« These Are the Watches of the Wimbledon Stars »
Which watches tennis stars wear is a question of considerable interest, and not just to watch wearers themselves. For a watch manufacturer, it can deliver an enormous advertising boost when a tennis star like Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic is seen wearing one of its products on the court or elsewhere. In this article, we take a look at some of the watches worn by tennis stars and the brands behind them.
Tennis and Watches: How It All Began
Starting around the mid-1980s, the great successes of tennis stars such as Boris Becker and Steffi Graf sparked a genuine tennis boom in Germany. More and more people took up this sport, long regarded as relatively elitist, and followed the major tournaments in the media. And as TV ratings climbed, tennis broadcasts became an increasingly attractive environment for advertising – especially for high-end products like luxury watches.
Renowned luxury watchmakers then began to step up their involvement in major tennis events and to have tennis stars promote their watches. Among the first top athletes in the sport to advertise for a well-known watch brand – even before the tennis boom peaked – was Björn Borg.
Starting in 1981, he served for a time as the face of Mido, a brand that now belongs to the Swatch Group.
Tournament Partners, Brand Ambassadors, and Special Editions
Beyond watchmakers' roles as tournament partners and official timekeepers, and players' roles as brand ambassadors, many luxury watch brands also express their affinity for tennis by launching special editions that relate to the sport in one way or another.
One example is the close relationship, now many years old, between the Tournoi de Roland Garros, also known as the French Open, and the storied Swiss luxury watchmaker Longines. Held in Paris every year in the second half of May or early June, the French Open is the second of the Grand Slam tournaments. As the only clay-court event in the Grand Slam series, it poses a special challenge for players. Longines has served as its partner and official timekeeper since 2007.
In 2016, the brand dedicated a special edition of its Conquest line to this partnership: the Longines Conquest 1/100th Roland Garros. Designed specifically for athletes and sports fans, this sporty chronograph uses the high-precision L440 quartz movement to time events to within one hundredth of a second. To do so, the watch features an additional central hand and a 1/100th-second scale on the flange (rehaut). In addition, Andre Agassi has been one of Longines' brand ambassadors since 2007, a year after he ended his successful 21-year professional tennis career at the age of 36.
Incidentally, since 2017 Agassi has been working as Novak Djokovic's coach. The successful Serbian pro, who has spent more than 200 weeks ranked world No. 1, also has a special relationship with a watch brand - in his case, the renowned Japanese manufacturer Seiko.
The Partnership Between Novak Djokovic and Seiko
Novak Djokovic's athletic record is impressive. To date, he has claimed 68 singles titles and one doubles title, spent more than 200 weeks in total as world No. 1, and won twelve Grand Slam titles. Novak Djokovic belongs to the exclusive circle of players who have won each of the four Grand Slam tournaments at least once. In 2016, by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open, Novak Djokovic became the first player whose career prize money ever exceeded $100 million. Given his track record and the popularity that comes with it, Novak Djokovic is also a highly sought-after brand ambassador.
Since early 2014, Novak Djokovic has been partnering with Seiko as his watch partner. The Japanese brand covers almost every segment of the watch market with high-quality products, from the entry-level and mid-range price brackets up to premium quartz watches and mechanical luxury watches. As part of the partnership, Novak Djokovic has already promoted a number of Seiko models, including special editions such as the Seiko Astron GPS Solar, launched in late October 2014 and limited to 2,500 pieces, with his signature engraved on the caseback. This sporty yet elegant chronograph needs neither winding nor a battery and was fitted by Seiko with the new caliber 8X82. In addition to displaying the time with atomic-clock accuracy, it can also determine your location, the corresponding time zone, and the exact local time.
With a case diameter of 44.6 millimeters, this Novak Djokovic Seiko is no larger than other multifunction watches. The rose-gold-coated case and matching indices pair nicely with the black ceramic bezel and the black silicone strap. If you're looking for a Novak Djokovic Seiko, however, you'll find options not only in the Astron line but also in Seiko's Premier, Prospex, and Sportura collections. The choice ranges from solar-powered world timers for globetrotters and tennis players traveling from tournament to tournament to rugged, sporty automatic dive watches and elegant dress watches with sophisticated complications.
Roger Federer Represents Rolex
No article on tennis stars' watches would be complete without the luxury manufacture Rolex, which currently counts several well-known tennis players among its brand ambassadors and fans. First, there's Björn Borg, who once advertised for Mido. He chose a Rolex Day Date because the model was launched in 1956, the year he was born.
Alongside Borg, Switzerland's Roger Federer, a pro who is still active, also represents Rolex. Roger Federer likewise boasts an impressive record. Although his career isn't over yet, tennis experts have already called him the greatest player in the history of the sport. So far, Roger Federer has finished three years as world No. 1, holds the record for the most Grand Slam men's singles titles, and is the only player to date to have won three Grand Slam titles in a single season three times. In total, Roger Federer has already racked up 93 singles titles, plus eight doubles titles.
So which model is the Roger Federer Rolex? It's an Oyster Perpetual Datejust II. He wore this model on a day in 2009 that would become a major milestone in his career. That day at Wimbledon, he defeated American Andy Roddick in five sets, breaking Pete Sampras's Grand Slam record.
When he finally held the trophy in his hands, Roger Federer was wearing his Rolex on his wrist. Since then, the elegant model with its distinctive Cyclops date magnifier has been not only a practical and refined accessory for him, but above all a treasured keepsake.
Tennis Stars' Watches: Which Other Brands Do They Wear?
Besides Roger Federer and Rolex and Novak Djokovic and Seiko, there are a number of other examples of special relationships between particular watches and tennis stars. Some of these are also based on ambassadorships with a particular watchmaker, while others simply reflect the personal preferences of the players in question. Andy Murray, for example, has represented Rado for many years and has been seen wearing numerous models from the brand.
A particularly original piece with a tennis connection is the Rado Hyperchrome Court Green. Its case is made of black high-tech ceramic, and light-green accents on the strap and dial evoke the grass of a tennis court. Japan's Kei Nishikori has a sponsorship deal with Tag Heuer and has already helped develop a special edition for the brand.
The Chronograph Air-K Japan Limited Edition from the Tag Heuer Aquaracer collection stands out with red details on its black dial, and Nishikori also likes to wear it off the court. Besides Nishikori, his Russian "colleague" Maria Sharapova also represents Tag Heuer.
As a Rolex fan, Roger Federer is also in good female company: two top-tier players, Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic, likewise favor the brand with the world-famous crown logo. Both have also opted for a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust – not the Roger Federer Rolex, however, but two more feminine versions.
