Luke Combs Wears Omega Watch Johnny Cash Gave Elvis Presley at CMA Awards

At the 2025 CMA Awards, Luke Combs made a splash with a riveting opening performance of “Back in the Saddle” and helped set the tone for the evening that balanced the thrill of contemporary country with the feel of historic music. His red carpet showings generated some buzz as well, sporting a gold Omega wristwatch strongly tied to Elvis Presley that ultimately became one of the top style moments of the event.

The watch carries a unique lineage. Originally given to Presley by Johnny Cash in 1969, it comes with an engraving that reads in memory of Elvis's birthday. The piece later became part of Elvis's collection of memorabilia, eventually passing to his bodyguard, Red West, in 1972 before being displayed in a UK museum. The authentication process from University Archives and long-standing collector Patrick Montoya has provided for documenting the watch's significant history. 

The auction record shows that in July of 2025, the watch sold for about $103,700 and had a solid provenance. A watch expert recognized Combs as its buyer nearly 10 years earlier, as this incredible account continues. Its connection to Sun Records-era legends — including the early careers of Elvis and Cash and their famous Million Dollar Quartet session with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins — adds weight to its cultural impact.

Combs, already known among fans as a watch aficionado who once swapped timepieces with Luke Bryan, drew further attention with a story he shared about attempting to buy a Rolex years earlier. “I walked into the store and… I was like…‘I'm looking for a Yacht-Master II Stainless Steel, and they were like, ‘Well, you can't just get those.' I remember they said that, ‘You can't just get those,'” Combs recalled.

He continued, “And I'm like, ‘Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but we're in the store that would f—ing sell them, in my opinion. Where the hell else am I gonna get it?'…Like, they're not selling them at the grocery store. So, she's like, ‘Oh, well, you can't just get those.' And I'm like, ‘What do you mean?…It sounds like you can't get those.'”

So Combs, in his athletic shorts-and-sandals glory, casually quipped, “Aw, that's too bad, because I'm playing Madison Square Garden tonight, so I'm going to wear it on stage.” “And they're like, ‘Well, we may have one laying around…'”

Reactions have poured in from fans celebrating the story behind his newest historic piece. “Biggest flex I've seen this year,” another agreed. “Rock all the Rollies you want, boys….none of them have the story this watch does!” one user declared in the comment section.

By merging modern country superstardom with the legacy of rock-and-roll icons, Combs highlights how music history continues to shape today's cultural landscape.