Rolex
Lead image, Carlos Alcaraz, by Elsa/Getty Images.
I've always found it a bit ironic that watch culture is so closely aligned with tennis. I understand the business case for the relationship. There's an obvious demographic crossover and a clear commercial benefit in sponsoring an entirely international sport that has no real off-season. That's all fine. What I find so amusing is that, unlike most sports, tennis has no timed conclusion. Not counting extra time, a soccer match lasts 90 minutes. A game in the NBA has four 12-minute quarters, equaling less than an hour of on-court action, without overtime. The NFL keeps things on track at exactly 60 minutes, with four 15-minute quarters.
Tennis, on the other hand, has no such limitation. The longest match in tennis history stretched over 11 hours, and during the final Grand Slam tournament of 2022, which wrapped up moments ago, there were numerous matches that stretched into the early, early morning.
Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest and most prestigious court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the U.S. Open is held, in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York. Image: Rolex
So where do watches come into play in the world of tennis? The sport clearly does not require precision elapsed timekeeping measurement like we see in motorsports or the Olympics. Other than an "official" clock to track a match's total play time – Rolex is the "Official Timekeeper" of the U.S. Open – it's on the wrists of the players, coaches, and fans. Outside of a watch-specific event, there's likely no better place for watch spotting than a professional tennis tournament. And the 2022 U.S. Open didn't disappoint.
The final Grand Slam tournament of the year was full of tension and timepieces. Six-time U.S. Open champion and all-around GOAT Serena Williams teased her retirement a few weeks before the tournament kicked off, bringing countless new attendees hoping to catch a glimpse of her final act on the court. Despite missing a few big names on the Men's side (Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic), there was plenty of fresh star power to take in, including Carlos Alcaraz, the 19 year-old Spanish phenom that knocked out 23 year-old Casper Ruud in the final moments ago, in the process becoming the youngest number one ranked men's singles player in ATP history.
Serena Williams' last match? We'll have to wait and see. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Keep reading to check out the watches we spotted on the wrists of some of tennis' freshest faces, in addition to what the established names on the court and the celebrities in the crowd were wearing.
Women's Singles champion Iga Świątek had a 2022 to remember, taking home both the French Open and U.S. Open trophies. She opted for a Rolex Lady-Datejust in Everose Gold after winning the U.S. Open Women's Singles title yesterday. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz, just 19 years old, beat Casper Ruud in the 2022 U.S. Open Men's Singles final earlier this evening, in the process becoming the youngest number one ranked men's single player in ATP history. He wore a black-dial Rolex Daytona ref. 116500 while accepting the trophy. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Serena Williams went out in style, rocking a quartz Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore with a diamond-set bezel during all her matches. Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian – aka, the guy that founded Reddit – cheers Serena on while wearing an Apple Watch and holding their five-year-old daughter, Olympia. Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal, the all-time leader in Men's Singles Grand Slam titles, wore his customary Richard Mille these days, the RM 27-04 Tourbillon, before unexpectedly falling to American Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the 2022 U.S. Open. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Tiger sighting! The legendary golfer was repping Rolex with his favorite, the Deepsea Sea-Dweller. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Two-time U.S. Open champ Naomi Osaka wore her collaborative limited-edition TAG Heuer Aquaracer on the court. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Here's one that surprised me! The actress Karen Pittman (right), of The Morning Show, wearing what appears to be last year's Timex Waterbury HODINKEE Limited Edition. What do you think? Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
American actress Zendaya took in the tennis from her box seat, while wearing a Cartier Panthère. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The American actor and director Ben Stiller is a well-known tennis fan and friend of Rafael Nadal. Is he also a watch guy? If the watches worn in his Apple TV show Severance didn't give that away, then maybe the blacked-out Panerai Luminor GMT 10 Days that he wore to this year's U.S. Open will do the trick. Bonus: To the right of Stiller is his wife, the actress Christine Taylor, wearing a Rolex Daytona. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Daniil Medvedev, last year's U.S. Open Men's Singles champion, wore a Bovet Virtuoso VIII Chapter Two this year in Flushing Meadows. But it wasn't enough for Medvedev to defend his title; he lost to Nick Kyrgios in the round of 16. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn popped up during the U.S. Open multiple times, always wearing a precious-metal Rolex Daytona of some sort. We spotted her earlier in the tournament wearing the famous Rolex "Rainbow" Daytona in Everose Gold, and here she is pictured with the yellow-gold, green-dial 116508, alongside actor Diego Osorio. Photo by Gotham/GC Images
Billie Jean King was in the house with her Apple Watch, paired with the rainbow Pride Edition band. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Late-night host Trevor Noah, wearing a platinum Rolex Daytona. Photo by Gotham/GC Images
Eighteen-year-old American star Coco Gauff has a bright future. Her run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals, and her purple-dial Rolex Oyster Perpetual, are proof of that. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Coco Gauff's father and coach, Corey (center), was also on the Rolex bandwagon, opting for a steel Sky-Dweller on an Oyster bracelet. Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle with a two-tone Rolex Datejust. Photo by Gotham/GC Images
The 21-year-old American hotshot Jenson Brooksby is one of the few players on the ATP tour to compete while wearing a mechanical watch, opting for the GC Sport from Gerald Charles. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal was a mainstay in Frances Tiafoe's player box. He alternated between a solid-gold Rolex Day-Date and a Rolex GMT-Master II "Pepsi." Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Patrick Mouratoglou, the high-profile former coach of Serena Williams, chats with Simona Halep while wearing the boutique-edition Zenith Defy 21 Chronograph Black & White. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Hip-hop artist Pusha T showed up with what appears to be a platinum Rolex Day-Date on his wrist. It's no Daytona but it'll do in a pinch. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Cousin Greg! Succession actor Nicholas Braun wore a fluted-bezel Rolex Datejust on a jubilee bracelet while attending a U.S. Open night session. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Young gun Sebastian Korda with the Richard Mille RM 67-02 on the wrist. Nelly must be proud. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Model Bella Hadid was emotional while watching Serena Williams' final match at the U.S. Open and wearing a Cartier Panthère. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
In her career, Martina Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam Women's Singles titles, 31 Grand Slam Women's Doubles titles, and 10 Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles – an all-time record for both men and women. She presented the trophy yesterday to Women's Singles champion Iga Świątek, and she wore a pretty offbeat watch in the process. Announced a few months ago, Navratilova has collaborated with a Brunei-based, Swiss-made watchmaker named Avantist to create a limited-edition watch that contains string from the racquet Navratilova used to win Wimbledon in 1982. Photo by Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
Actors Justin Bartha, Joel McHale, and Jason Biggs taking it easy in the U.S. Open crowd. McHale is wearing an Apple Watch, while Biggs went for a white-gold Rolex Day-Date. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Women's Doubles champion Barbora Krejcikova hugs her doubles partner Katerina Siniakova while wearing a Daniel Wellington Classic Winchester. Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Minnesota Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell with the Richard Mille heat. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris went for an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak while attending the U.S. Open. Photo by Gotham/GC Images
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was once the number one-ranked Women's Singles player in the world. She used that expertise to help coach Ons Jabeur all the way to the final, where Jabeur ended up losing to Iga Świątek. Vicario is pictured in Jabeur's box wearing a Rolex Daytona. Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson pictured with his wife, the singer Ciara, and a rose-gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph on his wrist. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
The British singer known as Seal, pictured with his daughter, Leni Olumi Klum, and an Omega Speedmaster on his wrist. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Controversial NBA star Ben Simmons also took in the action with an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph on the wrist. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres shuts things down with a solid-gold Rolex Day-Date. Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images
The HODINKEE Shop is an Authorized Retailer of Apple Watch, Omega, TAG Heuer, Timex, and Zenith watches; explore our entire brand line-up here. The HODINKEE Shop also sells a curated selection of pre-owned Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Panerai, and Rolex watches; you can take a closer look at our pre-owned collections here.
TAG Heuer and Zenith are part of LVMH. Although LVMH Luxury Ventures is a minority investor in HODINKEE, we maintain complete editorial independence.
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