It’s practically taken as a given these days: if you’re a star athlete, somewhere in your roster of endorsements is a luxury watch brand. Rolex has Roger Federer and Tiger Woods among others. Tag Heuer has Tom Brady. Richard Mille has Rafael Nadal. Even Tudor has gotten in the game, signing David Beckham in 2018.
But why have sports and luxury become synonymous? The New York Post posits an answer. Aligning your watch brand with athletics is an especially interesting strategy given the Apple Watch has done the same (without the celebrity endorsements), and arguably offers more functionality for an athlete on the move. But luxury is as much about emotion as it is logic, and nothing evokes an emotional impulse purchase like seeing David Beckham’s edgy tattoo sleeve draped with a Black Bay.
