Watchmaking has always been closely linked to the world of sports. In many disciplines, the watch, performing the function of timekeeping, has always been an essential tool for the conduct of competitions. Nowadays, however, mechanical watches have lost their centrality in favor of more precise technological instruments. However, the industry has been able to meet this challenge and has managed to reinvent itself and innovate, thanks to the challenges posed by different sports to set new goals to be achieved.
Among the different sports disciplines, the world of golf represents one of the most difficult tests faced by the maisons, mainly because of the many vibrations and pressures to which a mechanical watch is subjected during a competition.
Being able to develop a mechanism capable of withstanding high speeds and vibrations is a challenge that only a few brands have been able to accomplish, in this article we will see which ones.
Golf Watches: Richard Mille Bubba Watson
When we talk about watchmaking innovation linked to the world of sports in recent decades, the first brand that comes to mind is Richard Mille. The brand’s connection with motorsport stars and Rafa Nadal on the tennis courts is now historic.
Today, we look at the relationship born with golfer Bubba Watson, which led to the creation of several models specifically designed to meet the needs of golfers.
The RM 038, unveiled in 2011, was designed to function in the extreme conditions of golf while maintaining two key features: lightness and comfort. To achieve this, the case was made from an extremely strong and lightweight alloy called WE 54 magnesium, composed of 89% magnesium, 6% yttrium, and 5% rare earths, with an additional treatment to ensure scratch resistance. Plate, bridges and balance wheel were made of grade 5 titanium.
Further underscoring the skill of Richard Mille’s watchmakers, the movement was embellished with a tourbillon, a mechanical component that is typically fragile when exposed to strong and sudden vibrations, but which over the years the brand has been able to improve and make more and more shock-resistant.
In subsequent years, new models created in partnership with the Florida golfer were presented, always with the athlete’s needs in mind. These include the RM 38-01 G-Sensor Tourbillon and the RM 055, the latter appreciated even by non-golfers for its distinctive design.
In 2022 came the latest evolution of this Richard Mille line, the new RM 38-02, now capable of withstanding up to 10,000g, also revised in terms of aesthetics with pink accents that recall the golfer’s often extravagant outfits.
This line fully represents not only Richard Mille’s capabilities, but also the brand’s dedication to rewriting new pages in the world of watchmaking, overcoming technical limitations that until then had not even been considered. The figure of Bubba Watson turns out to be perfect to embody this connection with golf courses, both for his contribution to technical development and for that touch of uniqueness and extravagance that characterizes both sides.
Golf Watches: Hublot Big Bang Unico Golf
Another brand that has interpreted the needs of golfers in a new watch is Hublot, which in 2017 launched the Hublot Big Bang Unico Golf.
The watch follows a completely different development idea than the one just described by Richard Mille, allowing the player to keep track of the strokes made during his round.
The Big Bang Unico Golf has a major presence on the wrist, with a diameter of 45 mm, but is still easy to use. The stroke-counting mechanism is activated by a button located at 2 o’clock, which also advances the stroke counter, visible through an aperture at 3 o’clock on the dial. When it is time to move on to the next hole, another push-button, located at 4 o’clock on the case, resets the shot counter to zero and advances the hole indication to 9 o’clock one hole.
The cumulative score increases by one with each stroke recorded and is shown through an aperture at 6 o’clock on the dial. At the end of the round, the display can be reset via the button at 8 o’clock. This button can be locked by turning it 45 degrees to avoid accidentally resetting the score during the round. Because the watch is skeletonized, revealing the inner workings, each operation is displayed through a fascinating dance of moving parts, recalling the owner’s swing movements.
To ensure extreme comfort on the wrist, the case is made of carbon and the strap of rubber, with a total weight of less than 100 g and is available in different colors to suit all tastes. Again, the brand collaborated with a top athlete to create this model: former world number one Dustin Johnson, who often wears it on golf courses.
Golf Watches: Cartier Pasha Golf
Another similar interpretation, which I believe Hublot was undoubtedly inspired by in the creation of its timepiece, is that of Cartier, which created the Cartier Pasha Golf starting in the 1980s, in small quantities.
The history of the Cartier Pasha is intrinsically linked to the world of sports, while never having renounced the preciousness of the materials used.
The Pasha Golf model embraces the counting philosophy, with four windows capable of keeping track of as many golfers’ scores. For each golfer, the score can be updated via a special button, embellished with stones, as is customary for Cartier, located on the case, at each window on the dial. Finally, an additional button at 9 o’clock, also on the case, allows the count to be reset for a new round.
There are a number of variations of this model that differ in dial color, typically blue or white, and in movement, as both quartz and automatic models were created. As for the case, yellow gold was by far the most commonly used material.
Golf Watches: Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultralight
On the occasion of the now historic golf tournament held between August and September at Crans-Montana, Omega unveiled a few years ago an Omega Seamaster model specifically designed for the needs of golfers, having it first worn by the stars associated with them who were participating in the tournament, among them Rory McIlroy.
The watch unveiled is the Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light, made of Titanium Gamma, a special titanium alloy patented by Omega, which allows the watch to weigh only 55 grams, making it even more comfortable to wear due to its design with a crown integrated into the case.
Omega developed the hand-wound caliber 8928 for this timepiece, also constructed primarily of titanium, to achieve high standards of shock resistance for all movement components.
As mentioned, the watch was created specifically for athletes engaged on golf courses, but as Omega is involved in several sports, and the perfect watch for multiple occasions, it is not uncommon to see it on the wrists of other athletes, such as our own Gianmarco Tamberi or Armand Duplantis, for whom a special edition has been created for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Final Thoughts
The world of golf thus turns out to be an excellent engine for innovation in the world of watchmaking, both in the field of design and the creation of new complications, as with the creations of Cartier and Hublot, but also in the purely technical aspect, as with Richard Mille and Omega.
And you, what watch would you wear for an 18-hole round?
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