Star Time: 8 Celebrity-Branded Sports Watches #SwagQuest

There is no shortage of celebrities, many of them celebrity athletes, who serve as “brand ambassadors” for watch brands, appearing in ads and attending events wearing their watches. However, a few of these big-name stars go the extra mile, giving input and often even becoming involved in the design process, for special watches to which they lend their own names. Below is a list of 10 sports watches from seven brands, developed in honor of, and named for, their famous representatives.

1. Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille

Nadal wearing the RM 27-01 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel tournament in Acapulco.

Richard Mille has developed several watches in collaboration tennis star Rafael Nadal, including the RM 035 Chronofiable® certified, the RM 027 Tourbillon, and most recently the RM 27-01 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal. Nadal often wears (and occasionally loses) his Richard Mille watches during his games. The RM-027 worn by Nadal was donated to the Only Watch auction in 2011 to fund research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His latest watch, the RM 27-01, was first unveiled in Geneva during SIHH as the “the world’s lightest tourbillon” at 19 grams.

Rafael Nadal RM 027

Richard Mille also designed a watch for professional golfer Bubba Watson, the RM 038 Tourbillon Bubba Watson. As Watson golfs while wearing a watch, Richard Mille designed the watch with an emphasis on shock resistance, so that the tourbillon could endure the force of a golf swing. The RM 038 Tourbillon Bubba Watson is a limited edition of 38 pieces priced at $525,000.


2. Kobe Bryant and the Hublot King Power Black Mamba

After partnering with the L.A. Lakers, Hublot made NBA star and known watch lover Kobe Bryant its newest brand ambassador. The brand subsequently unveiled the King Power Black Mamba, named for Bryant’s NBA nickname. The watch, priced at $25,200, is a limited edition of 250 pieces, of which part of the proceeds will go toward the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. The watch features gold and purple details as an homage to the L.A. Lakers’ uniform colors.

3. Dwyane Wade and the Hublot King Power D-Wade

Hublot previously partnered with another NBA player, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, to create the Hublot King Power “D-Wade.” Wade collaborated with the brand to design the watch, which features a dial resembling a basketball and a strap with a basketball net-like pattern. The watch also has the color scheme of the Miami Heat uniform. Proceeds from sales of the watch — a limited edition of 500 pieces — went to Wade’s charity, the Wade World Foundation.


4. Randy Johnson (aka Big Unit) and Ulysse Nardin Big Unit Chronograph


Ulysse Nardin produced a watch in honor of official “friend of the brand” and baseball legend Randy Johnson, aka “The Big Unit.” The Ulysse Nardin Big Unit Chronograph features several baseball-related details, including the number “51″ on the bezel — Johnson’s number — where the “50″ would normally be, as well as a small baseball icon as the counterweight of the seconds hand. The watch has a retail price of $15,500. Each of the 100 watches in the limited edition comes with a baseball autographed by Johnson.

5. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Arnold Schwarzenegger The Legacy Chronograph




Audemars Piguet designed a watch for a longtime friend of the brand, actor and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, an avid watch collector. Their collaboration resulted in several special editions, most recently the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Arnold Schwarzenegger The Legacy Chronograph.

6. IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali

IWC created the one-of-a-kind Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali in honor of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The watch was auctioned at the 18th annual Celebrity Fight Night gala to raise funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. The watch, modeled on IWC’s historic Big Pilot’s Watch of 1940, was auctioned for $60,000.

7. Tissot T-Race Danica Patrick 2012




In honor of NASCAR star Danica Patrick, Tissot created the Tissot T-Race Danica Patrick 2012. This limited edition lady’s watch features a white dial with diamonds at each hour marker. Each watch in the limited edition of 4,999 features the Danica Racing logo on the caseback.

8. The limited-edition Leonardo DiCaprio Link Calibre 16 Automatic Chronograph

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, TAG Heuer ambassador, had a personalized TAG Heuer timepiece made for him: the Leonardo DiCaprio Link Calibre 16 Chronograph. The limited-edition model features a blue dial and a smoked sapphire caseback engraved with DiCaprio’s signature. Sales of the watch will go to sales will go to DiCaprio’s environmental charity partners, Green Cross International and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).