Why Watches Are Playing in Professional Cycling: The Evolution of a Sport and an Industry
The Richard Mille RM 67-02
On July 3rd, 2024 Sir Mark Cavendish, a British cyclist, made history at Le Tour de France, winning 35 stages over his career, and setting a new record for the most stages won by an individual rider in the Tour’s 111 edition history. He was previously tied for the record with 34 stage wins, which was set by Belgian rider Eddy Merckx in 1975 — and went unmatched until Cavendish tied the record in 2021.
Simply amazing.
But just how hard is it to win a stage at the Tour, or any other race for that matter? Well, there are 22 teams composed of 8 riders, which gives us 176 riders vying for the win. Not every rider contests for victories, however, some are there to simply help their team captain win a stage, or contest the overall victory. That said, it’s brutal to try and win a single stage — it’s more than having good luck, it’s about not having bad luck.
But why all this setup? What does it matter?
First, it’s an incredible sporting achievement, and I don’t foresee this record being matched or beaten anytime soon — it will take a generational talent. And remember that Cavendish rode his first tour in 2008. On top of that, he’s been the UCI World Road Cycling Champion and a World Champion on the velodrome as well.
But something else stood out to me — Cav’s historic 35th stage win at Le Tour de France was accomplished with a Richard Mille 67–02 on his wrist. In the coverage after crossing the finish line, Cavendish can clearly be seen rocking his 67–02, while hugging teammates and half the peloton.
Here’s the thing, though. Cavendish isn’t the only cyclist wearing a Richard Mille. Richard Mille is a sponsor of UAE Team Emirates and we’re spotted a few RMs in the peloton before. Cavendish is not sponsored by Richard Mille, he just seems to enjoy their watches, and I can’t think of a better pairing for a sprinter at Le Tour De France.
And it’s not just RM dipping their toes into professional cycling. Tudor became a title sponsor of the Tudor Pro Cycling Team in 2023, and Breitling also became a leading sponsor of the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team in 2023.
Watches have entered the world of cycling in a big way — and it makes sense.
Like Formula 1 there is a lot of money involved in the sport. While Richard Mille may have originally meant their tagline A Racing Machine for the Wrist as a reference to the automobile, there is a connecting to the fast speeds of the human powered racing in professional cycling, and every gram matters, just like a Formula 1 car.
The broader connection is that, generally speaking, the folks interested in professional cycling who have the means to purchase a Tour level $15,000–20,000 bicycle, are more than likely the same folks who have the disposable income and interest to buy a watch. And watch brands have noticed.
Cyclists already spend a lot of money to buy the latest kit, the newest bike, and to buy equipment that our favorite teams and riders are using. Some go so far as to buy the official team kit of our favorite teams. It only makes sense that we would also want the same watches that are on the wrists of our heroes.
Cycling has really evolved in the last decade. The introduction of disc brakes in road cycling has completely changed the way bikes are designed and what they are now capable of. They are more refined, more aerodynamic, lighter, and faster than they have ever been. The same could be said of watchmaking.
Watchmaking has undergone a massive transfomation from a niche hobby to a mainstream discussion. In many ways, cycling and watchmaking have come up together. They have achieved technical and aesthetic excellence, the fields have refined over the last twenty years, and in that time tectonic shifts have occurred. In the way that Richard Mille convinced the watch world that luxury could be lightweight, the cycling industry has been pressing on the same marketing methodologies.
The technical efficiency which we continue to refine is the same in both industries, and it’s no surprise to me that these two industries are now joining hand in hand. The riders of the grand tours — the great successes want a watch that they can wear while training and racing. In a sport where every gram counts, riders want a watch that is lightweight, and technologically advanced, just like the bicycles they ride on.
It’s the same approach that Richard Mille has taken in watchmaking, and a risk that MING has recently taken with the launch of their LW.01. Richard Mille launched his brand looking to convince the world that luxury could be lightweight, and that a racing machine for the wrist was the future of the watch industry. I certainly believe he and his eponymous brand have succeeded in convincing the world that luxury can be lightweight — many other brands have created a titanium watch and are working hard to create watches in other lightweight metals.
Mille has a history of sponsoring athletes, not just Rafael Nadal, Bubba Watson, F1 drivers like Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris, Romain Grosjean, and more. The company also sponsors Pablo Mac Donough in polo, and other athletes in somewhat obscure sports, like track and field, biathlon, fencing, skiing, and amongst that list cycling does not feel like a reach to be involved.
Like Netflix’s Drive to Survive, their series Tour de France Unchained brings folks inside the ropes of the Tour de France, with a little created drama and artistic flair. Shows like Tour de France Unchained combined with the fact that cycling is the second most popular sport in many countries, has created an air of celebrity and status around the riders, and why shouldn’t they celebrate their wins?
To me, the partnerships here are obvious — just like those in motorsport. Sponsors spend massive amounts of money to participate in the sport and hope that their team performs- there are technical aspects, but much of the racing is about the drama on and off the bike, the highs and lows of a season of racing and training, the thrill of victory, and the crush of defeat.
There is an emotional storytelling component to this that helps the watch brands sell. There is also a pull at nostalgia — that if we own the same bike and the same watch that our heroes who win stages at the Tour de France and win races on a grand tour level — well, we might achieve some of that glory vicariously through them. If not, we might just have some cool shit on our wrists.
The connection between watches and cycling can be explored through the passion for each, the technical performance of the components that make a whole, or the level of both science, mathematics, and artistry that both encompass. There’s a level of human ingenuity in each, and that gets explored by watchmakers pushing the level of what’s possible in both materials and technical performance, and riders pushing above and beyond their capabilities, telling their legs to shut up, their lungs to take on as much air as possible, and pushing as many watts as possible to cross the finish line first.
Whether you prefer the storytelling or the celebration of technical achievement, both offer a technical and aesthetic beauty, and I think the watch world is just beginning to discover the depths of the passion of cyclists, and the lengths they will go to to be like their professional heroes, regardless of their innate capabilities. Hats off to Sir Mark Cavendish, and I hope his reign brings more watch brands into the sport - it would be a hell of a ride.
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