Watches Spotted Both On and Off the Court at the 2020 Australian Open

The 2020 Australian Open is well underway in Melbourne and we have seen some major upsets in the first week of the tournament. Serena Williams was knocked out in three sets to China’s Qiang Wang. This leaves Williams still chasing a record-equalling 24^th Grand Slam title. Fifteen-year-old American teenage sensation Coco Gauff knocked out Japanese defending champion Naomi Osaka, in straight sets. In terms of watches, there were some interesting pieces on and off the court.

Serena Williams brought back her customized left-handed quartz Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. #67540OK.ZZ.A010CA.01, which she wore on the left wrist during her matches.

Naomi Osaka is sponsored by Citizen and wore a new limited-edition Citizen Eco-Drive “Naomi Osaka Model” with a 36mm titanium case, blue dial and a yellow rubber strap, which Osaka chose as it resembles the colour of a tennis ball.

Croatian player Donna Vekic, who is sponsored by F.P. Journe, wore a 40mm titanium F.P. Journe Elégante with two rows of diamonds on the bezel adorned with a pink rubber strap. The Elégante can “go to sleep” when it is taken off the wrist and put away. It keeps track of the time, while in this mode and once put back on the wrist, it will automatically adjust itself to the correct time.

Danish player and former world number 1, Caroline Wozniacki announced before the 2020 Australian Open that she would be retiring after the tournament. She was knocked out of the tournament in the third round. Wozniacki is a Rolex Testimonee and sported a Rolex Datejust reference 116189 after the match. This is a 36mm Datejust in 18k white gold, with 60 diamonds on the bezel and 120 diamonds on the dial. The rubber strap is also adorned with 10 diamonds. The watch is nicknamed the “Zebra” because of the contrasting dial, which resembles the markings on a Zebra.

The most notable watch worn by a lady at the 2020 Australian Open was off the court and seen on the wrist of Mirka Federer, the wife of 20 Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer.

Mrs Federer has worn a wide variety of Rolex timepieces, some with heavy price tags, due to the inclusion of precious metals and gemstones. The latest timepiece on her wrist has seen a massive surge in popularity in recent times, due to its scarceness.

The model on her wrist was a reference 116599RBOW Cosmograph Daytona in 18k white gold. The RBOW part of the reference code refers to the thirty-six baguette sapphires on the bezel, which are in the colours of the rainbow. In addition to the sapphires, the hour markers on the dial are diamonds and the lugs and crown have also been embellished with diamonds. This makes the 40mm timepiece stand out on the wrist.