Why does tennis attract niche, high-end watch sponsorships, and what are they?

Borna Bošnjak

Whether it’s on the court or off it, most tennis players worth their salt will have a watch sponsor. As with many other sports, this naturally means a selection of big box brands will hone in on the stars that they feel best represent their individual brand values, and also have a chance of repping their product on centre courts for years to come. As someone who only intermittently follows tennis, I haven’t had a chance to pay as much attention to what the players are wearing. But while watching fellow Croat Donna Vekić vie for the gold medal at this year’s Olympics, I noticed a familiar shape on her wrist – an F.P. Journe Élégante. A flashback took me back a few months, as I remembered seeing Casper Ruud flex the yet-unreleased Fleming around the court a few times, and that made me think. Are these two just a coincidence, or does tennis have a unique allure for high-end, niche watch brands – and if so, why?

The what

First, I had to prove that this wasn’t just limited to the two examples I could immediately think of. Just to wrap up the story of Donna Vekić’s Élégante, it turns out she’s been a quiet ambassador for the hot independent for nearly five years, repping the diamond-set Élégante 40, either on a pink or mint rubber strap. While she could only manage silver in the end, she definitely won gold for on-court wristwear, and that’s not just my Croatian bias speaking.

While he doesn’t wear his watch on the court, Casper Ruud played an instrumental role in teasing the reveal of Fleming’s Series 1. A flash of tantalum here, and rose gold there, Ruud “leaked” the watch at Roland Garros last year, signifying the official reveal of a partnership that’s been ongoing for some six months before the Grand Slam tournament. Unlike the Journe, the Fleming Series 1 has a total production count of just 41 pieces in three metals, meaning that Ruud there’s much more to this relationship than any potential financial benefit for the tennis player.

And from one ultra-limited, high-end brand in tennis, we go to another. In 2023, De Bethune revealed that it’s partnering up with the Australian Open semi-finalist (and later Olympic men’s doubles bronze medallist) Tommy Paul on the opening day of Wimbledon. When reading about this, I was surprised to find out that he actually wore his DB28 LTC in his first-round match, hopefully aided by the titanium case with the brand’s signature articulating lugs.

Going into the even more exclusive, complicated, and expensive echelons of horology is Daniil Medvedev’s watch sponsor, Bovet. Currently headquartered in Geneva and owned by Pascal Raffy, Bovet has a long-standing tradition of artisanal watchmaking, and today maxes everything from luxe daily drivers to unique complications that can track daylight saving. In Medvedev’s case, he’s worn everything from the “sporty” titanium OttantaSei with a ten-day power reserve and flying tourbillon, to signature house styles like the Dimier-cased Récital 26 Brainstorm.

Finally, for what is a partnership that makes the most sense on-paper considering the traditional sense of what a sports watch is. Gerald Charles has sponsored numerous tennis players over the last few years, presently noting current world No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz and Dutch pro Tim van Rijthoven, with Nikoloz Basilashvili and Jenson Brooksby being former wearers of the brand’s GC Sport model.

The why

I’m no expert on which sports and/or sportspeople get the most eyeballs on a product, but it’s pretty easy to see why tennis is such a hot topic for watch brands in general. It’s a non-contact sport, meaning that wearing jewellery will not have the chance to harm other players – otherwise I’m sure we’d see Mbappé sporting a Hublot Big Bang in the World Cup final.

There is a parallel to be drawn there, though. Football shirts have attracted an increasing number of sponsors that are no longer just limited to the front of the shirt. There are now separate companies paying for the tiny bit of real estate on the backs of shirts, sleeves, socks, water bottles etc. With tennis, the wrist is merely another bit of an athlete that could earn some money, and seeing as the players’ hands get plenty of air time, and that matches can go on for many hours at a time, it’s no surprise more brands want in on the action, regardless of which rung of the horological ladder they occupy.

With more and more athletes choosing to wear watches while actually competing, the playing field has become that much bigger. Richard Mille is perhaps the most famous example of breaking this mould, convincing Rafa Nadal to wear the RM 027 back in 2008. Today, it would be weird seeing him play without one. Okay, fine – that last one is perhaps applicable only to watch nerds.

There are other, more mainstream brands that have since adopted this strategy. Along with her long list of GOAT-level achievements, Serena Williams can also claim to be only player to wear a Holy Trinity watch on-court. But it doesn’t have to be just the high-end – TAG Heuer ambassador Naomi Osaka has worn her Aquaracer on many an occasion.

Mentioning Rolex in the context of tennis is unavoidable, merely thanks to the fact you see the green and gold plastered all over the tour. You’ll never see a picture of Federer not wearing a Rolex while lifting one of the many trophies he’s won over the years, and has long been lauded as one of the best brand ambassadors in the business.

Hublot has also been making plays, most prominently with Novak Somehow-Still-Not-Running-Out-Of-Steam-At-37 Djokovic, while also recruiting younger talent – but just like Rolex, we rarely see Hublot watches actually being worn during play.

With the change of guard still going on at the top of the tennis world, and some young players only now beginning to establish themselves as taking the baton from the greats like Federer and Williams, it seems like there’s every chance we’ll see a new crop of watch brands begin to appear on court, too.