Today Perpetual Passion has decided to celebrate the birthday of an icon, as well as of a great figure in recent history: Queen Elizabeth II. The girl who was not destined to reign and was supposed to live a quiet life at the court of her paternal uncle Edward VIII, turns 94 today and is the longest reigning queen on the throne of England.

Her Majesty's birthdays are, as per tradition, marked by greetings with the sound of cannon shots that shoot blanks to celebrate it. However, given the circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Queen herself has changed this tradition considering it inappropriate in this dramatic context.

We enthusiasts therefore celebrate it in our own way, by reviewing all the wristwatches spotted on the wrist of Her Majesty, Elizabeth II. It will not always be easy to recognize them, many models were made especially for the wrist of the Queen of England.

JAEGER LeCOULTRE Cal. 101

The first watch seen on the Queen's wrist and the most important for symbolic value, since she wore it on the day of her Coronation in 1953, was one Jaeger LeCoultre. The model embellished with a double row of diamonds bracelet has never been identified. What is certain is that the caliber Jaeger LeCoultre 101, which is the smallest hand-wound movement.

On the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee held in 2012, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented a unique white gold edition of this model to celebrate the event. The then CEO Jérôme Lambert presented it to His Majesty on 11 May 2012 at the Jubilee Competition. Unlike the watch worn by the Queen on Coronation Day, this model was in white gold and not yellow gold.

Her Majesty's Patek Philippe

Over the course of her long reign, Queen Elizabeth II proved to be a devoted admirer of the Geneva fashion house. Here are some of the Patek Philippe she was spotted with.

The renowned Swiss manufacture is known for creating this diamond watch for Queen Elizabeth II in the UK about 10 years ago, exactly the Reference 4975 / 1G. In the spring of 2015, he returned the piece to Patek Philippe for his major exhibition in London, giving visitors the rare opportunity to take a closer look at one of his personal treasures.

Other Patek Philippe is the Golden ellipse in white gold and diamonds, it would be a one-of-a-kind model made for Her Majesty by the Calatrava cross maison.

Here's another one Ellipse Lady rarely seen on Her Majesty's wrist: this is another model made to measure for the Queen.

The OMEGA Ladymatic

In these rare shots, Queen Elizabeth II appears to be wearing two OMEGA models all from the Ladymatic collection. A more classic one, in gold, with a bracelet very similar to the famous Rolex Jubilee.

The other timepiece worn by Elizabeth II between the 80s and 90s would appear to be a Omega Ladymatic in art deco style.

Is a Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet or Baume & Mercier your companion in adventure?

In recent years, in the course of official and unofficial occasions, Her Majesty Elizabeth II has worn a watch that many have identified as a Patek Philippe, even if the very particular bracelet does not correspond to any model produced by the house of Geneva; others believe it is a "Jules Audemars”Vintage by Audemars Piguet.

I spent several hours trying to identify it and I started right from the bracelet, from the links and their so unusual "texture". Research has led me, perhaps erroneously, to identify it in Baume & Mercier Classique Romance in yellow gold.

You will say: the Queen with a B&M and not with a Patek? An observation that could be there if not that perhaps this watch was given to you by someone you are very fond of or for other reasons that link it to this elegant timepiece.

The crown features a cabochon unlike the 'standard' model but, as we have seen, we are still talking about the Queen of England and Northern Ireland and it is plausible that each of her timepieces has been made 'made to measure'. In fact, that of Elizabeth II looks more like this Baume & Mercier bracelet, mounted on another reference.

Over the course of nearly a century, Queen Elizabeth II must have worn numerous watches, many of them difficult to spot due to the low resolution of some photos and the rarity of the pieces. We will probably never get to know his collection, if not some significant creations.

As a watch lover and great admirer of the British Royal House and the United Kingdom, I just have to wish Her Majesty a Happy Birthday, hoping to have done you a well-deserved service.

God Save The Queen!