The 30 Best Watches at the 2026 US Open

There’s something about a major tennis tournament that makes people want to bring out their very best watches. Don’t get us wrong. We’re watching the tennis at the US Open diligently. But if you came here for watches, you’re in the right place.

From the court itself to the grandstands, one can always count on the Open to deliver some of the year’s best sightings, from whichever Rolex is currently on Federer’s wrist to the ultra-lightweight Richard Mille super-watches found both on- and off-court. Just one day into the open and we’ve already spotted pieces from Cartier, Patek Philippe, and a high-end independent. Our favorite thus far? The titanium-cased Porsche Design Chronograph 1 on Orlando Bloom’s wrist.

We’re just getting started here, so be sure to check back in with us regularly over the next couple of weeks to see all the best watches from the 2026 US Open.

Roger Federer’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual “Jubilee” Dial

Typically, the watches worn during actual play are the sci-fi-esque ultra-light ones. Not so for Roger Federer’s Oyster Perpetual ref. 134300, the 41mm version of this year’s colorful “Jubilee” dial model. Though its stainless steel case and matching bracelet certainly add a bit of heft to one’s wrist, this didn’t stop the world’s most strapping Rolex ambassador from keeping it on during a practice match against Lorenzo Musetti at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The piece celebrating 100 years of the brand’s flagship Oyster Perpetual model features one of the Crown’s most playful dials: a grid of multi-colored tiles spelling out the brand’s name. The model is one of the most hyped pieces of the year and since deliveries started going out over the past couple of months, it’s been spotted on everyone from Lionel Messi to Ed Sheeran. —Oren Hartov

Jimmy Fallon’s Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” ref. 6239

Fallon out-Daytonas everyone else in the field with the beloved “Paul Newman” variant of the Daytona. Paul Newman-style Daytonas are known for their blocky lettering and the contrasting outer ring that runs around the edge of the dial. These specific versions of the chronograph watch are named after the actor because he wore and helped make them iconic in the ‘80s. The piece he owned sold for $17.8 million in 2017 and is still the most expensive vintage wristwatch ever sold at auction. Within the Paul Newman version of the Daytona, there are several variants: Fallon’s ref. 6239 is the one the actor wore and considered the “starter Newman.” —Cam Wolf

Carlos Alcaraz’s Rolex Daytona “Le Mans”

Alcaraz wears one of the most coveted versions, short of a one-of-one, of the Daytona that Rolex has created this century. The “Le Mans” was made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 24-hour endurance race, and Rolex produced editions in stainless steel as well as yellow and rose gold. Each was made for just one year. —CW

Alexander Zverev’s Jacob & Co. ‘The World Is Yours’ Dual Time Zone Tourbillon

Following his victory against Ben Shelton in four sets to win his second career Grand Slam, German player Alexander Zverev smooched the US Open Singles Championship Trophy while wearing the Jacob & Co. ‘The World Is Yours’ Dual Time Zone Tourbillon. Inspired by a vintage Wakmann dual-time watch given to him by his father at age 13, Jacob Arabo conceived of the Dual Time Zone as a modern version for contemporary travelers. Zverev’s take puts a 30-second tourbillon front-and-center in the form of a compass rose, with the main and secondary time zone displays in Arabic and Roman numerals flanking it at 12 and 6 o’clock.

Jalen Brunson’s Patek Philippe Aquanaut

Local hero Jalen Brunson swapped out his trusty Rolex Day-Date for a more casual but equally beloved model this week: the Patek Philippe Aquanaut. Though it often plays second fiddle to the wildly popular Nautilus, the sporty, youthful Aquanaut is equally adept at turning heads in a crowd—especially when it comes to Brunson’s ref. 5168-010. With its white-gold case and khaki-green embossed dial, it’s instantly recognizable from across the room, and tends to attract a celebrity clientele. Paired to a matching green rubber strap, it works even better when its wearer is fully decked out in earth tones, as Brunson was during the women’s singles final. —OH

Brad Pitt’s Patek Philippe ref. 2526

Nothing like a polo, jeans, a backwards hat, and a casual Patek Philippe ref. 2526 to complete a perfect US Open outfit. The legendary 2526 is, for good reason, catnip to vintage watch snobs: produced in the 1950s, it was not only powered by Patek’s first automatic movement, the cal. 12-600AT, but also came in several beautiful dial variants. Amongst the nerd set, the most beloved of these is no doubt the type that Brad Pitt wore to the Open. The actor’s version features a white enamel dial made by Stern Freres, the very same dial-maker family that purchased a controlling stake in the brand back in the 1930s. (And that oversaw the launch of the beloved ref. 96.)

Future’s Patek Philippe Nautilus

Rolex took the early rounds but the Patek Philippe pieces piled up during the late stages of the tournament. Future likewise felt the urge to rep the Genevan maison by strapping on the Nautilus ref. 5980R-001, a 2010s-era version of the luxury-sports watch phenomenon paired with a leather strap. Executed in pink gold, it features a smoky brown gradient dial and flyback chronograph functionality courtesy of an automatic Patek Philippe movement. However, unlike most conventional chronos, this one’s functions are collected with a single, oversized totalizer visible at 6 o’clock, giving the user access to a 12-hour register as well as a 30-minute/60-minute register. —OH

Travis Scott’s Richard Mille RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon

Richard Mille took two seemingly opposite inspirations for this watch: the look of the ocean and Gothic architecture. It sounds like it wouldn’t work, but it looks like something prized from a sunken treasure chest in the hidden city of Atlantis. —CW

John Mulaney’s Timex Marlin

While many of the watches on display at the US Open have been of the prohibitively expensive, waitlist-required variety, a few inspired celebs like Mulaney have proved that watches don’t need to cost tens of thousands of dollars to fit in at Arthur Ashe Stadium. (See also: AJ Dybantsa, the top pick from this year’s NBA Draft, below.) Before I started enhance, enhance, enhance-ing on the comedian’s wrist, I would have sworn it was something more expensive. The Timex’s pretty white dial and green leather strap belie its three-figure price tag. That Mulaney was able to identify such a tasteful, affordable piece is no surprise given his burgeoning Watch God credentials.—CW

Kaia Gerber’s Panthère de Cartier

Kaia Gerber showed up in proper form: black dress, matching shades, and yellow gold Panthère de Cartier in its “mini” size. Launched as a watch collection in the early 1980s, the origins of the panther as a Cartier mascot actually extends all the way back to the 1910s. However, if you can’t have an actual panther in your walk-in closet, certainly a lovely gold dress watch on a matching multi-link bracelet will do. A popular choice amongst the “in” crowd—Keith Richards, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, etc.—the Panthère has of late also been spotted on the wrists of Taylor Swift and actor David Jonsson. —OH

Kevin Hart’s Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

A-list watch collector Kevin Hart showed Patek some love via the ref. 2570P-015, the latest version of the brand’s Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. At 41mm in platinum, it’s worlds larger than its 1940s ancestor, the ref. 1518. But it’s also a significantly more capable model, with a movement featuring six patents and up to 65 hours of power reserve. And rather than the more classically-leaning black or salmon-colored dials of earlier variants, this one features a contemporary-feeling anthracite-grey sunburst dial with a black gradient and faceted white-gold obus indices.

Carmelo Anthony Rolex Sky-Dweller

Melo’s Sky-Dweller was designed as the luxury counterpart to Rolex’s iconic GMT-Master. If the GMT was designed for pilots, the Sky-Dweller is for those sitting in the cushy passenger seats of a PJ.—CW

Anthony Mackie’s Rolex Land-Dweller

At some point, the US Open starts to feel like the Rolex store version of Sleep No More. Attendees are immersed in the full breadth of the catalog via living, breathing display cases—a.k.a. celebrities—ready to show off the Crown’s latest wares. Mackie even got to rock the new, polarizing Land-Dweller.—CW

Orlando Bloom’s Porsche Design Chronograph 1

Porsche enthusiast and Porsche Design brand ambassador Orlando Bloom chose a killer Chronograph One to rock Sunday night during the tourney’s opening day. The actor opted for the recently released titanium-cased, black-dialed 1975 Limited Edition. Though the collection is famous for featuring the world’s first black-cased watch, newer executions have featured metals other than stainless steel and dial colors other than black. Paired to a comfortable bracelet and powered by the automatic, COSC-certified Porsche Design calibre WERK 01.140, the modern Chronograph 1 is lightweight, versatile, and cool-looking. That’s everything you could possibly want out of a driver’s watch. —OH

Who knew that Radke, from my favorite reality show Summer House, had excellent taste in timepieces? While the green Submariners—like the Kermit and Hulk—grab plenty of attention, the all-blue “Smurf” brings just as much color and fun to the wrist. —CW

Adam Pally’s Rolex Daytona ref. 16518

Like many US Opens before it, this one has been dominated by Rolex’s load-bearing Daytona. Each one is distinct and special in its own way. Pally’s distinguishes itself by being the only one to come on a leather strap. —CW

Donna Vekić’s F.P. Journe Élégante

Anytime a watch can be worn during play, it makes it that much cooler. Not that the Élégante needs much help in that department. The quartz watch works in a particularly neat way. Take it off your wrist and drop it on the desk, table, whatever, and it actually stops ticking, but it zooms back into action, and the hands fly into the correct position when you pick it back up. Good news for this piece, especially. It deserves a rest after getting in a workout on the court. —CW

Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk may be just 24, but her taste in watches is well beyond her years. Check out the Aquanaut she wore during play this week. The ref. 5067A-014 features a 36.3mm stainless steel case, a bezel fitted with 46 diamonds, an embossed blue dial with red-fringed cardinal indices, a luminous sword handset, a date window at 3 o’clock, and Patek Philippe’s cal. E23-250 S C quartz movement. While this reference is typically seen on the Nautilus collection’s signature rubber strap, it appears that Kostyuk chose to wear it on some kind of fabric strap. —OH

Duncan Robinson’s Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT

Duncan Robinson: man of the people. While many of his famous cohorts at the Open opted for big-brother brand Rolex, Robinson wore the “Coke” version of the Black Bay GMT with a black-and-red bezel. The watch is entry-level luxury at $5,275, and basically a bargain relative to the other celebrity-worn pieces in the suite section of Arthur Ashe Stadium. —CW

Russell Wilson’s Rolex Day-Date ref. 228238

You thought we were done with the Daytonas? Not in the world Grant Hill’s living in, buddy. After all the exoticism of Fallon, Alcaraz, and Vonn’s pieces, consider Hill’s classic stainless steel version with a black dial as a palate cleanser. —CW

Peyton Watson’s Rolex Day-Date

There are levels when it comes to Rolex’s famously elegant Day-Date, and Watson is playing on god mode. His version of the watch comes with a mother-of-pearl dial and diamond indices.—CW

José Alvarado’s Rolex Daytona

The good thing about the Daytona is that even the under-the-radar versions will register as some of the coolest and most coveted watches in any room. With his silver-dial and black-sub-dial version, Alvarado clearly understood he didn’t need to overdo it with his wristwear.—CW

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