The Premier League of Wristwatches

Today, fans don't just care about their stars' footballing achievements - Beckham, Ronaldo and others have been style icons for some time now. Scoring goals and wearing a tracksuit? That's no longer the job of a football star! Thanks to their fame, athletes are constantly in the spotlight in their private lives and are therefore under observation 24/7. In order to live up to their role as role models and always make a well-groomed impression, athletes sooner or later have to think critically about the topic of style. Gone are the days when the ladies in the stands were the only ones who were looked at critically. Men themselves are now expected to have a sense of style too! This is precisely why many athletes are now also working as models and brand ambassadors on the side.

The public expects a certain degree of style

However, there are still major differences between the individual world stars. Established fashion icon or urgent need for action? The impression of the fans is now a decisive factor in terms of popularity. While the stylish ex-footballer David Beckham is ahead in the fashion Olympus, Lionel Messi still has room to improve. The Argentinian, who is known for his fashion mistakes, can still learn a lot from the long-established fashion expert: David has his own style role models, such as James Dean, and likes to be inspired, but always pays attention to his own style and knows exactly what suits him.

It is therefore no wonder that footballers are extremely demanding - in competitions they are focused and always give their all to get the best out of themselves and they also transfer this to their environment and therefore to everything they wear. With their high demands, they therefore value particularly high-quality, reliable products. Only when both criteria are equally met can the athletes be inspired and convinced. The world's best footballers therefore only rely on the best of the best in their lives off the pitch - because why settle for second best? When it comes to the watches that accompany them all the time, Ronaldo and co. all have their very special and individual favorites. We present the stars' favorites in more detail here:

Cristiano Ronaldo: Football hero, style icon, watch fan

International football hero Cristiano Ronaldo is an avowed watch fan – his passion goes so far that he has even given his teammates at Real Madrid watches as gifts. Each player has already received a model from the luxury brand Bulgari. Since 2014, Ronaldo has also been a brand ambassador for the Swiss company TAG Heuer . The collaboration was celebrated with a special Cristiano Ronaldo special model. This resulted in the strictly limited Formula 1 Ronaldo Special Edition in a sporty design. His impressive collection also includes numerous other luxury brands, including models from Audemars Piguet , Corum, Cvstos, Franck Muller and Rolex . One of his all-time favourites, however, is and remains the Cosmograph Daytona from the Swiss manufacturer Rolex in stylish rose gold. A real eye-catcher on the superstar’s wrist!

Rolex Daytona is considered THE football watch

The Rolex Daytona is considered an absolute classic among designer watches. The model has hardly changed since 1963 and is still very popular. Well-known fans of the Daytona include Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and David Villa. Bastian Schweinsteiger also came out as a fan of the Daytona and posed on the cover of GQ magazine in 2015 with a classy blackened Blaken Rolex Daytona. After his wedding to the pretty tennis star Ana Ivanovic, the German football hero showed his love for this luxury watch in a very special way: the celebrity couple bought the model as a partner watch in addition to wedding rings as an additional token of love. Both can now be seen with the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona on their wrists as a sign of their togetherness. What a unique, romantic and stylish gesture! Ana's stainless steel version has a light dial and is no longer available. However, fans can fall back on the successor model, which was presented at Baselworld last year.

Hublot and Audemars Piguet are also playing for the top spots in the table

English record player Wayne Rooney, on the other hand, mostly relies on the extravagant pieces from Hublot . His favorites from the brand are the elegant Big Bang and the limited edition King Power Manchester United. Hublot also became the topic of conversation at the beginning of this year due to a scandal: at the FIFA gala in January, the award winners were each supposed to receive a Big Bang Football. However, the six watches with a total value of 93,000 euros were stolen from FIFA headquarters in Zurich by unknown persons before the awards ceremony, so replacement watches were given to the winners and the promised Big Bang models were sent to them later. The former Portuguese international Luis Figo also lost his treasures in a burglary: after he had already been the victim of a theft in 2003, unknown persons broke into his house again in 2016 and stole 15 luxury watches and other jewelry worth 500,000 euros.

FC Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski also chooses Hublot for his timepiece, in his case the popular Classic Fusion , whose fans also include AS Monaco player Radamel Falcao. Besides Marco Reus, another Hublot fan is French striker Olivier Giroud. In everyday life, he usually chooses a model with a sporty design. On more formal occasions, however, he also likes to wear a Rolex or Audemars Piguet. Spaniard David Silva from Manchester City also appreciates the luxury watches from Audemars Piguet and is often seen wearing the sporty Royal Oak Offshore in his free time. Spaniard Alvaro Negredo is also a fan of the Royal Oak Offshore model. Even four-time “World Footballer of the Year” Lionel Messi is enthusiastic about Audemars Piguet watches and has already acted as a testimonial for the first-class timepieces. A special, extremely limited special edition with elaborate details in three different versions was also dedicated to him.

The market leaders are clearly the Swiss

The watch manufacturers at IWC Schaffhausen also have their fans in the field of ball sports: national player Mario Gomez and manager Oliver Bierhoff rely on the high-quality products of the Swiss manufacturer for their timepieces. At the 2012 European Championships in Poland, IWC even distributed the Large Pilot's Watch Edition DFB, limited to 250 pieces, to the best national players. Midfielders Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger, for example, are proud owners of the pieces. However, there are also athletes who choose their watches less based on the brand and price segment. Striker Mario Götze chooses his models primarily based on design: he particularly likes black watches on his wrist. His treasures also include the Hublot Big Bang (in black, of course) and a special black version of the Rolex Submariner, which was made especially for him. Fernando Torres also owns a model of the Rolex Submariner.

The right model does not always have to be the most expensive

But no matter what is important to footballers in their watches – the huge, diverse market now offers a wide selection for all requirements and every taste – even world stars with their high standards will definitely find what they are looking for!

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