5 biggest timepiece moments in July 2023: from Wimbledon champ Carlos Alcaraz’s Rolex Daytona and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Chrono24 investment, to Bulgari’s marble watch and Louis Vuitton’s new Tambour

Jul 29 , 2023

Carlos Alcaraz takes home the top prize at Wimbledon sporting a Rolex Daytona; Bulgari’s all-marble tourbillon Octo Finissimo; Cristiano Ronaldo became the newest investor in reseller Chrono24; and Louis Vuitton’s new steel Tambour. Photos: @carlitosalcarazz, @tim_stracke/Instagram; Handout

Wimbledon saw plenty of celebrities flashing watches, like David Beckham in Tudor, Brad Pitt in Vacheron Constantin, Daniel Craig in Omega and Idris Elba in Gucci – while the Federers flexed Rolex

Cristiano Ronaldo just became business partners with Bernard Arnault by investing in online watch reseller Chrono24, while Louis Vuitton marks a radical new direction with a serious steel Tambour

We’ve reached peak summer, and while we’ve already covered what type of watches you should own for the season elsewhere, the horological world continues to buzz with even more activity.

We’ve spotted high horology pieces on the court and sidelines of Wimbledon, while upcoming events include the Only Watch auction in Geneva, and the Vicenzaoro watch and jewellery fair in Venice. Cristiano Ronaldo just became business partners with Bernard Arnault by investing in online watch reseller Chrono24, and Louis Vuitton splashed out by releasing a new, serious steel Tambour – while cutting 80 per cent of its current line of timepieces.

Read on for our biggest timepiece moments of July.

1. Tennis and watch greats at Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates on the club balcony after winning the men’s singles final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Britain, on July 16. Photo: Xinhua

Spanish tennis phenom Carlos Alcaraz made headlines by taking home the top prize at Wimbledon by defeating his idol Novak Djokovic.

Meanwhile, Czech player Markéta Vondroušová became the first unseeded player to triumph in Wimbledon on the women’s side, besting Ons Jabeur in a decisive fashion. Though Vondroušová went watchless for her big win, it was pieces like Alcaraz’s yellow-gold meteorite dial Rolex Daytona that made the weekend for us, almost as much as the tennis.

Former football player David Beckham (centre) applauds in the stands during the men’s singles second round match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Jordan Thompson of Australia at the Wimbledon tennis championship in London, Britain, on July 5. Photo: Xinhua

Established stars watching the tournament from the stands brought their horological A-game, too. David Beckham’s relationship with Tudor is well-known, but the global icon’s choice of the gold and green Black Bay 58 was perfect for Wimbledon in particular. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt’s love for Vacheron Constantin was on full display as he sported a vintage 222 in steel.

Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales (left) applauds as Switzerland’s former tennis player Roger Federer (centre) and his wife Mirka listen to Britain’s Andy Murray’s speech after winning his men’s singles tennis match against his countryman Ryan Peniston on the second day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4. Photo: AFP

Daniel Craig stayed true to his iconic former role in a blue suit with an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT “Good Planet”, while long-standing Bond successor front runner Idris Elba went for the understated Gucci 25H.

Other former grand slam champions showed up in force, too: Djokovic wore a Hublot Big Bang Integrated Green Ceramic while the Federers flexed Rolex – a gorgeous blue Sky-Dweller for Roger and a diamond-and-emerald Day-Date for Mirka.

5 biggest timepiece moments in July 2023: from Wimbledon champ Carlos Alcaraz’s Rolex Daytona and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Chrono24 investment, to Bulgari’s marble watch and Louis Vuitton’s new Tambour

1. Tennis and watch greats at Wimbledon

2. CR7 buys into watch reseller Chrono24