Feature: Did These Celebrities Swap To The Better Watch Brand?
Watchmakers have hired A-List brand ambassadors for decades, boosting their appeal to the masses while proving a lucrative source of income for the celebrities themselves. A few famous faces, however, have had the privilege of getting snapped up by more than one watchmaker during their career. But who are these brand-hoppers? Find out below…
David Beckham
Renowned as one of the most stylish footballers in the world, David Beckham has, unsurprisingly, been snapped up by a couple of high-profile watch brands. First off was Breitling back in 2012, where the advertising campaign featured an image of Becks standing in front of an aeroplane—very apt given the watchmaker’s aviation history. It wasn’t until 2017 that Beckham jumped ship to Tudor, fronting its “Born To Dare” campaign alongside Lady Gaga. Today, Beckham continues to represent Tudor with the Black Bay Chrono among one of his favourite models.
Charlize Theron
Currently an ambassador for Breitling, Charlize Theron has had her fair share of controversy during previous stints as a brand ambassador. Rewind to 2005, and Theron signed a contract with Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil that stated she must only wear its watches to public events—simple enough, right? Well, Theron was caught wearing a Dior watch to a film festival in 2006, meaning she broke the terms of her contract which in turn made Raymond Weil pretty upset. The brand then went on to sue her for £12m—ouch!
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo is widely considered one of the best in the game, so it’s no wonder watchmakers are scrambling for his endorsement. The Portuguese goal-scorer has been the face of two watch brands, firstly Jacob & Co and then TAG Heuer, recently returning to the former for a second stint—albeit in a different capacity to his previous role as an ambassador. This time the relationship is more of a collaboration featuring Ronaldo’s CR7 brand, and the result was a two-watch collection of limited-edition pieces, both of which, the ‘Heart of CR7’ and the ‘Flight of CR7’, were launched before the Qatar World Cup.
Novak Djokovic
One of tennis’ biggest stars, Novak Djokovic started off wearing one of Japan’s biggest watch brands, Seiko, before switching to the masters of the “art of fusion”, Hublot—a brand associated more with football than tennis—in 2021. Back in his Seiko days, Djokovic had a watch created in his honour, the Astron Novak Djokovic, a sporty watch with a rubber strap that was limited to just 5,000 pieces.
Tiger Woods
One of the most prolific golfers of all time, Tiger Woods has been involved in a fair share of watch brands in his time, including TAG Heuer and both of Hans Wilsdorf’s children, Tudor and then Rolex, where he remains an ambassador today. The first Rolex he was reported to have endorsed was the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date II in 18k white-gold, a status symbol piece that manages to remain understated all at once.
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