So I'm a former DII College player and still play with college guys every now and then. A tennis junkie, if you may. As someone who has always been into watches as well, I always find it interesting to see what players are wearing ranging from Nadal's uber expensive Richard Mille to Djokovic's Seiko (and off course Federer's long standing affiliation with Rolex). I can pretty much tell you what top players are wearing at the moment. Hublot, AP, Rolex, Rado, Seiko - have seen them all on a few players. And I mean, I know they are sponsored so it can not really be said they wear it for the love of it, but still. Why is it that Omega is missing? I admittedly have zero knowledge of how big Omega is from a business perspective (earnings, sales etc) but I always counted it in top brands. I recall reading that Johnny Mac was once linked with Omega's Titanium range watches but that was short lived and was post retirement if I am not mistaken. That and Mac was before my time too and I don't think relatively younger players care that much about tennis scene from the 80s. So anyway, cutting it all short, anyone know why Omega has not dived into the tennis scene? Do they have a different marketing model where they aren't into sports maybe? Well that cant be true because I have seen them as sponsors for some events Cheers
Maybe Omega’s marketing department just go a different way focusing on Space ( Speedmaster) and Bond (Seamaster) Regarding Sport.....being the Official Time Keepers of the Olympic Games is a pretty big deal. I don’t know much about Tennis but Wimbledon has been sponsored by Rolex for as long as I can remember so perhaps the Swatch Group steer clear of Tennis.
I know Omega sponsors golf and has several ambassadors like Rory and Sergio along with some Aqua Terra's specific to golf. I believe all of the Ryder Cup players received a special edition Ryder Cup Aqua Terra this year as Omega was a main sponsor. I don't know why they don't sponsor any tennis players.
Aqua Terra works well for golf, since the ball will be on the grass or in the water hazard. Not sure which Omega could represent tennis, but my best guess would be a pocketwatch?
I think that’s because Olympics and golf aside, Omega wants to build an image that goes in a direct line from the space program: luxury combined with action and adventure. Hence the James Bond product placements and marketing associations, sailing sponsorships... Bobsleigh kind of fits that too. Tennis does not really fit that.... But another reason may also be because in the Swatch group the tennis sponsorships have been associated with the Longines brand - which has forever timed the French open, has Andre Agassi as one of its ambassadors. All of which serves the Longines brand segment of “elegance” and “tradition”. If the Swatch Group wants to keep its various brands alive it needs to preserve some level of differentiation.
Why not Speedy? A tool watch that is reliable and a workhorse? I can see it given the hours of practice and training professional level tennis players put in. The watch doesn't have to specifically relate to tennis too, tbh. I mean Stan Wawrinka plays wearing AP Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chrono and Rafael Nadal wears a RM27 attributes of which are light weight and durable (can withstand 5000G of force). And 99% don't even wear theirs on court - just after matches. Like Federer, Coric, Murray, Djokovic and many others wear theirs after matches in player interviews etc just for brand presence. In sports apparel. I'm sure Omega can fit in there somewhere if they wanted.
Some very good points. But tennis has evolved a lot over the years and the elegance and tradition elements are not what solely define the game anymore. There can always be more room to spread out brand presence from a marketing perspective. I mean I have seen Omega partly sponsor so many lower level tournaments as well (challengers and Futures level) not just Grand Slams like Longiness does for French Open at Rolland Garros.
I just read the Swatch Group's 2017 financial statement. CHF$755M in net income on CHF7.96B in sales. Omega (presumably a fraction of the $755M in net income) pays $100M to sponsor the Olympic Games (which it looks like they'll be doing until at least the year 2032). Alas, money does not grow on trees, and athletes can be expensive. They just have to draw the line somewhere.
I guess you can't have every piece of the pie. At least they have the Olympics. For all I can remember, all the clocks I've seen at major airports are always Rolex.
Longines is the official timekeeper of the French Open and Andre Agassi. I bet that that different groups within Swatch stick to certain areas with little overlap. Funny story about Andre. My wife’s best friend from college is a huge Andre Agassi fan. A gentleman I was acquainted with had an autographed picture of Andre behind his desk. I asked him if he ever wanted to sell it to give me first crack. I explained it was for my wife’s best friend. He asked me her name and actually had Andre Agassi sign a picture “To Xxxx, and was signed Andre Agassi. Her husbands picture was replaced on the mantle the day she received it.
I've posted this before, but for those who missed it Longines is also a sponsor of World Archery (a.k.a. FITA)… So Longines adverts are commonly seen at Archery World Cups for example... I do think that there is a different focus with the Swatch group brands, and as noted money doesn't grow on trees, so although I play many hours of tennis a week and watch tournaments all the time (in person and on TV) the fact that Omega isn't there doesn't bother me at all. In the end I couldn't care less what watch a tennis player (or any other athlete really) is wearing...I'm not watching them for their watches.
Bet the change left over from the Olympics and America,s ----- sorry New Zealand's cup doesn't leave much. I'm with @Archer and don't care who wears what. Funny as I would watch a Bourne movie in black and white without sound before any Bond film.........
I think accuracy/precision would also be a good tie in... Sorry for the quality - this was taken a number of years ago...
For Archer: did Ulysses wore a Longines at Ithaca? I wonder if a watch would have disturbed him when bending his bow and kiiling the pretendors. Your professional thoughts?
