Watches and sport in 2026: Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer and Tudor partnerships and their effect on pre-owned prices

Sport is watchmaking's most visible showcase. A giant clock on Wimbledon's Centre Court, a countdown in Milan's Piazza del Duomo, a watch presented to the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: these images are worth more than an advertising campaign. But does visibility translate into value on the pre-owned market? Here is the state of partnerships in 2026, and what can reasonably be concluded from it.

Who is where in 2026

Rolex: tennis, golf and endurance

Rolex has built the most consistent sporting presence in watchmaking. Its partnership with Wimbledon dates from 1978, and the brand is now associated with all four Grand Slam tournaments, Roland-Garros included. It has been the official watch of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001: each winner receives an engraved Daytona, a link between the endurance race and the brand's chronograph that Rolex carefully maintains. In 2023, for the race's centenary, the brand presented a white gold Daytona nicknamed "Le Mans" (reference 126529LN).

An important change took place in 2025: Rolex, a Formula 1 partner since 2013, handed over its role as official timekeeper to TAG Heuer. The brand remains very present in motorsport through endurance racing.

Omega: Olympic time

Omega has timed the Olympic Games since 1932. The Milan-Cortina Winter Games, in February 2026, were the 32nd edition timed by the brand, with 116 events across eight sports. As at every Olympics, Omega presented commemorative series, including a Seamaster Diver 300M and a Speedmaster 38 in Milan-Cortina colours. The next Summer Olympics are in Los Angeles, in 2028.

For the secondary market, the most lasting effect of the Games is not on the commemorative series, but on the image of precision timing that supports demand for the Speedmaster Moonwatch. See our Speedmaster Moonwatch market value guide.

TAG Heuer: back in Formula 1

TAG Heuer was associated with Formula 1 for decades, before Rolex took over as official timekeeper in 2013. Since the 2025 season, under a ten-year deal concluded by the LVMH group, TAG Heuer is once again official timekeeper. The brand runs its Formula 1 collection there, and motor-racing history also runs through the Carrera, whose name comes from the Carrera Panamericana, and the Monaco, associated with the 1971 film "Le Mans". The Monaco also appears twice in the GPHG 2026 shortlist.

Tudor: a broader strategy

Tudor is multiplying its fields: cycling (official timekeeper of the races organised by RCS Sport, including the Giro d'Italia, since 2023, and of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal), Formula 1 with the Visa Cash App RB team since 2024, football with Inter Miami, ice hockey with the Munich club, and since January 2026 historic rallying with HERO-ERA. This spread targets a younger, more international audience than Rolex's. For the Black Bay and the Pelagos, it sustains awareness without creating a particularly sought-after "sporting" series on the pre-owned market.

What visibility changes for pre-owned

Partnerships are often credited with a power they do not have. Three effects need to be distinguished.

1. Awareness is a foundation, not a price driver. Rolex is not sought after pre-owned because it is at Wimbledon; it is at Wimbledon because it has long maintained an image that the market values. Value retention depends first on production, demand and condition.
2. The media moment does not last. A watch spotted on a champion's wrist prompts searches, rarely a lasting rise in market value.
3. Commemorative series need hindsight. A limited edition tied to a sporting event sometimes trades above retail at release, then joins the value of similar models as pre-owned supply forms. The "Le Mans" Daytona, in white gold and produced in limited volume, is an exception rather than the rule: its link with the race is coupled with the rarity of a gold Daytona. Our Daytona market value guide details the grids by reference.

Reading a listing that invokes sport

Pre-owned listings readily play on the sporting link: "worn at Le Mans", "Games edition", "F1 series". Three checks avoid paying for a story rather than a watch:

• the exact reference: a commemorative series has its own reference or a specific marking on the dial or caseback; without it, it is just a regular model;
• the papers: the warranty card and box of a special edition are part of its value, even more than for a standard model;
• the provenance: a watch that belonged to an athlete is only worth more if that provenance is documented, by an invoice, a certificate or an auction sale.

For a seller, a major event can be a good time to post a listing, simply because the attention is there. For a buyer, it is often the moment when asking prices are at their most optimistic.

Practical information

• Rolex and sport: rolex.com
• Omega and the Olympic Games: omegawatches.com
• TAG Heuer and Formula 1: tagheuer.com
• Tudor and its partnerships: tudorwatch.com
• Next major events: 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, Wimbledon late June – July, Los Angeles Olympic Games in summer 2028.

In short

In 2026, Rolex holds tennis, golf and endurance racing, Omega Olympic timing, TAG Heuer Formula 1, and Tudor ranges from cycling to football. These partnerships sustain the brands' desirability, but the value of a pre-owned watch is decided elsewhere: reference, production, condition, accessories. To find out the real value of yours, calculate its market value.