For most collectors, owning a celebrity's watch means owning something that once sat on their wrist. This watch offers a much more unusual connection.

The wide snakeskin cuff surrounding this watch was crafted from one of Richie Sambora's actual worn guitar straps. Not a reproduction, not a design inspired by one, but material sourced directly from the equipment used by the legendary Bon Jovi guitarist himself. As a result, the watch is more than celebrity memorabilia and more than a limited-edition timepiece. It is a personal artifact from the career of one of rock music's most recognizable musicians.

Sambora's importance to Bon Jovi can hardly be overstated. His guitar playing, songwriting, and signature harmonies helped define the sound of a band that sold more than 130 million records worldwide. Songs such as Livin' on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive, You Give Love a Bad Name, Bad Medicine, and I'll Be There for You became part of the soundtrack of an entire generation. For millions of fans, Sambora's guitar was every bit as recognizable as Jon Bon Jovi's voice.

What makes this piece especially compelling is that the connection is visceral. The strap that Sambora used on stage and was repurposed into this watch's dramatic cuff.

If that old snakeskin could talk, the stories it could tell: A guitar hanging from it as Sambora worked out a riff. The guitars it carried and the places it traveled as Sambora lived the extraordinary life of a working rock musician. Rehearsals, studios, backstage rooms, guitar cases, buses and airplanes. The familiar ritual of picking up a guitar and slipping the strap over his shoulder, repeated again and again as years of a musician's life accumulated in the material.

Then, instead of disappearing into a drawer or being reduced to a piece of memorabilia behind glass, the strap began a second life. It transforms the watch into something far more personal than a signed photograph or promotional item. It is a genuine artifact from his professional life, reimagined into a wearable object.

And it hasn't been worn by anyone else yet. It remains in new-old-stock condition with the protective Nixon stickers still on it.

The watch was created in 2004 as part of Nixon's highly limited LTD program. During the early 2000s, Nixon developed a reputation for producing creative collaborations with musicians, artists, and athletes. Rather than simply placing celebrity names on standard watches, the company occasionally undertook ambitious small-run projects built around the individuals themselves.

Production was limited to only five examples, with this watch documented as number 2 of 5. The result is an object that occupies a fascinating space between celebrity memorabilia, music history, and watch collecting.

Visually, it is every bit as distinctive as its story. The broad snakeskin cuff, accented by rows of crystal-set embellishments, frames Nixon's minimalist Duke watch in a way that immediately separates it from conventional wristwatches. The design feels appropriately rock-and-roll while remaining unmistakably tied to the material from which it was created.

One of our Master Watchmakers has installed a new battery and performed any needed servicing making it ready for immediate enjoyment.

Included with the purchase is a one-year C.O.T. international warranty on the movement and its function and a full-page custom printed Connoisseur of Time Certificate of Authenticity. Also accompanying it is a Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance from a well-known auction house.

Nearly twenty years after its creation, it remains difficult to imagine another watch that tells the story quite the same way. There are celebrity watches, there are artist collaborations, and there are music artifacts. Rarely do all three exist in a single piece.

Connoisseur of Time's Renowned Celebrity Collection:

Mr. Sambora's guitar strap watch is part of our Celebrity Collection of watches that has been featured in GQ, Revolution Watch, Europa Star, JCK, Hampton's Magazine, Gotham Magazine, Vegas Magazine, Silicon Valley magazine and many others. eBay recently partnered with us for an exclusive, special sale for seven of the watches.

The collection has been composed of 140 watches and clocks owned or worn by 69 iconic celebrities and public figures. It may be the largest current collection of celebrity-owned watches in the world. It is constantly changing and is currently headlined by timepieces owned by some of the most legendary Hollywood actors and actresses, musicians, comedians, and entertainers:

The King, Elvis Presley. (Just sold)

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson. (Just sold)

The King of Comedy, Jerry Lewis.

The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. (Just sold)

President Jimmy Carter.

Hollywood icons Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Steve Martin, Red Skelton, Steve McQueen, Martin Sheen, Cicely Tyson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Burt Reynolds, Laurence Olivier, James Arness, Betty White, Olivia Newton-John, Bob Hope, Greta Garbo, Raquel Welch, Mickey Rooney, Jane Fonda, Joan and Melissa Rivers, and Katey Sagal.

Legendary musicians Johnny Cash, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Janet Jackson, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, Elton John, Kenny Rogers, Harry Belafonte, ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora, Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie, Don Mclean, Mountain's Leslie West, and Hank Williams, Jr.

Sports great and soccer legend Pelé, heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey, Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, Yankee Hall of Fame great Lefty Gomez, World Cup winning captain and soccer defensive legend Daniel Passarella, and Green Bay Packer Mike Bucchianeri along with the game ball, signed photo and watch from the college football "all star" Blue Gray Game in 1940.

Further filling the current collection are watches or clocks from King Edward VIII and the Duchess of Windsor, beloved Hollywood host Ed Sullivan, renowned illusionists Siegfried & Roy, Academy award-winning actresses Loretta Young and Doris Day, Whoopie Goldberg, Emmy award-winning actress Valerie Harper, Golden Globe winning actor Richard Chamberlain, Emmy award-winning journalist Larry King, Emmy award-winning actor and producer Jerry Weintraub, Comedian Louie Anderson, Phyllis McGuire of the chart-topping McGuire sisters, Ian McDonald multi-instrumentalist English rocker for King Crimson and Foreigner, Elvira Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson), fashion designer to the stars Nolan Miller, the watch worn by Sean Penn in Shanghai Surprise then owned by Beatle George Harrison, and a watch worn by multiple characters in the television series "For All Mankind."

It also includes rare watches given by heads of state: A prototype 18K gold Buren Microrotor gifted by His Royal Majesty Ibn Saud, former King of Saudi Arabia; a Felsa given by former Libyan Colonel and Head of State Muammar Al Qathafi; a Longines given by Highness Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa former Prime Minister of the State of Bahrain; a Baume & Mercier gifted by the King of Jordan. All three watches are new-old-stock in presentation shadow box frames with photos.

Recently sold was a watch given a handful of years after the Civil War concluded by the Vice President Elect to honor an Army commander who went on to receive the Medal of Honor.

This is a significant, exciting, and constantly changing new collection you won't want to miss! Stay tuned over the coming weeks for photos of other special pieces from the collection!

To view the first few already up for sale follow this link: https://shop.connoisseuroftime.com/collections/our-celebrity-owned-historical-event-watches?page=1&sort_by=created-descending

Manufacturer: Nixon LTD
Serial no.: Limited Edition No. 2 of 5
Model: Richie Sambora LTD Duke
Designed for: Men but could be worn by a woman
Functions: Hours, Minutes
Case material: Stainless steel
Case Markings (outside): Nixon signed crown; Nixon LTD engraved case back; limited edition markings
Case condition: New-old-stock with protective plastic
Dimensions: Approximately 38mm wide excluding crown
Dial: Original silver-tone Nixon signed dial with applied Nixon logo, single diamond accent at six o'clock, Nixon LTD logo motif, untouched condition
Movement type: High-grade quartz movement
Band: Original Nixon LTD snakeskin cuff crafted from one of Richie Sambora's guitar straps, rows of crystal-set decorative accents, approximately 38mm wide, integral construction, defining feature of the limited edition
Crystal: Mineral glass, like new
Servicing: One of our Master Watchmakers has installed a new battery and performed any needed servicing making it ready for immediate enjoyment.
Warranty: 1-year international C.O.T. warranty. Please email concierge@cotwatches.com for details. Your watch is important to us, and we will take care of it for its lifetime. We provide the best after sale care in the business with an extremely experienced team of four Master Watchmakers all of whom each have over thirty-five years of experience and a large number of parts. As mentioned, one used to be the watchmaker for an authorized Rolex dealership and was given special training by Rolex at their Beverly Hills Service Center.
Box/Papers: BOX - Connoisseur of Time box; PAPERS - Custom printed Connoisseur of Time Certificate of Authenticity; Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance from a well-known auction house
Returns: 7 days full refund. 100% satisfaction guarantee

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of our watches. If you are in any way unsatisfied with the watch we will fully refund the purchase price anytime within 7 days after the watch has been received. Our goal is to exceed our client's expectations throughout the buying experience.

All watches are packaged carefully and mailed double boxed in specially constructed, reinforced shipping boxes designed for high value items. All watches are sent fully insured with signature required. Most of our domestic shipping is done through FedEx. At times we will also use USPS Express Mail, and we can accommodate most requests for your preferred carrier. International shipments are sent USPS International Express Mail or FedEx.

The purchase price will be the declared value of the merchandise on any required customs forms. The payment of all customs duties, tariffs, and taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.

Also note that water resistance of vintage watches can no longer be guaranteed and is not covered under the watch's warranty. We do not recommend getting a vintage watch wet, even one that was originally designed to be waterproof.

To get an idea of how this watch will look on the wrist, please use the Watch Sizing Guide

X