Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal – three great champions who have all etched their names into Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open folklore. This weekend saw Djoko hit 10 grand slams down under (could have been 11 but for last year's Covid debacle?); Rafa's name is etched on the French Open trophy 14 times and counting, while retired Roger – he's just stopped crying – has to be happy with his even spread of eight Wimbledon, six Aussie, five US titles (plus a solitary French Open win) as he embarks on a new life of hosting the Met Gala.
But, the question everyone's really been interested in, is who wins the grand slam for best wrist candy over the years? Tennis, after all, is a game in which space and time can seemingly be defied by skill and imagination, not unlike the challenge of making a fine wristwatch.
First up, Rafael Nadal, who suffered an early exit at the Australian Open after his stunning return to the top twelve months ago, has a well publicised haute horological bromance with Richard Mille, which means that he regularly tears around the court while wearing a $1 million RM 27-04. The watch, which was specially made for Nadal after striking up a friendship with Mille, weighs just 30 grams and is the lightest tourbillon in the world. Its baseplate and ridges are made out of Grade 5 titanium, a substance that combines lightweight with resistance, and is more commonly used in aeronautics.
Steel cable criss-crosses the face not unlike the strings of a tennis racket and acts as shock absorber for the delicate mechanism inside. Both men are famous for smashing performance records and defying the laws of tennis and engineering. Even so, it was once considered odd for an elite tennis player to wear a watch on court, let alone one as expensive as the RM 27-04. Today, it’s all part of the show business of tennis.
The marriage between Novak Djokovic and Hublot was consummated in late 2021 when he started wearing a custom blue Big Bang MECA-10 with its signature mix of micro blasted titanium case and rubber strap, for off court appearances. One of the biggest free agents in sport, it was always something of a mystery why Djokovic’s wrist was still a bachelor, given that Nadal has Richard Mille and Federer his long term relationship with Rolex. The battle for wrist space on sports celebrities is one of the most keenly contested in the watch business. Unlike the red carpet, in which all kinds of odd contortions are required to showcase the watch, on a tennis player you can see it at all times loud and clear. What every brand is looking for is the money shot of the player lifting a trophy while wearing one of their watches.
The Djokovic partnership has already paid off, with player, victory and brand partnership coming together at Wimbledon last year, and again in Melbourne, for a match made in heaven. A man of exacting habits – though not superstitious like Nadal – Novak will be very aware that since popping his Big Bang on, he's been onto a winning formula.
But despite not actually playing professionally anymore, the award for the most spectacular centre court flexes at any grand slam in recent memory goes to Roger Federer and his Rolex Cosmograph Daytona bedazzled with orange sapphires. This limited edition remix of the famous watch was ‘silently’ released last year, which means it was not made available to any old rich person, but instead discreetly offered to legends only, like Federer. We did not know a single thing about this watch until we saw Federer rocking it on centre court last July. Rolex’s ‘silent’ releases never make it into a store or even website and are often famous models like the Daytona or Yacht-Master smothered with coloured diamonds. This one-off curio looked especially cool against the backdrop of Federer’s perfectly tailored dark blue suit. Given the fact is just one watch in a whole host of Rolexes that the Fed has in his collection, Nadal and Novak may still be battling it out for the title of most grand slams won by a male tennis player but in the watch stakes neither comes close to toppling Roger from this particular crown. With Carlos Alcaraz now signed up by Rolex, and Aussie Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas wearing a Rolex to receive his runner up trophy, the new kids on the tennis block are circling, vying for all of the crowns on offer. The new guard is here, and we're here patiently waiting to see whether their watch games match their tennis games.
