Pure Luxury – Football Stars and Their Watches
It's not a secret that football stars earn a decent amount of money. But what do they do with it? Well, most well-earning players decide to buy a nice house or flat, some of them even get a luxury car as well. Or two. Or three. Others are humble and celebrate the concept of an understatement. But even the humblest usually doesn't take long to get a luxury watch: Rolex, Tudor, TAG Heuer, Breitling or Hublot.What makes those watches so popular? And can a regular sports fan afford such a piece of luxury as well?
What is so special about watches?
Watches have always been a symbol of wealth and good taste. Back in the time of industrialisation, workers could neither buy nor wear a watch. As the precision mechanics were a lot more sensitive than today, the dirt and dust in the factories would have clogged the clockwork. On another note, watches were far too dangerous at the workplace. Open machinery, a lack of workplace occupational health and safety measures, and quick piecework made it way too probable to get stuck somewhere and seriously hurt.Most workers never even had to question whether a watch might be a good idea, as they couldn't afford one anyway. Watches were reserved for the rich. While watches have become affordable within the past century, extraordinary pieces have remained a strong status symbol.
What does a nice watch tell you about its owner?
Even today, certain watch brands provoke attention, awe, and sometimes even jealousy. Many times, brands pick players as ambassadors for the low-budget collection, in which a watch may still be £10,000 but which addresses a broader target group.Just like jewelry for women, watches are accessories. Even more so today than ever before: Who needs a watch, let alone an analogue one? Most people simply look at their smartphone to find out what time it is. A nice watch like a Rolex Datejust or Oyster Perpetual flatters its carrier's wrist and attracts glances. Connoisseurs usually know about the value of a nice watch. Others admire its beauty and the lifestyle that it seems to be selling. Most people will never wear a 1.6 million luxury watch by Franck Müller as Cristiano Ronaldo does, of course.
Broad Collection of Luxury Watches
Many wealthy people, who always go for the latest edition of their favourite watch, sometimes sell their old one. As with most luxury pieces, those watches have hardly been worn, responsibly maintained, and treated with care. That makes second-hand pieces as good as new. At the same time, the price is lower than for a brand-new watch. Of course, luxury watches like Breitling, TAG Heuer, and Rolex don't suffer a big loss of value, which means that even second-hand pieces, for instance, a pre-owned Rolex at Chrono24, will never be what most people would describe as cheap. If you'd like to have a luxury watch like your favourite football player, you should consider it an investment – not cheap, but durable and stable in value. When getting a new or pre-owned watch, you pay your money into a trust fund.Ambassadors and Official Timekeepers
Football players and their teams are the perfect target group for manufacturers of luxury watches. That is why brands like Hublot don't simply provide teams with scoreboards, but also with watches. Other companies close a deal with a single player to make him their ambassador for a product that matches him and his lifestyle perfectly. Something that provokes the wish in his fans to emulate their role model. Don't we all know the posts on social media that show football stars' hands on the steering wheel, featuring a nice watch and a fast car?