Rio Olympics 2016: Spot The Men's Luxury Watches

There's a reason why Omega is the official timekeeper of Rio Olympics 2016 (as it has been for 26 Games since 1932), and that reason is that the brand has spent decades refining the science of measuring, displaying, and recording athletic results. And sport, at the Olympic level, is about infinitesimal variations in measurement. Alongside its splendidly retro celebration Olympic timepieces, like the Omega Speedmaster Olympic (ref 321.30.44.52.01.001), Omega quietly assembles and deploys the most trusted sporting measurement technologies in the world. Its starting blocks precisely relay the 'go' signal to all athletes on a track, at the exact same moment, enabling fair racing starts. Its photo-finish MYRIA camera combines chronograph capabilities with the ability to record 10,000 high-resolution frames per second. Its underwater lap counters and lane touchpads (which work like flyback chronographs) allow swimmers to swim at the height of their powers, and to stop the clock every time they turn.
The best luxury watches embody the spirit of endlessly refined measurement. And the intimate connection between time and sporting endeavour informs the pedigree of dozens of high-end chronographs. So it's little wonder, then, that the brands behind the finest watches are the sponsors of the best athletes. On the court, on the track, or in the swim lanes, high-profile athletes attract the prestige sponsorship deals. Thus Rolex is the brand associated with Roger Federer. Seiko with Novak Djokovic. Hublot with Usain Bolt. Where the men of Rio 2016 are outstanding in their field, you'll find a major luxury watch brand in their locker. Or even, in the case of tennis player Rafa Nadal (Richard Mille), on their wrists. Rafa's collection of Richard Mille models (example: the RM035-01 Rafael Nadal NTPT) are designed to withstand extraordinary forces and have been worn on court by the tennis star since 2010. They have also—as you'll see later in this post, when I get to the 'honourable mention' section—appeared on the cycling track, in a most unexpected and newsworthy fashion.
So, what are the brands you'll be seeing on the wrists of the winners at Rio 2016? I've looked at some likely medal winners, and the partnerships that have made them iconic ambassadors. These guys are my top five male Olympians, and they're pretty impressive in the luxury watch department too.
Michael Phelps—Omega
Michael Phelps has won more medals than any other Olympian. And his story, like the stories of so many who have battled through the water to win gold, is intimately linked with Omega. Phelps won a record-breaking eight gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympics alone. And he grabbed his seventh in a dramatic race-to-the-death with Serbian Milorad Cavic. The winning margin: 0.01 s. The logo on the touchpad that generated the results: Omega.
Phelps wears an Omega Planet Ocean Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph (Omega ref. 215.30.46.51.01.001). This steel-on-steel luxury watch is 45.5 mm in diameter. Behind the dial, you'll find a movement capable of performing in the water just as well as Phelps does. To be certified as a Master Chronometer, a watch must pass 8 demanding tests for accuracy. Waterproof to 600 m, and accurate enough to time one of Phelps' barnstorming lengths with great precision, this is the archetypal sportsman's chronograph. It can be worn by the general public from August, in time for the start of Rio 2016.
Usain Bolt—Hublot
According to the fastest man in the world, a luxury watch makes a nice gift—for himself. In an interview with The Observer, Bolt discussed his sponsorship deal with Hublot, and his rapidly-growing collection of Hublot watches. 'When I win I definitely will buy a watch,' he told reporter Zachary Weiss. Though why he needs to fork out for a Hublot, when he's presumably entitled to fistfuls of free ones, is beyond me.
You have to love Bolt. He's the living embodiment of the natural athlete—a man who reputedly likes to party and eat junk food just as much as he loves to burn the competition on the track. How much of the anti-hype is true is anyone's guess, but one thing about the Jamaican super-sprinter definitely makes sense. If you can incinerate world records whenever you like, why not have a good time while you're doing it?
Bolt's own luxury watch is the Hublot Big Bang Unico Usain Bolt, a chronograph available in two colourways. I'm going to choose the yellow gold version, which says everything there is to say about the mutiple-gold-medal-winning legend. It's showy, it's big, and it looks like it could out-party a rock star. The shiny gold calfskin strap is embossed with the Jamaican flag (and lined with black rubber to keep it stable if you fancy a crack at the 100 m world record whilst wearing it). The skeletonised dial features a lightning bolt chronograph hand, and a small seconds subdial that incorporates an image of Bolt's legendary 'To Di World' pose. Plus, of course, there's the case, which is water resistant to 100 m and done in satin-finished and polished 18K yellow gold. Put this on your wrist if you want to be noticed. But be quick about it. The Big Bang Unico Usain Bolt is limited to just 350 pieces.
Roger Federer—Rolex

Roger Federer is one of an elite group of sportsmen sponsored by the world's most elite luxury watch brand. Yes, there are more expensive watches out there. And there are brands that take the aesthetics, or the techniques, of haute horlogerie to higher levels. But when you're looking for an overall performer, a watch in which every element from finish to function is done with uncompromising skill—you're looking for a Rolex.

Put simply, no-one does it better. And that's a phrase that could be applied to Roger Federer on a tennis court just as well as to Rolex in a luxury watch boutique. Federer is the champion's champion, one of the all-time greats. And he's got a personalised Rolex collection that will make your eyes pop out.
Federer's favourite timepiece, or at least the one he wears most, is a Day-Date President (in platinum, of course). And while that's definitely an ace, I thought I'd look instead at one of his other Rolexes. His Sky-Dweller. Now, as I've had occasion to mention before, the Sky-Dweller is not a pilot's watch. It's a traveller's watch, and a superb one at that. The off-centre 24-hour dial, the annual calendar subtly displayed in cutaways next to the numerals on the dial. The Sky-Dweller does something Rolex never does. A complication. And it does it with efficiency, style, and grace—just like a cross-court smash from Federer himself. There'll be showier luxury watches associated with Rio 2016. But there won't be many better.
Stan Wawrinka—Audemars Piguet
If Roger Federer is the old man of Swiss tennis, then Stan Wawrinka is—well, he's also the old man of Swiss tennis. There are only a couple of years between these stalwarts of the sport, and quality-wise there's not that much to choose between their sponsors either. Wawrinka's brand is Audemars Piguet, and in 2015 he won the French Open whilst wearing a Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph (AP ref 26470ST) on his wrist.
What's so special about that? I hear you cry. Rafa Nadal always wears his Richard Milles in competitions. Well, yes, but Rafa's luxury watches are designed from the ground up to withstand the battering they take in a professional tennis match. Wawrinka's Royal Oak Offshore is a standard Audemars Piguet model, designed for leisure and business wear. It's big, it's heavy (the 'ST' in the reference number denotes the hefty steel construction of the 42 mm case), and it has an alligator strap—hardly the sort of thing you'd expect to see on the baseline at Roland Garros.
Which is kind of the point. The Royal Oak Offshore is a brute of a watch (it was famously nicknamed 'The Beast' when it was released in 1992). And Stan Wawrinka is a brutal player. John McEnroe once described his backhand as one of the most powerful in the history of the sport. He's the kind of guy who scares opponents with his speed and ferocity. And that makes Audemars Piguet the perfect sponsor for Wawrinka. If Rolex is efficiency, AP is power and thunder. Not many players could have won a Grand Slam tournament with a heavy, street-standard chrono on their wrist. And not many heavy, street-standard chronographs could have taken the beating and survived. Stan Wawrinka and the Royal Oak Offshore were made for each other.
Bradley Wiggins—Panerai
OK, so Sir Bradley Wiggins isn't officially sponsored by Panerai. Like Sly Stallone and Jason Statham, two other confirmed fans of the Italian luxury watch brand, you won't find Sir Bradley's face on their website. But you will see him wearing his Panerai Luminor GMT Automatic (Panerai ref PAM00088) when he's not on his bike. The man's got style.
Panerai is unique among the luxury watch brands mentioned in this article. It's a marque legendary for its focus on two single designs: the Luminor and the Radiomir. And really, those two designs are one design executed with a couple of subtle differences. Like the crown guard on the Luminor, versus the exposed crown on the Radiomir. The Luminor is the more popular of the two, and it's also the more sporty.
Bradley's PAM 88 is one of the few Panerais to feature a true complication. The GMT hand will give Bradley a home reference time (GMT) while he's out in Rio. And with 300 m of water resistance, he'll be able to wear it in the ocean. If he gets a chance to visit Copacabana, that is. Hopefully, he'll be too busy winning medals.
Honourable mention: Mark Cavendish—Richard Mille
I was going to stick with five male athletes for this post: the five Olympic rings, the five top runners, riders, and swimmers in the fight for medals at Rio 2016. And then Richard Mille gave Mark Cavendish a luxury watch. And not just any watch. Richard Mille's own, personal, RM-011 Felipe Massa Automatic Flyback Chronograph. For all you watch geeks out there, that's the ultimate limited edition. It's like Hans Wilsdorf giving you his own Rolex. Or Gerald Genta presenting you with the first ever, unnumbered Royal Oak.
Richard presented the watch to Cavendish at the start of Stage 5 of the Tour de France. Cavendish went on to win Stage 6, watch on wrist, the next day. Making him the winner of more Tour stages than almost any other cyclist, ever (only Eddy Merckx beats him). And possibly the only Olympian to have been presented with a one-of-a-kind luxury watch, by its own inventor, right in the middle of a prestige competition.
The RM-011's hyper-light construction and smooth lines apparently didn't create streamlining or weight problems for the powerful sprint rider. And its instantly-recognisable shape ended up on his wrist, in the hundreds of photos of him donning the Green Jersey. Maybe it'll crop up in some Olympic victory snaps, too.
Image Credit – officialwatches.com, @omegawatches, @Hublot, rolexmagazine.com, monochrome-watches.com, richardmille.com vedere di piu replica rolex e Rolex Explorer