It's a good time to be Naomi Osaka, let's just say that. The tennis superstar reps plenty of fashion brands in the off season and she's doubling down on her TAG Heuer team-up this spring, in the good company of Jimmy Butler, Ryan Gosling, and Olympic hurdler Sydney McLaughlin.
McLaughlin is a powerhouse in her own right: the 22-year-old is only at the beginning of her track & field career but she's already racked up gold and silver medals at past Olympic games, even nabbing top spots at recent World Athletics Championships.
Of all the brands that Osaka and McLaughlin work with, TAG Heuer is one of the most personal.
Sure, they've got their sportswear endorsements, which keep them fitted on the court, and various other brand partnerships that they align with in-between events, but the LVMH-owned watch brand goes everywhere with them.
They rep TAG during matches, after matches, at home, out 'n about: everywhere.
No surprise that Osaka and McLaughlin are both big TAG collectors and jumped at the opportunity to rep TAG's latest Connected timepiece, the Calibre E4.
Retailing for $1.8k (42mm) up to $2.5k (45mm titanium), the Calibre E4 represents TAG's cutting-edge Connected smartwatch tech, including updated animated faces with legible, high-contrast displays, magnet-infused chargers, boosted battery life, a reworked TAG Heuer Sports app, and much more.
All sizes and styles are available at TAG Heuer's website and stores on March 10.
Osaka and McLaughlin made some time in their busy schedules to briefly chat with Highsnobiety about the new Tag watches and their personal approach to wearing, owning, and appreciating watches.
Highsnobiety: What do you look for in a watch?
Naomi Osaka (NO): My daily style is really a mix of sporty and feminine and I like my watch to reflect that. I really like the look and feel of it as it is great with sports-casual wear, which I end up wearing a lot of the time naturally.
Sydney McLaughlin (SM): I love switching between watches based on the occasion. The new Connected Watch, especially the 42mm, is great for training for so many reasons but the most surprising is because of how comfortable and lightweight it is on the wrist.
When I’m not on the track, I love wearing the Link, because that’s what I wore the first time I broke a world record, so it’s a lucky watch. It's cool having them with me during big moments, because you look back and you remember what happened during those times.
In particular, what do you especially like about TAG's Connected line?
NO: The running and the cycling apps are my favorites. I love using the Connected Watch for workouts and to track my daily output. It’s really helpful in planning my training days.
SM: The fact you can use it for fitness, or any physical activity takes it to a whole new level. I love all the features — GPS, accelerometer, heart rate sensor — that can be incorporated while I’m running on the track. I also really like that the stats from my training sessions or workouts are synced to my phone and track my progress.
Do you prefer a smartwatch to an analog timepiece?
NO: I normally wear the Connected Watch while training and in the gym, and then I use my limited edition Aquaracer and other mechanical watches for more formal occasions.
SM: For me, it’s situational. I love the new Connected Watch and the fact that it’s digitally faced, that it does more than tell time. All my other watches are more fashion-forward as opposed to function.
How long have you been "into" watches, so to speak?
SM: I really became more interested in watches since becoming a TAG Heuer ambassador. I’ve learned a lot about watches: how the process works, the different metals that are used, how pieces connect – and have definitely started a collection because of it.
I absolutely love the Aquaracer that I wore to the Olympic trials, and the black Link that I wore when I won at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. A TAG Heuer watch is a part of my uniform now, and when I’m setting up what I’m going to wear, I ask myself: Which watch am I going to wear today?
