The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now in full swing as the group stage section of the tournament begins to wind down. So far, there have been records broken, an awful lot of hydration breaks and the usual England related highs and lows.
Which makes it the perfect time to look at the past and present of football inspired watches which span the height of horology to more novelty mass-produced items and just about everything in between. Given how important time is to the game as there is no countdown clock, it’s only fitting that the best and brightest of the watch world pay tribute to the quirks of the most popular sport on planet Earth.
It’s also a two-way relationship as it’s hard to find a footballer who doesn’t love a fine timepiece. Some, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, have even designed lines of their own, while others, like Harry Kane, have been known to use watches to send a message.
While some of these pieces may be rarer than an England major tournament victory, they are all fitting watches for football fans. Check them out below.
Richard Mille RM 41-01 Tourbillon
You will need a footballer’s salary to bring this one home as Richard Mille’s RM 41-01 Tourbillon retails for north of $1 million but the recently released watch is about as bold as you can get. For that seven figure price, the wearer gets a proper football timer, meaning it would work perfectly to referee an actual game while there is also a counter that tracks the score of the game. Both features are, unsurprisingly, new developments for Richard Mille and the watch spent five years being worked on in their factory. In true Richard Mille style, no stone has been left unturned and the dial even features a display for extra time.
Omega FIFA Referees Timer
Brought out in 1979, this watch was built on a Seamaster model brought out a decade before by Omega that allowed the wearer to track minutes. The FIFA Referees Timer model was developed from the work on the legendary NASA watches and the yellow and blue dial makes it very easy to track the time with a clear designation if a game goes to extra time. The watch also features the FIFA logo and can be found for a very reasonable price on the open market.
Diego Maradona Mystery Dial
I couldn’t have told you Diego Maradona had his own line of watches but there we go… pic.twitter.com/RVVDWAGyl2
— AS Roma Collection (@ASRomaMatchworn) December 21, 2024
Manufactured at the height of the Argentinian football icon’s mid-80s peak, Maradona may have been a Rolex man through and through but this quartz watch is really something beguiling. As unorthodox as the forward himself, the dial features neither hands or hourmarkers, instead using two rotating disks and coloured dots to tell the time. The avant-garde dial also features Maradona’s signature but that’s about it on the minimalist design. However, the strap is printed with the Napoli legend’s name and the caseback is also engraved with Maradona’s signature.
Breitling “Slow Chronograph” Soccer Timer
Much like the aforementioned Omega, Breitling took a well known model, in this case the SuperOcean, and gave it a quirky update so that it can double as football match timer. Featuring no seconds hand with the large hand actually used to indicate minutes, the unique chronograph has become something of a collector’s item, especially as not many of these were sold when they were released in the 1970’s. As well as serving to function to time a football match, the model also doubles as a pocket watch with the inner unit completely removable.
Swatch Chrono “Goooal”
In celebration of France hosting the World Cup in 1998, a tournament the home nation would end up winning, Swatch brought out a plastic watch that paid tribute to all things football culture. Appropriately “Goooal” is printed on the childlike strap while the dial features three subdials and a date window with one of the subdials charmingly doubling as a football. Finding these on the pre-owned market is something of a challenge but when they come up, they can be snagged for a far cheaper than expected price and are a retro throwback to 90’s product tie-ins.
Norqain Adventure Chrono Swiss Football National Team
The Switzerland football team look all but set to progress to the next stage of the World Cup. How deep they can go is anybody’s guess but while they are in the USA, they will be one of the more stylish teams at the championships. This is in part due to their official partnership with relatively new watch brand Norqain, who developed a limited edition watch in collaboration with members of the national team. The green dial features the markings of a football pitch while the red accent is, of course, the colour of the Swiss team’s home shirts. The seconds dial is also a football which is an appropriate quirk for this stylish and modern piece.
Jacob & Co x CR7 Epic X Heart of CR7
Ronaldo all over. The Epic X Heart of CR7 is Cristiano Ronaldo-themed, front and back. His body, his signature, his jersey, his iconic after-score pose, Jacob & Co. captured all of it in a single collaboration-born timepiece. pic.twitter.com/4tmmpBaV3q
— Jacob&Co (@_Jacobandco) April 25, 2023
It’s only right that Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the biggest watch collectors in the game today, has his own line of watch with Jacob & Co. a brand he has long championed. Ronaldo’s collection takes the Epic X model and gives it a personal touch for fans of the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend. The Heart of CR7 watch features an engraved image of Ronaldo celebrating after scoring for Real Madrid and it’s also the logo the footballer uses for his CR7 companies. Launched in 2022, the pieces on the more affordable end of the Jacob & Co. ladder despite still selling for around £30,000.
La Gruyere 1966 World Cup Willie
Even among the raft of highly desirable memorabilia from the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the La Gruyere watches that were produced as samples but never made it to market are still right at the top of the list. Only a handful still exist and the watches feature either beloved mascot World Cup Willie or the Jules Rimet Trophy on the dial. Despite a huge amount of tie-in merchandise released for the 1966 World Cup in England, no official watch was ever made though numerous bootleg versions have made their way onto the market in the decades since. It is believed these watches never entered production due to cost concerns.
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