All things end, and on Sunday, January 24, so did Aaron Rodgers’ Super Bowl hopes. After going head to head with Tom Brady’s Buccaneers, it came down to time: Settling for a field goal with around four minutes left in the game, the 15-year Green Bay Packer would never make it back on the field to rally his team for one last drive. But if there’s any consolation, it’s that the following day, Monday, Rodgers was announced as the latest of Swiss watchmaker Zenith’s ambassadors.
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“Football is a game of precision,” Rodgers said in the company’s announcement. “You have to spend time learning and studying. It’s not just running down the field as fast as you can or throwing the balls as far as you can.”
Zenith, for its part, has got to be thrilled to sign Rodgers, who’s an all-American name and no stranger to national brand partnerships, including with Adidas, Bose, State Farm Insurance, and more. The relationship is bound to garner greater awareness in the states, as the Swiss watchmaker can claim a history dating back to the nineteenth century, but it’s often overshadowed by other luxury timepiece brands in parent company LVMH’s stable, which include Hublot and TAG Heuer.
Football greats such as Rodgers are in growing demand by luxury watchmakers, which can use them to expand into the American market. Opposing QB Brady announced a relationship with IWC in 2019, previously representing TAG Heuer; Eli Manning was with Citizen; and Hublot is a sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys (with a $25,000 watch to boot). These strategic partnerships, while unique in professional football, are common in many worldwide sports, including English and European football, tennis, sailing, and others. The mere fact that these brands press into the space suggests a growing international respect for American professional football and its fanbase.
It’s rare that athletes or celebrities release models with watchmakers, and Rodgers is no exception. In many of the photos that accompanied the announcement, he wears the Zenith Chronomaster Sport, which features an updated version of the company’s legendary precision chronograph movement from 1969. Other noteworthy features include a power reserve of 60 hours and a black ceramic bezel etched to mark each passing 1/10th of a second. It retails online and at retailers for $10,000 (yes, you read that correctly).
While the Super Bowl looms ahead on February 7 between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, Rodgers himself has plenty of time to rest, repair, and prepare for the next season. With his latest sponsorship through Zenith, we can guarantee he’ll be able to precisely count the seconds.
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