Luxury Watches Worn by Tennis Legends

The industry of luxury sport watches and the beloved game of tennis have shared a long, special history. Assigning a successful, international player as a brand ambassador of a successful international brand is good news all around. The brand gains more exposure, and the players get exclusive timepieces, with their mutual appreciation for precision and perfect timing. In principle, the perfect tennis player shares a significant number of indistinguishable characteristics with a well-crafted timepiece.

The watch industry and professional tennis populace first collaborated in 1978 when Rolex became the official timekeeper for Wimbledon. Rolex, Tag Heuer, H. Moser & Cie are some luxury watches brands who have associated with Top Tennis Tournaments and have served as Official Timekeepers or Sponsors around the world.

Apart from the practical connections between tennis and timepieces, there is another important reason the two have sustained a relationship for almost four decades: mutual growth and success.

Both industries benefit from each other’s exposure. Watch brands can have their names advertised during popular global events that attract immense amounts of press and conferences, thousands of attendees, sport charity events and even more viewers through television and the web. Then, outside of the sporting events, top tennis players get to be featured in international advertisements and campaigns, which undoubtedly boosts their celebrity status and promotes the sport of tennis as a whole. It is no wonder that the partnership between the two industries has flourished over time. Now, the connection between the watch industry and the sport of tennis is stronger than ever.

From a mutual appreciation for precision, perfect timing, a polished appearance, and perseverance to the mutual benefit of increased exposure and recognition, timepieces and tennis truly go hand in hand.

The following is a list of sport celebrities and their association with luxury watch brands. 

Rafael Nadal – Richard Mille – RM27 – 03

The only tennis champion to wear a watch on the court is Rafael Nadal. The sportsman, in being the ambassador for Richard Mille, is required to wear his watch during his tournaments. In doing so, he gets to wear a beautiful bright orange wrist watch worth $725,000 on and off the courts. Richard Mille has specifically created a watch that can withstand the significant G forces and rugged pounding which is estimated upon the wrist of a championship player, making it a perfect fit for Nadal.

The movement within the RM27-03 watch he wears, for instance, is inside a tiny cage that offers some play with the move of the wrist so that the calibre is not too rigid that it breaks. The watch has a host of other impeccable features constructed in as well. In value Rafael Nadal gets the watch; Richard Mille gets exposure for being worn by one of the biggest tennis champions in all of the world. 

Already considered one of the greatest players of all time, Nadal has won 10 Grand Slam Titles, 19 ATP World Tour Masters tournaments as well as the Olympic gold medal for singles in 2008.

The watch is forged from carbon-composite, titanium and a trademarked lithium alloy called LITAL, which consists of aluminium, copper, magnesium and zirconium. With materials normally used for spacecraft and satellites, this watch is ultra-strong and weighs only 20 grams (13 without the strap).

Simona Halep – Hublot – Classic Fusion Blue

Romanian Simona Halep is a ‘friend of the brand’ Hublot. Simona Halep became a Hublot ambassador in February 2016, a brand with which she shares a sense of excellence, passion and generosity matching the attributes of the Swiss Luxury watchmaker.

Benoit Lecigne, Brand Director for Hublot Eastern Europe, France, Belux, United Kingdom and Ireland, declared : “With our exclusive retailer Cellini, today in Bucharest we are proud to have Simona Halep, our Hublot Friend, who happily shared some time with the kids of her country, showing commitment, friendship and determination, three values which are key to the Hublot brand.”

On this occasion, Simona Halep wore a Hublot Classic Fusion Blue Titanium Bracelet. Resolutely chic, appropriate for all events, the Classic Fusion Bracelet Blue can be adapted both to casual apparel or a sophisticated formal outfit. From the case to the bracelet, it shows the exclusive nuances of King Gold and the ‘metallic’ reflections of titanium. Easy to wear in 33 & 38 mm, 3-hand or chronograph, it matches with all kinds of styles and blends seamlessly well with the varying trends of female fashion.

Petra Kvitova – TAG Heuer – Carrera

Petra Kvitova, an athlete and tennis player from Czech Republic, has been involved in professional tennis since 2006. And ever since, she has always been combative, determined to consistently outperform herself, and shares the spirit and values of TAG Heuer.

She is also promoted as the Tag Heuer Carrera Lady.

She is the winner of various accolades including two Wimbledon Singles Championships, 5 Fed-Cup Titles for the Czech Republic, and Bronze Medal winner at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Her impressive career, sheer passion and conviction fits perfectly with TAG’s motto of “Don’t Crack Under Pressure.” Tag Heuer brought her in as the brand ambassador in 2018 and she has been seen wearing different models during her tournaments and special outdoor appearances.

The photo below shows her having donned a stunning Carrera timepiece from Tag Heuer, that is a classic yet contemporary sports watch inspired by Motor Racing. The striking blue of the dial is complimented with its rose gold coloured batons and hands. To finish the look off with, the timepiece is secured with a stylish steel bracelet.

Roger Federer – Rolex – GMT Master II

This Swiss-born champion hails from the town of Basel, which also happens to be home to one of the biggest watch events in the world- Basel World. Roger Federer is a Career Grand Slam winner and Rolex brand ambassador, and his name has almost become synonymous with the brand now.  He has been spotted wearing several different Rolex watches, including two-tone Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 with a two-tone (steel and gold) Oyster bracelet valued at around $12,000. As mentioned previously, Rolex has been energetically associated with tennis for over 40 years, facilitating tennis competitions, such as the US Open, The Championships at Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and more.

Roger Federer weighed is also considered to be one of the greatest players to wield and shield a racket. He has created a stellar record of winning16 Grand Slam titles, 17 ATP Master Series tournaments and more. Roger Federer is never seen without a gorgeous ‘rollie on his wrist’ (except when he’s playing).

Roger Federer and Rolex is perhaps one of the most iconic partnerships to ever exist in the beautiful amalgamated world of watches and sports. Federer can be seen wearing much of the Rolex catalog, but one of his favorite pieces is his Black & Blue Bezel Rolex GMT-Master II  blue-dialed Sky-Dweller and a Daytona. For this trophy presentation, Roger wore the Rolex GMT-Master II also dubbed the ‘Batman' watch. This model was first launched in 2013 and is a classic pilot's watch with a stainless-steel body, ceramic bezel, and a black maxi dial. The standout feature is, of course, the two-tone ceramic bezel. Rolex has ceramic bezels that blend two colours produced the Pepsi and Batman designs with a scratch less and fadeless bezel. Feast your eyes on the picture below of Federer's gleaming GMT-Master II Ref. 116710.

Serena Williams – Audemars Piguet – Royal Oak Offshore

Serena Williams has been an Audemars Piguet brand ambassador for a couple of years now. Apart from her love for tennis, she is also passionate about the timepieces from the Holy Trinity brand. She has been seen wearing a host of different watches by the brand, including the $30,000 white Royal Oak Offshore in 18-karat rose gold with diamonds and the brand’s Tapisserie dial motif. Serena has been spotted wearing sportier models on the court as well as high-jewellery pieces from Audemars Piguet on occasion.

In the Image below, Serena Williams can be seen wearing a unique left-handed 37 mm Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph in stainless steel with a diamond bezel. This rose gold beauty was specifically personalised by moving the crown to the left side, to accommodate play. Audemars Piguet USA confirmed at the time that it was a special piece made for her, and that Williams requested the change in crown position to improve ergonomics. This truly spectacular watch is famously known to have been worn by the champion in competitions.