The 2026 US Open watches on display at Arthur Ashe Stadium have ranged from a three-figure Timex to platinum Patek Philippe complications, and the tournament is already shaping up as one of the richest single-venue watch-spotting events of the year.
From the Court to the Grandstands: The Best 2026 US Open Watches
Roger Federer kept his Rolex on during a practice match against Lorenzo Musetti at Arthur Ashe Stadium, not one of the sci-fi ultra-lights typically favoured during play, but the stainless steel Oyster Perpetual ref. 134300. The 41mm model carries one of the brand’s most playful dials: a grid of multi-coloured tiles spelling out the Rolex name to mark 100 years of the Oyster Perpetual line. Deliveries have only recently begun going out, and the piece has already been spotted on Lionel Messi and Ed Sheeran.
Jimmy Fallon arrived with what may be the single most talked-about vintage piece at the tournament: a Rolex Daytona in the beloved Paul Newman configuration, ref. 6239. Paul Newman-style Daytonas carry blocky lettering and a contrasting outer ring on the dial, made iconic when the actor wore the reference himself in the 1980s. The piece Newman personally owned sold for $17.8 million in 2017, still the most expensive vintage wristwatch ever sold at auction. The ref. 6239 is the specific variant Newman wore, considered the so-called “starter Newman” within the family.
Carlos Alcaraz went further still with the Rolex Daytona “Le Mans,” produced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 24-hour endurance race and made for just one year, in stainless steel, yellow gold, and rose gold editions.
Alexander Zverev was wearing his Jacob & Co. ‘The World Is Yours’ Dual Time Zone Tourbillon when he claimed the US Open Singles Championship, kissing the trophy with the piece on his wrist. The watch features a 30-second tourbillon in the form of a compass rose, with main and secondary time zone displays in Arabic and Roman numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock respectively. Jacob Arabo conceived the design as a modern take on a vintage Wakmann dual-time watch given to him by his father at age 13.
2026 US Open Watches: The Patek Philippe Pile-Up
Patek Philippe made a strong showing across the fortnight. Jalen Brunson swapped his usual Rolex Day-Date for the Patek Philippe Aquanaut ref. 5168-010, a white-gold-cased piece with a khaki-green embossed dial and matching rubber strap. Brad Pitt arrived with a vintage ref. 2526 from the 1950s, powered by Patek’s first automatic movement and featuring a white enamel dial made by Stern Frères, the dial-making family that purchased a controlling stake in the brand in the 1930s. Kevin Hart brought the brand’s Perpetual Calendar Chronograph ref. 2570P-015: 41mm in platinum, with six patented functions, up to 65 hours of power reserve, and a contemporary anthracite-grey sunburst dial.
Marta Kostyuk wore her Aquanaut ref. 5067A-014 during play, a 36.3mm stainless steel case, a bezel set with 46 diamonds, an embossed blue dial with red-fringed cardinal indices, and a quartz movement. She appeared to have swapped the usual rubber strap for a fabric alternative.
On the more accessible end, Duncan Robinson wore the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT in the “Coke” configuration, black-and-red bezel and all. At $5,275 it is relatively modest company in a suite section that also contained Ronaldo’s platinum F.P. Journe Automatique Lune “Boutique Edition,” a navy blue guilloché-dialled piece with a single-barrel automatic movement delivering roughly five days of power reserve. A unidirectional winding rotor means even small wrist movements help keep it wound. John Mulaney, meanwhile, proved the point entirely with a Timex Marlin: white dial, green leather strap, and a three-figure price tag that fooled more than a few seasoned eyes across the stadium.
Orlando Bloom, a Porsche Design brand ambassador, wore the recently released Chronograph 1 in a titanium case with black dial and COSC-certified Porsche Design calibre WERK 01.140 on opening day, the pick of the tournament so far for sheer wrist presence at the lighter end of the weight spectrum. Richard Mille also featured prominently, with Travis Scott wearing the RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon, a piece that took the look of the ocean and Gothic architecture as its twin reference points.
The tournament runs for a couple of weeks, and the watch sightings are still accumulating. Federer’s Jubilee-dial Oyster Perpetual and Zverev’s Jacob & Co. tourbillon are the two to beat, but with this field, expect the wrist check to keep getting harder.
