Watch this: The winning timepieces you couldn't miss at this year's US Open

The US Open has become a must-see event for luxury watch fans eager to spot who's wearing what. Quaid Walker, CEO of the watch marketplace Bezel, picks out this year's standout models — from Zverev's Jacob & Co to Alcaraz's Daytona, not forgetting the Patek on Brad Pitt's wrist. Alexander Zverev may now well be mulling over that old saying that time heals all wounds. Four years ago he faced a lengthy time off-court after horrifically tearing his ankle ligaments during the French Open semi-final match against Rafael Nadal. This year's not over yet but it's undoubtedly been the most successful period of the German tennis champion's career as he celebrates lifting two Grand Slam titles. On Sunday night as he lifted the US Open trophy in New York, Zverev had one eye on the time back on the old continent too, as he brandished a Jacob & Co "The World Is Yours" Dual Time Zone Tourbillon — a piece with two sub-dials for a second time zone. Luxury watch brands have been competing hard to be in the winner's photo for decades, and the final at Flushing Meadows is no exception. "The Open gets covered as a watch-spotting event in its own right", says Quaid Walker, CEO of Bezel, one of the world's leading platforms for buying and selling luxury watches. "Zverev played the tournament in a skeletonized Epic X on an elastic band and changed into this for the trophy, which has become a small ritual of sorts among players with watch sponsorships." "The point of the swap is to be seen, and few watches are built to be seen like this one, with a globe-shaped dial and a tourbillon running at its center. It's a sight to behold, which is essentially the whole idea", adds Walker. The watch's globe-shaped dial is detailed right down to the mountain ranges and coastlines. At its centre, a so-called 30-second tourbillon spins twice as fast as a standard one — and it made waves last year at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. Alcaraz brings out the collector's holy grail Even though it did not lift the cup, Rolex — official watchmaker of the four Grand Slams and by far the watch brand most assossiated to tennis — stole the show during the entire event. The Spanish defending champion Carlos Alcaraz crossed the Atlantic wearing the Rolex Daytona "Le Mans," launched to mark the 100th anniversary of the French endurance race in 2023. That "100" printed in red on the black Cerachrom bezel is enough to send collectors into a frenzy — the watch now fetches over €200,000 on the second-hand market. "Even when it was in production, you likely couldn't get your hands on one. These went exclusively to the brand's most established clients, with sub-single-year production runs per metal prior to discontinuation", Walker recalls. The brand with the crown signed the Spaniard in January 2022, just months before he won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open aged 19 and became the youngest player to ever top the ATP ranking. His comeback, however, from a troublesome wrist injury lay off was halted when he was narrowly beaten in the semis by home favourite Ben Shelton. Federer showcases 2026's ultimate Rolex Although Shelton went on to lose in the final against Zverev, he cemented his place as one of Rolex's newest crown jewels alongside the brand's roster of "Testimonees" which now includes former US Open winners Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, and of course Roger Federer. The Swiss tennis legend, who retired in 2022, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame during this year's US Open, and chose the prestigious occasion to sport Rolex's latest, most colourful creation, the Oyster Perpetual 41 "Jubilee" — one of the most hyped watches of 2026. "Since around 2020, the dial has overwhelmingly influenced the value of an Oyster Perpetual. The original lacquer colors did it first, the Celebration motif pushed it further, and the Jubilee is its most extreme version yet, with ten colours pad-printed in sequence. It's undeniably the OP to have right now, a fact reinforced by its presence on Federer's wrist," says Walker. Vekić and Kostyuk bring independents courtside Two women players really let their wrist do the talking at the tournament. When Croatia's Donna Vekić was knocked out in the second round by world number 29 Ann Li, she was wearing an FP Journe — one of the most sought-after independent brands among watchonistas. The titanium Elégante's electromechanical movement has a quirky trick: it stops ticking when at rest, then wakes itself up and resets to the correct time the moment it senses movement on your wrist. That gives it remarkable battery life — 8 to 10 years with daily wear. Another eye-catching piece was a Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce as blue as the Flushing Meadows' acrylic hard courts. This 36mm steel watch, its bezel set with 46 diamonds, was worn by Marta Kostyuk. Kostyuk was knocked out in the fourth round, but still walked away with a major milestone to celebrate. The Ukrainian will break into the WTA Top 10 on Monday, joining her compatriot Elina Svitolina in making Ukrainian tennis history. Celebrity watch time Up in the stands, brands made the most of the tournament to put on a show. "The Open is three weeks of tennis in New York, and the good seats are on camera for hours at a stretch. No other American sporting event gives you that kind of sustained view of who's there and what they're wearing. What ends up on a wrist in those seats is a decision now," notes Walker. Among the standout pieces: model Kaia Gerber wore a Cartier Panthère in yellow gold, in its "mini" size — a watch that costs roughly 100 times less than the RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire sported by rapper Travis Scott, estimated at more than €2 million. "Scott has his own Audemars Piguet, a brown ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar he designed with the brand in 2023, so it says something that this is what he reached for instead. A sapphire-cased flying tourbillon is the brand at its most technical and least apologetic," according to Walker. The Flying Tourbillon, a hallmark of Richard Mille, was incarnated in the tennis world by Rafael Nadal, who wore it during his final appearance at Roland-Garros in 2024. Actor Brad Pitt, meanwhile, turned up wearing one of Swiss watchmaking's true classics: the Patek Philippe reference 2526, Calatrava model, valued at between €200,000 and €350,000 on the second-hand market. "The 2526 houses Patek Philippe's first automatic caliber, the 12-600AT, which is still held in high regard. Its reputation rests as much on the design, where enamel against warm gold produces a delicate quality that's tough to beat. That same enamel doesn't forgive age or poor service, so clean examples have thinned considerably over 70 years. It's great to see one being worn on a bracelet rather than tucked away in a safe", Walker concludes. Victory or not, one thing is clear: at the US Open, there are many winners being worn on wrists.