Watch brands have long sponsored sporting events and professional leagues in a bid to appeal to fans of particular sports and associate themselves with athletic competition. Beyond Rolex in tennis and TAG Heuer in Formula 1, Omega is the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games, and brands such as Tissot serve as sponsors of the National Basketball Association and the Tour de France, a Grand Tour cycling stage race. Swiss brand Breitling became the official luxury timepiece sponsor of the NFL this year in a multi-year agreement, while smaller rival Norqain, whose investors and executives include several former and current professional hockey players, recently won an accord to be the official luxury watch sponsor of the National Hockey League.
Meanwhile, Swatch Group’s Longines brand sponsors equestrian events and World Cup skiing, and a slew of brands, from Tudor to Richard Mille, IWC, and H. Moser & Cie., sponsor individual Formula 1 racing teams. Rolex, the largest Swiss watch brand by sales and controlled by a trust foundation in Geneva, limits its sponsorship to just a handful of sports, including golf, tennis, motorsports, equestrian events, and sailing, most notably as the title sponsor of the Rolex SailGP league. However, some brands are choosing to be more selective in their sporting sponsorship deals with LVMH-owned Hublot recently deciding to withdraw as a sponsor of the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament while remaining a sponsor of European football leagues and events, including the UEFA Champions League.
Andy Hoffman
2026-01-28 14:00:00