Many of the most legendary athletes of all time are watch ambassadors and collectors, from Tiger Woods to LeBron James and David Beckham to Roger Federer. Most of these athletes gravitate toward the usual suspects when it comes to the watches they choose—you guessed it: sport watches.
The category has become the go-to for daily wear among collectors as fashion has shifted away from business attire toward more casual looks. However, like all tool watches, sport watches were originally conceived with purpose-built designs optimized to withstand the elements and high-impact play. The rise of the modern sport watch has also coincided with the trend of oversized designs, clocking in at 40mm or more—compared to the average 34-38mm.
When it comes to sport watches, brands like Rolex, Breitling, and Audemars Piguet dominate the space with classic designs crafted from durable materials like stainless steel and titanium, with no-frills aesthetics. Today, we see rising stars in leagues like the NFL forming more traditional partnerships with these brands from Titans’ quarterback Cam Ward to Jags’ QB Trevor Lawrence and Ravens’ safety Malaki Starks.
So, when a heavy-hitter in the NFL makes a distinctly different choice of watch to wear and brand to collaborate with, heads turn. Last fall, Philadelphia Eagles’ running back Saquon Barkley and H. Moser & Cie announced their official partnership, but the story between the unlikely pair traces back a bit further to the spring of 2025.
The Moment that Started it All
In April of last year, the best of the best across sports and entertainment had their eyes set on one thing: the Met Gala. Barkley was preparing for his second attendance, with the first coming back in 2019 after closing out his first NFL season. In 2025, the stakes were higher. It was just a few months following his first Super Bowl win, and all eyes were on members of the Eagles—Barkley had to nail his look on the red carpet.
He enlisted the expertise of his longtime stylist and former Penn State teammate, Joshua “Lesus” McPhearson. They landed on a tailored tuxedo from Thom Browne (the same designer Barkley had worn to his Met Gala debut), but they knew they needed to up the ante—enter H. Moser & Cie.
Image credit Sharif Fennel Jr.
Barkley ultimately punctuated his Met Gala look with the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack. The model was initially introduced in 2019 as a highly limited run of just 50 pieces, with a dial showcasing the world’s darkest man-made material, composed of carbon nanotubes that absorb 99.965% of visible light, creating a “black hole” effect on the wrist and making the dial appear as a void. With its success, the brand later added another version of the design to its permanent catalog in 2023. “From the moment I discovered H. Moser & Cie., I could see the craftsmanship and dedication behind every watch,” recalls Barkley, “The minimalist design is powerful.”
Breaking the Mold On and Off the Field
Minimalism over maximalism is an unconventional choice for a six-foot, 240-pound pro athlete, but Barkley has always had a knack for the unconventional. On the field, he combines size, speed, and agility in a way few running backs do, using exceptional lower-body strength to break tackles others can’t.
This versatility extends to his vast array of partnerships beyond the field, from big global companies like Nike and Pepsi to more unconventional names like the Philadelphia-based convenience store Wawa and the luxury watchmaker H. Moser & Cie. “A diversified mix of partnerships allows Saquon’s brand to evolve alongside him,” explains Ed Berry, Head of CAA Football and prominent NFL agent to Barkley among others. “Performance-driven partners and commercial endorsements are always a core element, but brands like H. Moser & Cie bring a different dimension that reflects Saquon’s impact not just as an athlete but as a global figure with interests and values that extend beyond sport and into design, craftsmanship, and legacy.”
Very Rare
Design, craftsmanship, and legacy are at the heart of all luxury watchmakers from Patek Philippe to Omega, but H. Moser & Cie’s brand motto “very rare” tips us off to what makes its approach to design, craftsmanship, and legacy a bit different.
Its history dates back to 1828 and its founder, Heinrich Moser. However, following his death, the company changed hands several times and went through various phases of ownership and management. It was not until 2012 when the Meylan family acquired H. Moser & Cie that it was revived to its full potential, becoming one of the best entry points into the high-end, independent watchmaking space thanks to its decidedly irreverent approach to the craft.
Playfulness and irony are at the core of many of H. Moser & Cie’s timepieces. It is known for its audacious designs that buck Swiss tradition, like the satirical Alp Watch released in response to the Apple Watch in 2016 (with a suspiciously similar square case) and models like the Vantablack with dials that appear to be void of any markings, poking fun at the trend of overly complicated designs. Yet, behind the brand’s use of humor in an industry that can take itself far too seriously is a completely integrated manufacture where every element is designed and produced, down to its own in-house mechanical movements. H. Moser & Cie watches make a bold statement with the substance to back it up.
An Unlikely Match
Barkley and H. Moser & Cie made their partnership official in the fall of 2025. The watchmaker is no stranger to the sports realm, with deep ties to Formula 1 and French driver Pierre Gasly. Yet, the brand does not have a reputation for sport watches. Instead, H. Moser & Cie’s alignment with Gasly and Barkley stems from something far less conventional.
“We do not partner with industries—we partner with mindsets,” confirms Edouard Meylan, CEO and Owner of H. Moser & Cie. “Whether it is a racing driver or an elite football player, what matters is the same obsession with precision, resilience under pressure, and the boldness to stand out. Our partnerships act less like endorsements and more like conversations,” Meylan continues. “They challenge us to look at watchmaking from unexpected angles. We do not look to simply add a logo to a dial—we would rather focus on a shift in perspective. These collaborations push us to open our minds, explore new territories, and sometimes take creative risks we might not have taken otherwise.”
Off the red carpet, the team at H. Moser & Cie, Barkley, and his stylist worked closely together to choose his daily wear, landing on the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Spiced Aqua. Alongside the Vantablack, the brand has never been afraid to play with color, but the Spiced Aqua might be one of its boldest palettes yet, combining vivid orange and turquoise. Barkley’s model is perhaps the most distinctive in the collection, featuring a radically minimalist open-worked design that pares the watch down to its essentials and puts the movement fully on display. The daring design boasts a strong wrist presence from the 42.8mm build to the fumé orange dial with turquoise Globolight inserts for the hour markers and hands that are perfectly color-matched to the sporty rubber strap.
No, the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Spiced Aqua is not your typical sport watch—it is not made of lightweight materials like ceramic or optimized to withstand thousands of g-forces during play. Still, it exudes sportiness in a different way with playful colors, a durable rubber strap, and a unique personality that perfectly matches a player like Saquon Barkley.
Next Gen Brands and Collectors
The synergy between H. Moser & Cie and Saquon Barkley represents the next evolution of brands and collectors in the watch industry. Here, we can see a direct parallel between broader trends—the rise of independent brands, a growing desire for more fun and playful designs, a rebelliousness toward tradition and the status quo, and (perhaps most importantly) an unabashed commitment to authentic self-expression. Sure, a reverence for heritage and a reputation held by brand names like Rolex will always be part of the watch industry—both of these things undeniably carry a certain weight and have long been the building blocks of this industry. However, in this new generation of brand leadership and new generation of collectors, we are seeing a movement toward something different.
The watch industry has long been faced with questions of how these objects will evolve with the times from the quartz crisis of the 1970s to the advent of the smartwatch in the new millennium. We have not needed watches as tools for sport or even basic timekeeping for decades, and though the technical prowess of a watch still beats at the heart, elements like design and storytelling have become increasingly important.
Collectors today are becoming less and less concerned with a big brand name alone to carry the status or message they want to convey with the watch they wear. While you might not think H. Moser & Cie’s bold designs fit into the trend of quiet luxury, they are quiet in a different way, rarely even placing the brand name on the dial. This sparks curiosity and conversation—who made this watch and why did you choose it? Here, you have Barkley’s story, but he is just one of many collectors propelling a centuries old industry into the future.
