geneva watch manufacturer in family ownership. Since 2009, Thierry Stern has been managing the company for the fourth generation.

Michael Corbat is CEO of New York-based Citigroup, one of the ten largest banks in the world. On his wrist, you’ll find a Jaeger-LeCoultre perpetual calendar, more precisely the Master Perpetual Calendar Reference 149.84.7A with a black stainless steel dial.

Jaeger-LeCoultre, the traditional Swiss manufacturer, is known for its innovative complications and is a brand for watch connoisseurs. As Michael Corbat wears this rare and special watch, it is safe to assume that he did his research with this watch before opting for it. The 37 millimetre Master Perpetual Calendar displays the date, day, month, year and moon phase, and does not need to be manually corrected until the year 2100.

The Microsoft Corporation employs around 150,000 people worldwide and offers a wide range of hardware products in addition to operating systems, application programs, development environments and game platforms.

The wristwatch of Microsoft CEO Satja Nadella is just as much a jack-of-all-trades as the company he manages: The Breitling Colt Automatic was originally developed in the 1980s as a watch for military forces. This is why the timepiece has always cut a fine figure in all situations. Whether at a business meeting or several meters under water, the Breitling Colt is always reliable - in keeping with its intended purpose - and offers readability of the highest standard.

In 2018, the Colt received its latest facelift. Since then, the watch has been a little more discreet and striking with less of a shine as the previous version. However, the Colt still possesses all the characteristics of the collection and of the traditional Breitling brand.

Jeff Bezos, founder, president, chairman and CEO of the US online retailer Amazon is the wealthiest person on the planet. He knows how to use his money well in many ways: Earlier this year he announced that he would donate $10 billion to fight climate change to counter "the greatest threat to our planet".

Bezos also has good taste in watches. He wears a Ulysse Nardin Dual Time, which represents a second time zone on the dial, making it a useful companion on both business and holiday trips.