Another Slam brings another opportunity to get out the digital magnifying glass and spot some serious wrist game on display in New York, as the world's best tennis players descend on Flushing Meadows.
Of course, New York has always been, should I say, the loosest of the four Grand Slams when it comes to what players and their entourages wear.
Call it the American Dream, but the US Open certainly doesn't arrive with the same strict rules and traditions that players contend with at Wimbledon, where an all-white dress code can feel somewhat at odds with the individuality and self-expression so often associated with American athletes.
This year's edition has been no exception. With Sinner sidelined and Alcaraz returning from a four-month wrist injury layoff to defend his title, attention off the baseline has drifted to what's actually strapped to the wrist doing the defending.
So here it is, the best watches spotted at the US Open 2026 (so far).
RELATED: The Best Watches From The 2026 Australian Open
Carlos Alcaraz – Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "Le Mans"
The defending champion returned to Flushing Meadows after four months out with a wrist injury, which makes his choice of Rolex 18k yellow gold Daytona for the occasion either very on-brand or confirmation that whatever was causing him discomfort is firmly behind him. Perhaps it’s a bit of both.
Taking its name from its panda-style dial and racing-green accents across the sub-dials and tachymetre, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "Le Mans" reference is a nod to the iconic 24-hour race which Rolex has sponsored since 2001.
It's about as close as the brand's Testimonee roster gets to wearing its motorsport and tennis pedigrees on the same wrist and, given his history with the Crown, it's unlikely to be the last Daytona we see on Alcaraz this fortnight. It retails for around AU$313,000, though good luck finding one.
Taylor Fritz – Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
America's best hope in the men's draw seemingly didn’t want to overcomplicate things as he took to the court in New York, pairing his gear with a 40mm yellow-gold Cosmograph Daytona, the same one we spotted during his Wimbledon appearance earlier this year. Though the reference itself – the one that helped put the Daytona name on the map, immortalised by Paul Newman decades before Fritz was born – is anything but simple.
As a Rolex Testimonee himself, the pick is certainly a considered choice: no need for a limited dial or exotic metal. Here’s here to claim the US Open on home soil.
AU$92,500 at rolex.com
Alex de Minaur – Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport London Jewelers 100th Anniversary Limited Edition
Alex de Minaur has form as one of the most exciting players on the tour with buckets of pace and energy to burn. So it’s rather fitting, then, that, if it’s the reference I think it is, the Australian hopeful opted for an unreleased electric blue Gerald Charles as he took the opening round in straight sets at the US Open.
Produced in partnership with London Jewelers to mark the retailer's centenary, this Maestro GC Sport limited edition brings Gerald Charles' signature tonneau case and integrated-bracelet architecture into a run small enough that most collectors will never see one in person, let alone on a top-20 wrist during a Grand Slam.
~AU$33,000 at londonjewelers.com
Roger Federer – Rolex Land-Dweller
Recent International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Roger Federer wasn't technically playing the US Open this year, but he still didn’t miss the chance to rock one of Rolex’s big releases of recent times as he took to the court in New York – he was the one who unofficially dropped it last year, after all.
Heading out to receive his ITHF ring during a special ceremony this week, the 20-time Grand Slam winner was spotted wearing the Rolex Land-Dweller, Rolex's most significant new case shape in decades. Twenty-five years into his Rolex partnership, he's still the one making everyone else's Daytonas look like they're trying too hard.
AU$27,400 at rolex.com
Alexander Zverev – Jacob & Co. Epic X Ceramic Blue
Alexander Zverev has never struck me as a particularly subtle player. Almost two metres tall with a serve to match, it’s fair to say he stands out every time he takes to the court – I still remember seeing him in Melbourne at the AO, rocking an all-electric-pink, head-to-toe adidas ensemble. The perfect ambassador, then, for Jacob & Co., a brand you’ll notice from the other side of the court.
Released earlier this year, the brand’s 44mm ceramic case and open-worked bridges are perhaps more refined than some of the other timepieces that make it out of the manufacture, and certainly lighter and more wearable than some of the six-figure pieces Zverev has turned up in previously. But it's still very much a watch built to be seen from the cheap seats.
~AU$50,000 at jacobandco.com
Travis Scott – Richard Mille RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire
Rapper, songwriter, actor – there’s a lot that the incredibly talented Travis Scott can claim to be. Professional tennis player, sadly, isn't one of them. Good job, then, that nobody in the stands was competing with this.
Limited to just ten pieces worldwide, the RM 75-01 in white and blue sapphire is a statement piece worthy of Scott’s pedigree. Don’t forget, he was wearing a pièce unique Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar to the FIFA World Cup this year, proving once again that the artist won’t miss the chance to show off his ever-growing horological collection.
This RM is built around an architectural flying tourbillon inside a fully transparent case, making it one of the most exclusive sapphire tourbillons Richard Mille has ever put into production. At around US$2.2 million (~AU$3 million), it’s also one of the most expensive watches spotted at any sporting event this year.
~AU$3,000,000 at richardmille.com