Written by Guest Contributor and Tennis Player SHL
During the Australian Open, one could not help but be aware of the time. Not only was there the 16 hour time difference, but the Rolex clock, the official time keeper of the Aussie Open, was a constant reminder that day was night, night was in the morning, and the matches were on tape delay.
More interesting to the horologists, though, were the watches we were watching while watching tennis.
The grandest timepiece of the first Grand Slam of the year was worn by Rafael Nadal, the brand ambassador for Richard Mille since 2010. Rafa was wearing their latest and greatest, a RM 27-03, weighing in at 20 grams, or about the weight of 8 pennies. The watch can withstand shocks of 10,000g’s and is powered by tourbillion with 70 hours of power reserve. Designed in the colors of the flag of Spain, it retails for $725,000. Because it is made in a limited edition of 50 pieces, only Rafa, you, and 48 other people in the world would have one if you chose to splurge.
Alas, though, even with all that technology and tourbillion power on his wrist, Rafa was no match for Novak Djokovic, who wore the Seiko Astron GPS Solar watch, but only for the trophy presentation. Djokovic has been on team Seiko since 2014.
On the women’s side, the current number 1 player and Australian Open winner, Naomi Osaka, sported the new CITIZEN Eco-Drive Bluetooth BZ4004-06E featuring the brand’s proprietary Super Titanium 2 strong and lightweight case. The watch is priced at 75,000 ¥, which equates to about $680. The new style will be released on March 7, 2019 in a limited production of 1,000 units. Previously Osaka won the US Open wearing the CITIZEN Eco-Drive Bluetooth BZ4006-01E. I was momentarily distracted when I noticed this this watch during her match because of the distinctive orange strap. CITIZEN boasts that the vivid orange color motif is inspired by Osaka’s “striking, dynamic tennis performance style.” Osaka has been its brand ambassador since September of 2018.
In Melbourne, Osaka beat Petra Kvitova, who is a TAG Heuer brand ambassador. Osaka won in New York at the U.S. Open by defeating Serena Williams, who wore her Audemars Piguet Millenary.
Because time and tennis go hand-in-hand, keep watching!
