More and more professional tennis players are becoming interested in high-end wrist replica watches. Which makes for an ultra-interesting fortnight of watchspotting during the 2015 edition of Wimbledon.
Here is a sampling of timepieces to watch out for courtside while you enjoy the tennis this year.
Wimbledon’s 2013 titlist Andy Murray is always good for a surprise at the world’s most famous tournament. But what he’s wearing on his wrist is not such a big surprise: the Rado ambassador is currently sporting a Rado Replica Hyperchrome, perhaps even this HyperChrome Automatic Chronograph Match Point (above) crafted in a high-tech, scratch-resistant plasma ceramic.
Rafael Nadal, the record-holder in men’s singles titles at Roland Garros, is also a two-time Wimbledon champion (2008 and 2010). He is meanwhile almost equally as famous for the ultra-expensive and complicated replica watches he wears on and off the court by Richard Mille. He will be sporting the latest model just introduced during Roland Garros at Wimbledon: the ultra-light Richard Mille RM 27-02. For much, much more information on this watch, please read Richard Mille RM 27-02 For Rafael Nadal: The Quintessential Sports Tourbillon.
Serena Williams, who won her twentieth Grand Slam championship at Roland Garros 2015, became an official Audemars Piguet ambassador in December 2014. She played the entire French Open wearing the quartz-powered Replica Audemars Piguet Ladies Royal Oak Offshore with a diamond-set white rubber bezel. And she will wear this same timepiece during Wimbledon.
Williams has won Wimbledon five times already, and there really isn’t much to prevent her from doing so this year again, too, if she continues form. She already has two (of two) Grand Slam titles to her credit in 2015, which puts her halfway toward achieving the coveted Grand Slam.
Almost unbelievably, Stanislas Wawrinka also won at Roland Garros 2015. I say unbelievably because the Swiss player is also an ambassador for Audemars Piguet, and because he also wore his watch throughout the tournament – something tennis players seldom do. During Wimbledon, he will be wearing the white ceramic Royal Oak Offshore Diver, a sizable timepiece measuring 42 x 13.9 mm, both on and off the court (see above).
As an ambassador for TAG Heuer Replica, Maria Sharapova will be wearing her Carrera Lady Calibre 9 during Wimbledon, but she is not one of those players who wears a replica watch on court. This is an automatic timepiece whose case is crafted in stainless steel embellished with diamonds. Sharapova triumphed at Wimbledon in 2004, which makes her a good candidate for stopping Williams’ run this year.
Kei Nishikori, yet to win a Grand Slam title, is also a TAG Heuer replica ambassador. The Japanese player has also taken to wearing his watches on court, and at Wimbledon sports the new Aquaracer 300 m 41 MM Calibre 5 Automatic Ceramic Bezel — though as shown above, he seems to have taken it off for the moment.
Also never having won Wimbledon, yet very much worth mentioning here, is French player Gaël Monfils. He is not only noteworthy for his very physical and graceful playing style, but also for the wristwatch he has chosen to champion: the De Bethune DB28.
“I have around 30 watches, but De Bethune creations truly stand out from all the rest,” Monfils said in 2014 when his ambassadorship was announced. “I appreciate the technical nature and the innovations they have brought to the watchmaking world,” he added.
The niche brand known for its breathtaking technical feats manufactures between 300 and 400 watches annually, which retail at an average price of 90,000 Swiss francs. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Monfils does not wear his replica watches on court. Off court, he sports a customized DB28 Black Matt model with a blued titanium ring.
Two-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic (2011 and 2014) will be wearing his Seiko Astron GPS Solar Chronograph. He wears the Astron off-court, usually donning it right after a match, so it can be spotted in pictures of him holding trophies, for example.
And naturally, no edition of Wimbledon would be complete without Rolex Replica, who has been the tournament’s main sponsor for 38 years. To see a perfectly accessorized Rolex Explorer at Wimbledon 2015, please read Ace: A Rolex Explorer, Wimbledon, And The Maurice De Mauriac Lawn Tennis NATO Strap and to learn about the 38-year-old history of Wimbledon and Rolex as partners, please read Rolex And Wimbledon: A Match Made In (Tennis) Heaven.
Eight players competing in the 2015 edition of the tournament are also Rolex ambassadors: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic, Sloane Stephens, Belinda Bencic, and, of course, tennis legend Roger Federer, a seven-time Wimbledon champion.
While none of these players generally wear replica watches while on court, most of them put their lucky charms on just after finishing before accepting and holding any trophies.
It is impossible to predict what Roger Federer will be wearing around the grounds as he owns a number of Rolex models. Check out this video to hear him talk about some of his special timepieces in conversation with former world number one Vijay Amritraj (who is also associated with Rolex): Video: Roger Federer Explains A Few Of His Special Rolexes.