La'Roi Glover’s appreciation of timepieces started early, after his father started buying him Mickey Mouse souvenir watches. The first watch he bought for himself, however, was a Casio that could take pictures. “I thought that was pretty cool,” Glover, a defensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams and six-time Pro Bowl player, remembers. "In my rookie year in the National Football League (NFL), I really started buying watches. I like bigger watches and over the years I have become familiar with the different brands. My first real watch was a Rolex, probably because everyone else had a similar watch.

“Then, I was at a jewellery store in New Orleans and I saw a watch that caught my eye, a Hublot - it was a classic style with a diamond bezel,” he continues. “I was younger then, so I liked the bling. Since then, I have never bought a diamond bezel watch. Now, I feel it's too flashy and I don't want to draw that much attention to myself.”

Glover has about 25 watches, some of which he plans to trade when purchasing a new watch. “I usually wear different watches for different occasions, it just depends on how I am feeling,” he says. “One day it might be a Panerai, then an Audemars Piguet the next day, and then it might be my white gold IWC Big Pilot. I keep most of my watches in a watch winder, and I keep others in my safe. Also, I have a Nike watch that controls my i-Pod, so I can work out and listen to my music.”

For Glover, who doesn't like jewellery, watches are the only thing he can wear, other than clothes, to showcase his sense of style. “A watch says a lot about the man who wears it,” he concludes.





Some people buy watches as investments, others because they enjoy wearing them. Glover buys them for the joy of ownership and for the concept of keeping them for generations to come. “Hopefully, one day I can pass them down to my son and he can pass them along to his sons, make them real family heirlooms,” he says.

In the violent world of professional football, on the field, time is decidedly different from time as we know it. When college players get to the NFL, the most common difference they cite is how fast the game is, how everything is sped up.

“On the football field, you are taught not to look at the clock or the scoreboard,” Glover says. “You are supposed to live in the moment and take advantage of the oppor-tunities in the now. On the other hand, off the field, our time is really structured. This time is lunch, this meeting is that time. Off the field, I need to wear a watch so I don't get fined.”

During the football season, time rules Glover's life, so a watch is critical to keeping to his busy schedule. In the off season, he is actively involved in the foundation he started in 1999, the La’Roi Glover Foundation, which provides scholarships to students in San Diego and aids community organizations that help children. The Foundation also provides two annual scholarships to graduates of Point Loma High School, Glover's alma mater.
Since arriving in St. Louis (he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders, then played in New Orleans and Dallas), Glover has been working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri in the ‘Tackle the Issues’ campaign. In other words, on the field or off, Glover is a very busy man.

“I always set my watches five or ten minutes fast, so I am never late,” he says. “That is one of the benefits of appreciating time. I don't like it when people are late, it's a sign of disrespect.”

What's Glover's next watch purchase? He's on the fence, looking at a few brands - Audemars Piguet, IWC and Panerai. “I am just learning more about the history of the watch brands I like,” he says. "My love of fine watches started with Audemars Piguet, in particular the Arnold Schwarzenegger limited edition pieces. I am really taken with Panerai. Now, I am really liking the IWC Big Pilot watches.

“I prefer mechanical watches,” he continues. “I really like tourbillons, but I haven't decided which one to buy. I have a perpetual calendar, an Audemars Piguet, which I really love.”

Many thanks to La'Roi Glover for taking the time out to talk with Europa Star.


Source: Europa Star August-September 2008 Magazine Issue