Star Time: 13 Celebrity-Branded Sports Watches


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, sold for $60,000.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali

In honor of NASCAR star Danica Patrick, Tissot created the Tissot T-Race Danica Patrick 2012. This limited edition ladies’ 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.

Tissot T-Race Danica Patrick 2012
Tissot T-Race Danica Patrick 2012

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).

TAG Heuer The limited-edition Leonardo DiCaprio Link Calibre 16 Automatic Chronograph
The limited-edition Leonardo DiCaprio Link Calibre 16 Automatic Chronograph

The world found out about Austrian skydiving daredevil Felix Baumgartner when he became the first man to break the sound barrier in freefall — and he did it while wearing a Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th watch. Following up Baumgartner’s history-making feat, Zenith created a special, personalized edition of that watch, the Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner. The watch contains the famous Zenith El Primero chronograph movement and sports a solid caseback identifying the timepiece as the “first watch to break the sound barrier.” (More details here.)

Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner - front
Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner

On the more affordable end of the spectrum, The Casio G-Shock Eminem edition — which was unveiled, along with other special 30th anniversary G-Shock watches, at Casio’s 2013 “Shock the World event — is based on the GDX6900 G-Shock reference, here with a matte black case and black-reverse LCD dial, and features an array of Eminem iconography. A stylized silhouette of the city of Detroit — where Marshall Mathers, the future Eminem, famously grew up — is printed in red on the upper side of the black strap. The reverse “E” from the Eminem logo appears on the dial and in the strap loop. The caseback and the lower part of the strap also feature an autograph of “Shady,” the singer’s alter ego. The limited-edition G-Shock watch for Eminem is priced at $180.

Casio G-Shock EMINEM edition
Above: Casio G-Shock Eminem edition. Below: Eminem performs at the 2013 Casio G-Shock “Shock the World” Event in New York City.
EMINEM wearing a Casio G-Shock Eminem edition at Casio's "Shock the World" Event

This article was originally published on May 12, 2013 and has been updated with new material and links.

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  1. Robinoz

    This article has obviously been published numerous times. Would I buy a specific brand of watch because it’s worn by a so-called celebrity? No. So, what is the point of the brand ambassadors? Probably the fact that they get a lot more press than the rest of us and do so wearing a particular watch brand.

    It’s also fair to say that they earn ridiculously high salaries and could therefore afford the high cost watches, unlike many of us poor plebs on ordinary salaries.

    Reply
  2. Jackal

    Ron,

    Ali is a legend, was voted sportsman of the century, considered the best heavyweight boxer ever and is a civil rights icon. Patrick has never won a race.

    Reply
  3. Robin Henry

    I read recently about a guy on Twitter who “outs” so-called celebrities with fake watches. Very interesting.

    I’d prefer something without someone else’s name on it except for the watch manufacturer.

    Reply
  4. All the more reason to NOT ever buy these watches – except for Tissot and Danica Patrick who has more skill the rest combined. What kind of wealthy fool would ever buy an IWC associated with someone like Ali? I see where wealth doesn’t always mean a higher IQ.

    Reply
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