The Olympics, Formula 1, tennis, football, swimming; all have one thing in common. Time. When first or second place depends on 1/100th of a second, you need a chronograph that delivers a stellar performance to match that of the athletes. Here are 10 luxury watches worn by sports stars from areas as diverse as basketball to swimming and tennis.
Michael Phelps & The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean LiquidMetal
Rolex rules Formula 1 but Omega is overlord at the Olympics. The Swiss watchmaker has been the official timekeeper of the Olympics since the 1932 Los Angeles Games. As the most decorated Olympian to date, swimmer Michael Phelps is the poster boy for the Omega Seamaster. He won six gold medals at the Athens 2004 Olympics, eight at Beijing 2008, and added four more to his collection at London 2012. Phelps, now affectionately known as the 'Flying Fish' became an Omega brand ambassador in 2004.
The star of his luxury watch collection, the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquidmetal is a diver's dream. Water resistant to 600 m, it has a 45 mm titanium case and bracelet. The depth might be impressive but it's the Liquidmetal numerals and scale markers on the bezel that take this timepiece down to the next sea level. Three times as hard as steel, this incredible material can be moulded in a similar way to plastic. A helium escape valve enables the watch to withstand the kind of pressure divers routinely subject their equipment to. The watch has an automatic movement and a date window at 3 o'clock.
Hublot King Power Usain Bolt
Securing an Olympic athlete as a brand ambassador isn't just about an association with a great individual. The brand that gets the athlete becomes the flagship watch for their particular sport or event. When Hublot welcomed Usain Bolt to their family of ambassadors it was a huge coup. The fastest man in history wears Hublot on his wrist. Not just that, but Hublot became entwined with one of the key events of the Olympics, the 100 m sprint. The Hublot King Power Usain Bolt is a limited edition chronograph, created to celebrate the sprinter who made history by winning the 100 metres at London 2012 in a record breaking 9.63 seconds. Only 250 were produced. It's a luxury sports watch with an automatic movement that demands the attention. It's big. Really big. Just like the man himself. The 48 mm case is crafted from micro-blasted black ceramic. The strap is gold synthetic leather, a nod to the material from which Bolt's running shoes were made. Take a look at the face and you'll notice a transfer of Bolt's silhouette at 9 o'clock.
Novak Djokovic & Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
One of the top ranking tennis players in the world, Novak Djokovic has
been an ambassador for Audemars Piguet since 2011. When he won the
Australian Open in 2012, following five sets against Rafael Nadal,
Djokovic famously strapped his Royal Oak Offshore to his wrist before
even touching the trophy. Now, that's dedication. 
NBA star LeBron James is also an ambassador for Audemars Piguet watches. And, (surprise surprise) his favourite timepiece is the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. His own version.
The Audemars Piguet LeBron James Limited Edition has a grey alligator
strap, 44 mm 18-karat rose gold case, titanium octagonal bezel, and mega
tapisserie pattern on the grey dial. The LeBron edition boasts 14 diamonds on the push piece at 2. That's how LeBron rolls. The automatic movement can be seen through a sapphire crystal case back that bears LeBron's signature in blue. David Beckham & Breitling for Bentley
He might be retired now but David Beckham is arguably still more famous than the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former Manchester United player and captain on the England national
team has a luxury watch collection that is quite literally as long as
your arm. His film star looks and sporting prowess made him the perfect poster boy for Breitling. Literally.
The photograph of Beckham sporting the Breitling for Bentley with a
steel case and Royal Ebony dial in 'The Essence of Britain' ad campaign
became one of the most iconic images of 2013. At 49 mm, it's
considerably wider than most and has a 70-hour power reserve. Water resistant to 100 m, it has a rotating bezel with variable tachymeter and a visible caseback. Roger Federer & Rolex
It's fitting that the man many claim to be the greatest tennis player
of all time should be a brand ambassador for the official timekeeper at
Wimbledon.
Roger Federer found it so hard to name his favourite Rolex timepiece
that he ended up choosing three for his YouTube video 'Every Rolex Tells
a Story': the Day Date, a vintage Daytona from 1981 gifted to him on
his 30th birthday, and the Datejust. As we're on the subject of athletes and luxury sports watches, I'll go for the chronograph. Federer wore his 41 mm stainless steel Datejust when he won his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon 2009. 
Formula 1 and luxury watches enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. As Frank Sinatra once said in 'Love and Marriage', “you can't have one without the other”.
You know you're a sporting legend when homological wunderkind Richard
Mille designs and crafts a watch named after you that's actually
supposed to be worn in a high-performance car during a grand prix. Richard Mille trumps brands such as IWC on this front. The Richard Mille RM011 Felipe Massa AJ TI is a titan, and not just because it comes in at an extra wide 50 mm. TAG Heuer 2000 Classic Tiger Woods Limited Edition WJ2110
Tiger Woods is still one of the biggest names in golf and one of the biggest earners in terms of sponsorship. When this luxury sports watch was launched back in 2003, he was at the top of his game. In more ways than one because EA Sports had just released a Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 video game to universal acclaim.
Narrow by today's standards—the watch's steel case is just 38 mm in
diameter—it's waterproof to 200 m, has luminescent hands and numerals,
and small seconds hand at 6 o'clock. Richard Mille RM 59-01 For Yohan Blake
Usain Bolt trains with Yohan Blake and reportedly once said that Blake was the only man fast enough to beat him. With a Richard Mille on his wrist, the second fastest man in the world over 100 m and 200 m just might.
That might sound like a bold statement but it becomes less so when you
consider the fact that Richard Mille watches are designed to be worn
during sports, not just to launch parties and ceremonies. Jamaican sprinter Blake wore his RM 59-01 Tourbillon when he ran the 100 m at the London 2012 Olympics. And won a silver medal. He's still the only sprinter who wears a watch while he races. Developed for the left-handed Blake (so he wears it on his right wrist) the RM 59-01 has an edgy, gritty look to it. Maybe it's the burnished case with the 12 spline screws in grade 5 titanium. Perhaps it's the “Beast bridges” that span out across the face in a claw-like fashion, a nod to Blake's running style. It could be the asymmetrical shape. This is an incredible piece of engineering that almost looks like a work of art. Built to withstand the G-force exerted by an Olympic sprinter's arms as they help propel him towards the finish line at record-breaking speed, the RM 59-01 might be lightweight in terms of composite but it's a heavyweight limited edition sports watch. Only 50 were made.
Seiko Astron Novak Djokovic Limited Edition
It seems somehow fitting that two of the biggest names in tennis, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, are ambassadors for rival luxury watch makers. Rolex might wear the crown (literally) at Wimbledon but Grand Seiko is the high-end development arm of Seiko, and is committed to making luxury watches that rival the finest Swiss timepieces.
The Serbian powerhouse was presented with the limited edition Seiko Astron GPS Solar Novak Djokovic, dubbed the world's first GPS solar watch. What that actually means is it's capable of adjusting to your particular time zone on Earth when you touch a single button. Regardless of where you happen to be (and Djokovic travels a lot), you'll always know the time.
Image Credit – @omegawatches, @Hublot, watchtime.com, Astrua 1860 (Pinterest), Marie Claire UK (Pinterest), rolexmagazine.com, officialwatches.com, officialwatches.com Hodinkee (Pinterest) vedere di piu rolex replicas e Breitling Aeromarine
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