From SwissWatchExpo… Spotlight On: Roger Federer. Rolex Watches, As Seen on the Tennis Courts. Roger Federer, one of the greatest tennis
players of all time, has been a Rolex ambassador for more than a decade now. Throughout his partnership with Rolex, he
made history many times over — becoming the first tennis player to have 20 Grand Slam
titles, and the record for most titles at Wimbledon. Time stops when Roger is playing, but he decides
to wear a Rolex on his wrist anyway. We went watchspotting and took a look at the
Rolex watches he wears, while on the court. First up is this Rolex Datejust II, which
is perhaps Roger’s most famous watch. He has spoken about its significance many
times. He was wearing this timepiece in 2009, during
his biggest career breakthrough, after he defeated Andy Roddick, lifted the Wimbledon
trophy, and broke Pete Sampras’ all-time Grand Slam record. The stainless steel and white gold model has
a silver dial and blue Arabic numerals.
Understated, but definitely sentimental. While the Rolex Daytona was created for for
the road, Fed also wears his stainless steel, white dial model quite often while on the
courts. The Rolex Daytona reference 116520 has been
around since the year 2000, and it has definitely aged well. Because of its iconic style and versatility,
it’s one of the Daytonas that are harder to obtain. Also available with a black dial, the stainless
steel Daytona enjoys a status and cult-like following among collectors, including Fed! Now here’s the Rolex Milgauss on Fed in
2013. By this time, he was already one of the world’s
greatest tennis players – and he was often spotted with the Milgauss with a green sapphire
crystal. Originally developed for scientists, the Milgauss
was introduced as a utility watch for use while working in highly magnetic environments. Metal alloys protect the calibre from up to
1,000 gauss. Fed doesn’t encounter magnetic energy on
the court, but the Rolex Milgauss sure provides highly reliable reading, wherever he is in
the world. Fed may have the pick of the Rolex lot, but
he’s quite dedicated to his Rolex Datejust II watches.
Here’s another one of them on his wrist. This Rolex Datejust II comes with a smooth
domed bezel, a black dial, and luminous hands and baton hour markers. With a 41 millimeter case, it gives Fed enough
legibility, so he can tell time even while he’s on the move. Finally, there can be no better fitting watch
for the game than the Rolex Datejust with green roman numerals, or in watch circles,
the so called “Wimbledon Dial”. The watch combines classic Rolex attributes
such as the 18k yellow gold fluted bezel and the use of Roman numerals, with more modern
touches such as the slate gray dial.
The green Roman numerals are a great nod to
Wimbledon, matching the green of its logo and of the tennis courts. For his eighth record Wimbledon title last
year, Fed decided to wear this gem of a watch. The game of tennis is all about exceptional
timing, and with Rolex by his side and on his wrist, it seems like Roger Federer isn’t
stopping anytime soon. Which Rolex would you wear while playing tennis? Tell us in the comments section!.