Perfect timing - Marcus Smith on his favourite watches

What do you give the sportsman who seems to have everything in life? He already has talent and skill, the looks of a model, the heart of a fighter and is a goal kicker who strikes with metronomic precision.

For Marcus Smith the answer has to be a Tissot watch, and specifically the Seastar. It communicates style, performance and versatility. Each model is a harmonious marriage of elegance and technology. Rather like Marcus himself.

At the age of 24, Marcus is the poster boy for a new generation, and a player who on the field has to make sure every second counts. He is a natural brand ambassador for the famous Swiss watchmaker. 

“With regards to my rugby I try to make sure I am improving myself daily,” says Marcus, who is in France this autumn hoping to play a significant role in England’s campaign. “And I think I see that when I look at the Tissot brand. To be part of it is pretty special.

“For me, being an athlete is just about improving every day, not just on the field but in my mental strength and in the gym. I look for continuous improvement daily, hopefully to achieve my goals in the future.

“On the morning of the game I normally pray with my mum for safety and a blessing for the match and for all my friends and teammates out there. I am very proud of my heritage and where I come from. I wear my lucky pants which are half the Filipino flag and half the England flag!”

Tissot hasn't yet come up with a watch face that quite captures all that – but no one would put it past the innovative brand, which has been making wonderful timepieces since 1853.

Marcus’s motto also exemplifies what Tissot is about – making the most of life.

“My one piece of advice to my younger self would be not to take life too seriously,” says Marcus. “Enjoy every aspect of life because it’s short and you might as well make the most of it.

“The values I share with Tissot mainly surround innovation. That’s what I am about. That is what they are about. Always looking to improve, adapt and make things better.”

Marcus has a wonderful back story,  and a heritage that shows Britain at its best. His mother is  Filipina, his father English. 

“I started sports back in the Philippines where I was born,” Smith. “My two brothers and I would play rugby, football, cricket, anything and everything. When we moved to Singapore when I was eight, we went to an international school, which is where I really got into rugby. We went to Malaysia, Australia, met Kiwis, French guys, South Africans – I was exposed to the sport in a load of different forms. It was an incredible introduction to what rugby can be.

“I felt pretty prepared when I started playing professional rugby at Harlequins and then with England. The schools league has a really high standard, so I knew what I was doing. But the size of some of the guys I was getting tackled by was new. Actually, though, the biggest mental hurdle was that I found myself playing alongside some of my idols – guys such as Owen Farrell, Danny Care and Mike Brown – England legends, club legends. That needed some getting over, even if the pinch-me feeling has never really gone away.”

The great Jonny Wilkinson, with whom Marcus is inevitably compared, is an inspiration too. Jonny has a mentoring role with England and is someone to whom Marcus can always turn.

“It’s good for me to have someone like that who I’m constantly chasing,” Marcus said in a recent interview with Oracle Time. “He is someone who I’m trying to emulate. He achieved so much, not just with England but in France with Toulon. He’s done a lot more than that legendary drop goal in 2003! For me to be able to rub shoulders with him is a blessing. And a target.”

Marcus is conscious that the game has to entertain and appeal. “It’s our responsibility to make the game exciting for fans, to make them want to buy tickets, to want to turn up and watch. We feel it on the field and we’re desperate to get as many people involved in rugby as possible. We need them. The more youngsters we get in the game, the healthier it’ll be, moving forward. I think we can look at sports such as football, which is tremendous here, and learn from them.”

Marcus is the proud owner of several Tissot watches. Among his collection and alongside the new Seastar, he has the PRX with the baby-blue face.

“I feel that it resonates with how I play the game – different, out of the box – and it’s my kind of style,” he says. 

For Tissot whose attention to detail is legendary, having Marcus on board is the perfect choice.

And Marcus seems very happy with that choice. “I am proud to be part of the Tissot family, joining a brand that continues to reinvent while staying true to its heritage – ‘innovators by tradition’. Ultimately, I share those values.”

Discover more at tissotwatches.com