The grass courts of Wimbledon might’ve seen tennis’ biggest showdowns but in recent years, it’s also become the battleground for the world’s most luxurious timepieces. Attendees, some of whom represent the biggest names in sports, have flocked to the sunny locale, one wrist proudly locked with expensive watches that range from Rolex Day Dates to limited edition Richard Milles. Apart from the impressive lineup of tennis stars, we take a look at the best luxury watches spotted at Wimbledon 2023. Who’s going to win this game, set and match?
The 2023 Grand Slam taking place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London has already witnessed unexpected results. Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina, the two singles reigning champions, have both quashed their opponents to advance to the quarter-final stages. World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, the new tennis wunderkind also found himself in the latter stages of the tournament for the first time in his career after beating 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini. He now faces Holger Rune in the next round. Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev also made it to the quarters while Christopher Eubank’s dream run saw the 27-year-old knock out fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a five-set thriller to make the last 8 in his first-ever main draw appearance at Wimbledon.
While the players battled it out on the court, the likes of Roger Federer, David Beckham, and a sea of tennis stars like Djokovic, Sebastian Korda, and Donna Vekic, arrived in their flashiest best. Emerald-encrusted bezels, limited editions, and quiet luxury timepieces with eye-watering price tags could be considered the new dress code, flowing just as freely as Wimbledon’s famed strawberries and cream.
Rolex and Wimbledon: A timeless partnership
The story began in 1978 when the luxury watch company was roped in as the Official Timekeeper and one of the major partners that would go on to revolutionise all leading tennis tournaments. The brand joined forces with the sport at its most iconic event, the one that attracted the biggest global following. The famous Rolex clock positioned in the coveted Centre Court has continued to time every match to perfection ever since, heralding a 45-year partnership and resulting in numerous special editions developed simply for the game.
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What are some of the luxury watches seen at Wimbledon 2023?
1. Roger and Mirka Federer
Watch spotted: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller (Roger), Rolex Day-Date 228396TEM (Mirka)
About the watches: Federer, who has been a global ambassador to Rolex since 2006, remained unbeaten even in his courtside endeavours, arriving with Rolex’s 2012 release, the Sky-Dweller, on full display. The watch is fitted with a 24-hour wheel at the center that slowly rotates throughout the day. The renaissance of the Sky-Dweller range brings new colourways, from black and white gold, mint green, and white Rolesor, with Federer opting for the blue dial version. Fitted with the Saros annual calendar and the Ring Command system, it allows the wearer to keep pace with changing time zones with one simple movement.
Mirka’s Day-Date ushered in a new standard for luxury watches at Wimbledon. Boasting an emerald bezel and two baguette-cut emeralds as hour markers at 6 and 9 o’clock, this blinged-out Rolex is unabashedly opulent. Closing in on a million-dollar price tag, it features a 40mm monoblock case in platinum, a fantastic diamond pavé dial, and a ±70 hours power reserve option.
Retail price for the Sky-Dweller: USD 12,550
Retail price for the Emerald Rolex: USD 4,73,700
2. Novak Djokovic
Watch spotted: Hublot Big Bang
About the watch: Having a long-standing partnership with Hublot enabled The Djoker to casually arrive at the Wimbledon press conference, flaunting his Big Bang wrist accessory. With features like an annual calendar and dual time-zone, this Swiss-made watch exemplifies precision and sophistication. Djokovic’s iteration abandons the usual rubber or fabric strap available on most Hublot models in favour of a more elegant metal strap. Perhaps, to make that forehand drive even swifter!
Since Hublot only uses the highest quality grade 5 titanium, naturally the details gravitate towards the durable material. The bezel is made from a satin-finish, polished titanium with 6 H-shaped screws, topped off with a Matte Black Skeleton Dial and a Sapphire crystal with Anti-reflective Treatment. The Big Bang is also equipped with 10ATM of water resistance and a power reserve of 72 hours.
Retail price for the Hublot Big Bang: USD 22,000
3. David Beckham
Watch spotted: Tudor Black Bay 58
About the watch: The Royal Box at Wimbledon hosted soccer royalty this past week: David Beckham in all his glory, enjoying a sunny match day wearing the Tudor Black Bay 58. The former midfielder mastered the occasion with a dial as green as the grass on Center Court and an 18-karat yellow gold case. A friend of the brand, Beckham’s choice of watch for the evening came with a domed sapphire crystal, highlighted by gold details and complemented by a dark brown alligator strap with a gold buckle.
Retail price of the Black Bay 58: USD 17,400
4. Sebastian Korda
Watch spotted: Richard Mille RM67-02
About the watch: Korda might’ve made a shocking exit after his round 1 match against Jiri Vesely, but it’s his Richard Mille timepiece that has left him immortalised in Wimbledon history. Weighing merely 32 grams, courtesy of a combination of TPT composite materials, grade 5 titanium, and an elastic wrist band, this iteration seems to be the lightest strap ever created by the brand, catapulting it to a leading choice amongst top-ranked athletes.
The RM 67-02 is an incomparable wear, all thanks to its new, non-slip comfort strap. The watch is equipped with skeletonised automatic-winding movement for both hours and minutes as well as baseplate and bridges developed from grade 5 titanium. The complete Quartz case construction is water-resistant to 30 metres as a result of its two Nitrile O-ring seals and comes with a 50-hour power reserve option.
Retail price for the RM 67-02: USD 120,000
Market price for the RM 67-02: USD 330,000
5. Donna Vekic
Watch spotted: FP Journe Elegante
About the watch: If Barbiecore was trending off-the-courts, Croatian Vekic ensured Centre Court was in on it too, with her deliciously pink watch and manicure. The stylish timepiece featured 38 brilliantly cut diamonds and clocked in just under 8mm of thickness. The electromechanical watch is also fitted with a mechanical motion detector visible on the dial at 4h 30.
Retail price for the FP Journe: USD 40,000
6. Daniil Medvedev
About the watch: Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two Sunshine Collection
About the watch: Days before his round one match, the Russian world no. 3 was already grabbing headlines over a timepiece that can rightfully be called watch royalty. The magnificent Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two is as advanced as it is beautiful. In terms of prominent features, the names of 24 global cities representing the worldly time zones are printed on the rotating part of the dome. The alligator skin strap with platinum stitches was further elevated due to its opened back, showcasing the handcrafted bezel and four horns machined from grade 5 titanium.
An excerpt from the brand’s official website informs buyers about the three patents stemming from its innovative, one-of-a-kind design: a double-face flying tourbillon, a radial guidance system, and a universal time display imagined by Mr. Raffy for intuitive reading of the 24 time zones. The luxury watch is also equipped with a 5-day power reserve, maintaining the oscillations of the regulating structure at a frequency of 21,600 v/h.
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Retail price for the Bovet Récital 26: USD 411,690
Watch this space for all the new luxury watches at Wimbledon 2023.
(Main and featured image: Karwai Tang/Getty Images)
This story first appeared on Prestige Online Malaysia
