7 Personalized Watches Made for World Champion Athletes


Boxing legend Muhammad Ali is an elder statesman of his sport now, but in his heyday the three-time world heavyweight champ was one of the most famous athletes in the world. IWC Schaffhausen recognized Ali’s legend with its creation of the one-of-a-kind IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali. Modeled on IWC’s historic Big Pilot’s Watch, this unique piece has applied indices with a Super-LumiNova coating in signal red, a favorite color of Ali’s, and a matching color scheme on the underside of the black alligator strap. The caseback is engraved with Ali’s signature and the inscription, “Edition Muhammad Ali, ONE OUT OF ONE.” It was auctioned for $60,000 at Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night Gala in April 2012.

IWC Big Pilot Muhammad Ali
Tribute to “The Greatest”: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali (front and back)
IWC Big Pilot Muhammad Ali - back

 

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning — who bested Movado endorser Tom Brady of the New England Patriots in not one but two thrilling Super Bowls — is a proud Citizen wearer and even appears in TV commercials for the Japanese brand. In 2012, Citizen released a personalized Manning watch, the Citizen Eli Manning Limited Edition Perpetual Chrono A.T, which featured a dial in Giants blue and was limited to 2,000 pieces. The watch has a 42-mm case and a quartz movement with Citizen’s signature Eco-Drive technology, which uses sunlight to recharge the battery. Its numerous functions include a 60-minute chronograph, perpetual calendar, alarm, and power reserve and AM/PM indicators. The steel caseback is engraved with Manning’s Giants jersey number “10.” Click here for more about the watch.

Eli Manning wearing Citizen Limited Edition Perpetual Chrono A.T
Giants QB Eli Manning at the press conference announcing his personal Citizen watch (below)
Citizen Limited Edition Perpetual Chrono A.T

 

It was probably inevitable that former Miami Heat all-star and two-time NBA champ LeBron James (who this season returned to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers) would eventually join the fraternity of athletes with their own personal watch models. In fall of 2013, Audemars Piguet launched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore LeBron James, a relatively understated chronograph with a rose-gold/titanium combo case and an elegant gray leather strap. The only touch of “bling” is a subtle one, namely the diamond-set chrono push-piece at 2 o’clock. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ofshore LeBron James is a limited edition of 600, priced at $51,500. You can read more about it here.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore LeBron James - front
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore LeBron James
LeBron James wearing Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore LeBron James

Recently retired New York Yankees all-star shortstop (and five-time World Series champ) Derek Jeter collaborated with Movado on the design of its Derek Jeter Captain Series watches. This one is sporty version of Movado’s famous Museum Watch, with a 42-mm stainless steel case finished in black PVD. The matte black dial has a polished black dot at 12 o’clock, a date display in a round window at 6 o’clock, blue-filled hour and minute hands, and a thin, gray vertical-stripes motif (somewhat reminiscent of the iconic Yankee uniform pinstripes). The central seconds hand and the reflector ring surrounding the dial are also blue. The watch is powered by a Swiss quartz movement and comes on a black, perforated rubber strap with a stainless steel, black-PVD-finished tongue buckle. The price is $795. Click here for more on the Movado Derek Jeter Captain Series watches.

Movado Derek Jeter Captain Series Museum SportAre there other world champion athletes with their own watches that we’re missing? Let us know in the comments box below; we’ll be updating the list frequently.

This article was originally published on September 29, 2013, and has been updated with new material.

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  1. Raymond

    Notable ommissions here are the Hublot for sprint superstar, Usain Bolt. Richard Mille tourbillon for sprint star, Yohan Blake & the Tissot for NBA player, Tony Parker. Really could have done without the mention of Citizen. I had a minute minder from them & that Eco-Drive watch was an absolute failure in quality workmanship and the warranty never helped me. They have lost my respect & support.

    Reply
  2. Stéphane Tremblay

    Personalized watches

    Steven Stamkos = Tissot
    Paul Newman = Rolex
    Steve McQueen = Tag Huer

    Reply
  3. Darius

    Maybe missing the Maradonna Hublot, Dwayne Wade Hublot, Schumacher Omega, Zidane IWC and Shaq O’Neil AP ROO?

    Reply
  4. Wooderson420

    A recent one that looks better than all of these is the Lionel Messi Royal Oak.

    Reply
  5. You forgot to mention the Hublot watch made for the romanian tennis champion Ilie Nastase.

    Reply
    • yes Nastase is a big champion and he is a general and he is illiterate and he is living with a ex convicted felon . When I see watches made for these kind of people I made immediately an afectional inversion for that watch brand.

      Reply
  6. Jonathan W. Fink

    Between the Manning Series and the Signature Series, I think that Citizen builds the best watches, dollar for dollar, in the world.

    Reply
    • Gadgety

      No doubt. Eco-drive is amazing – value wise, convenience wise, eco wise, they are at the top. Their titanium versions are impressive, and The Citizen and the previous (non Eco Drive) Chronomaster with +/- 5 sec a year really are quite impressive. Their top of the line watches have 5, and 10 year warranties. Longest of all. They guarantee 30 year supply of spares for the The Citizen. Does anyone else guarantee that kind of supply time? However, quartz watches aren’t cool with most watch aficionados, and none of their cases are solid gold, which probably is a requirement for anything really exclusive. I find it interesting that there are cheap mechanical movements, and expensive ones, and both are able to exist in the marketplace, but quartz movement manufacturers have failed in their high end marketing of the spread in types of quartz calibres, the requirement of aging etc.

      Reply
      • Pawel

        But Citizens are not at the top in prestige category, whatever it means for you. I do not know who will be able to say ‘I dream of having a Citizen watch’. It’s great value for money, sure, something you might get on the way to get the watch you desire. Most importantly – Citizen watches are not luxury watches.

        As for spare parts – I was watches in Audemars Piguet workshop manufactured in 19th century, and brought for repair. Can Citizen guarantee to be able to fix the watch 150 years from now?

        Reply
        • How do you know how passionate people are about particular Citizen watches. How do you know if the proud owner of a Citizen watch could easily have afforded a Piquet or a Rolex but bought the Citizen as his choice of watch
          There are real outstanding watches, made in very limited numbers, of course: like the J Le Coultre tourbillon or Seiko’s Credor Sonnery but they are priced out of reach, although good value for money, and can only be dreamt of by the non-super-wealthy.

          Reply
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