Melinda Gates is often associated with philanthropy, motherhood, and Pivotal Ventures, but fashion isn’t usually one of them. That lane belongs more to her youngest daughter, Phoebe Gates, the co-founder of fashion platform Phia. Still, trust the 61-year-old Seattle native to bring out the bling once in a while. The mother of three, who once co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charitable organization, owns a stunning Patek Philippe Nautilus 7118/1R-001. It’s a far cry from her ex-husband and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’s humble preferences, like a $10 Casio watch, but it’s unmistakably Melinda’s time to shine, and the watch looks incredible.
First spotted on her wrist during Michael Kors’ New York Fashion Week show, the ladies’ automatic Nautilus strikes a perfect balance between sporty and elegant with its rose-gold case and silvery opaline dial. The bracelet alternates between satin-brushed and polished finishes, secured by a fold-over clasp with an integrated adjustment system. Its self-winding movement is visible through a transparent sapphire-crystal case back, classic Patek refinement in every detail.
The woman, worth $16 billion, according to Bloomberg, wore the timepiece again on her podcast Moments That Make Us while in conversation with Jamie Lee Curtis. As French Gates put it, “I no longer worry if I’m not someone’s cup of tea… I am who I am.” And with that, she reminded the world that behind the philanthropist lies a quietly confident fashionista, one who occasionally lets a $110,000 masterpiece do the talking.
