Though 2025 wasn’t an Olympic year, it was still memorable through the eyes of a sports fan. There were the major annual events, such as the Super Bowl LIX, the Tour de France, the UCI Road World Championship in Rwanda, the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the big golf tournaments, and the World Athletic Championships. And let’s not forget Formula 1, which saw a nail-biting season finale between Richard Mille and TAG Heuer — sorry, I mean Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, of course.
It seems like a lifetime ago, but on February 9th, 2025, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts walked into the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1R-001. After leaving the pink gold watch in the locker room, he delivered an MVP-worthy performance and, with his team, beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40–22. Patek Philippe didn’t sponsor Hurts, but his watch is still worth mentioning. This season, Breitling is the official timing partner of the NFL, meaning the brand presents custom timepieces to select winners, including those from Super Bowl LIX and the NFL Honors.
Breitling Endurance Pro 44 NFL San Francisco 49ers Edition
Watches on the podium in 2025 — Breitling scores a touchdown
The Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl LIX winners, including the Patek-wearing MVP, received a 59-piece Classic Avi Chronograph 42 limited edition in 18K red gold to commemorate their triumph. The watch features a dial in the Eagles’ Midnight Green color and the team mascot on the running seconds register.
Jalen Hurts wearing the Breitling Classic Avi Chronograph 42
On the solid red gold case back is the Super Bowl LIX logo. But you don’t have to throw the winning touchdown pass to own an American-football-themed Breitling. The Grenchen-based brand also launched the NFL Team collection, inspired by all 32 NFL teams, which is available for purchase.
Janik Sinner at Wimbledon
Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open
Four Rolex aces in a row
Even before the Super Bowl, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament took place in Melbourne. The Australian Open champion was Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who also won Wimbledon and reached all four finals. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open and US Open for his second and third career majors. Both Alcaraz and Sinner are Rolex Testimonees, and The Crown is the official timekeeper of the four major tournaments.
Coco Gauff at Roland Garros
Iga Świątek at Wibledon
In the women’s tournaments, the titles were shared among Madison Keys (Australian Open), who doesn’t have a watch sponsor, Rolex Testimonee Coco Gauff (French Open), Rolex Testimonee Iga Świątek (Wimbledon), and Audemars Piguet ambassador Aryna Sabalenka (US Open).
The Open winner Scottie Scheffler
Rolex in golf and motorsport
Rolex is also big in golf and sponsors prestigious tournaments, like The Masters, the US Open, and The Open Championship. Only the title at the last one went to a Rolex Testimonee, Scottie Scheffler. Omega ambassador Rory McIlroy won The Masters, and Rolex wearer but not Testimonee J. J. Spaun won the US Open.
Rolex has been the official timepiece of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) since 2016. This makes the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans another Rolex event. LVMH outbid Rolex for the position of Formula 1’s official timekeeper, but The Crown is still a part of one of the most momentous yearly events in motorsport.
The watch and trophy — which would you pick?
Rolex Daytona “Le Mans” ref. 126500LN
This year’s winner of a coveted Daytona “Le Mans” was the privately entered AF Corse Ferrari #83 with drivers Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson behind the wheel. The yellow 499P hypercar, sponsored by Richard Mille, beat Porsche by 14 seconds and the factory Ferrari #51 that came in third.
Richard Mille wins big time
The Formula 1 crown also went to Richard Mille. McLaren won the team title, and Lando Norris won his first F1 title.
Richard Mille RM 72-01 White Ceramic
He beat the four-time world champion Max Verstappen by just two points. Lando’s lucky charm to pull it off was his white ceramic Richard Mille RM 72-01.
Mathieu van der Poel with his RM 67-02 on an orange strap
Richard Mille was also successful on two wheels. This year, Mathieu van der Poel became a brand ambassador. He wore his RM 67-02 on an orange strap on the podium’s highest step after quite a few races. His 2025 achievements include major Classics wins, such as Milano-San Remo, E3 Saxo Classic, and Paris-Roubaix, as well as a stage win in the Tour de France (Stage 2) and his seventh Cyclocross World Title.
UAE Team Emirates cyclist wearing the Richard Mille RM 67-02
UAE Team Emirates has a watch sponsor in Richard Mille. As a result, team members get to wear the RM 67-02. The 32g watch, made of TPT composite materials and Grade 5 titanium, certainly didn’t hinder the team in booking a record-breaking 2025 season, securing 97 wins.
Tadej Pogačar wearing his RM 67-02 on a yellow-jersey-matching strap
The star of the team, Slovenian Tadej Pogačar, won his fourth Tour de France, successfully defended his World Title. He also won the European Championship, three Monuments (Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Tour of Lombardy), and the Strade Bianche. Pogačar ended the season with 20 victories, which earned him the Vélo d’Or. On his wrist was often the same watch as his biggest rival in the Classics, Matthieu van der Poel, but with a black case and a yellow strap.
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis wearing a titanium Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Ultra Light
Track and field with Omega
With Seiko as its official timekeeper, the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo saw Omega ambassadors Noah Lyles, Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, and Femke Bol take home gold medals. Lyles and Bol won the 200m and 400m sprints, respectively. Duplantis set yet another world record, bringing him the gold medal by pole vaulting over 6.3 meters. Even during competition, they all wear the titanium Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Ultra Light, either the regular reference 220.92.41.21.06.001 with red details or, in Mondo’s case, the reference 220.92.41.21.03.002, the Mondo Duplantis Edition, featuring a lot of Swedish yellow and blue.
The car that won the 2025 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the AF Corse Ferrari 499P #83
Watches on the podium in 2025 — Final thoughts
Can we pronounce Richard Mille the winner of this year’s very arbitrary and unofficial “Most Winning Watch Brand 2025 Award,” or do you have other thoughts? Also, there were many more big and important sports events, of course, so if I missed your favorite sport, I apologize. However, please feel free to share your watch-related sports highlight of 2025 in the comments section below.