High-end watch brands are teaming up with the fast-paced, high-profile game of padel, says Robin Swithinbank.

It might have passed you by, but padel has been in the sports limelight for some time. First dreamt up in Mexico in the late 1960s, this hybrid of squash and tennis that’s played on a small enclosed court, has emerged from the shadows to become one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. According to the Lawn Tennis Association, 860,000 Britons gave the game a go last year, more than double the year before.

For regular players, the basic padel kit – including rackets, which resemble oversized ping-pong bats with short stubby handles – is affordable. But luxury brands are quietly creating Centre Court-category versions, fitting for a sport beloved of A-list stars such as Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and David Beckham. Prada’s padel racket, for instance, will set you back £1,620, while Lamborghini’s (in collaboration with Babolat, the world’s oldest racket-sports company) is a marginally less eye-watering £520 (if you can find one, that is). Coveting a padel backpack? Brunello Cucinelli’s costs £3,300.

Last autumn, meanwhile, voguish New York streetwear label Kith opened an exclusive members’ club – Kith Ivy – in the Big Apple, complete with three rooftop padel courts. Closer to home, in west London, the exclusive Hurlingham Club recently hosted the third annual Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic celebrity pro-am tournament in aid of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Michael McIntyre, Joe Marler and a post-retirement Jamie Murray were among those who turned up for a game in pristine Wimbledon-style whites. Sponsorship was provided by Mercedes Benz, British jeweller Pragnell and the Swiss watch company IWC.

Small to mid-sized watch brands such as Certina have been on the padel scene for a while – the Swiss watchmaker signed Marta Ortega in 2023, four years after she became the youngest ever world No. 1 aged 22 – but prestige timepiece players such as IWC and others are now courting a piece of the action.

Back in May, Audemars Piguet announced it had teamed up with the Premier Padel Tour as the Official Timekeeper, adding the world’s current No. 1 men’s player Agustin Tapia to its ambassador roster along the way. The Swiss brand’s chance of delivering a dream ticket double act (padel is played in pairs) was thwarted when Tapia’s partner and fellow No. 1 Arturo Coello was snapped up by Rolex in January.

Also in January, Frédérique Constant, the Swiss watchmaker owned by Japanese giant Citizen, confirmed a long-term partnership with the North American Pro Padel League (PPL). Richard Mille, meanwhile, the watchmaker renowned for adorning the wrist of Rafael Nadal with an ultra-light mechanical watch at the French Open in 2010, has been working with former padel world No. 1 Fernando Belasteguin since 2023, and now hosts client events at the Argentine’s Bela Padel Centre in Barcelona. And Hublot, known for its long-standing partnership with Novak Djokovic, made its first foray into padel in 2022 with Alejandro Galan, then padel’s top-ranked player.

These could all prove significant moments for the sport.

“When smaller or fashion-led brands enter a sport, that can signal curiosity,” says Merrick Haydon, founder of the sports marketing agency ThirtyThree18. “But when names such as Rolex get involved, it sends a different message: that the sport is beginning to meet the standards of consistency, visibility and cultural relevance that the biggest prestige brands require.”

Besides the growing number of players, why is the game so appealing?

“What makes padel especially attractive is that it is participatory,” says Haydon. “And luxury brands are not only speaking to spectators, they’re speaking to people who play, travel, socialise and spend time around the sport.”

Audemars Piguet’s CEO Ilaria Resta puts it this way: “Many of our clients already practise or follow padel. By engaging with the discipline, the brand meets its community where their interests naturally unfold.” In other words, wealthy people who can afford Audemars Piguet’s watches are already padel converts.

If there’s one thing missing from the sport, it’s padel-themed watches – Certina’s 2024 DS-7 Chrono Auto, with its grid-patterned dial reminiscent of a padel court net, being the exception. But to date neither Rolex nor its prestige rivals has ventured onto court with a special padel watch.

But it may not be long before that changes.

“Padel is not fully mature yet, but it’s no longer a niche trend,” notes Haydon. “For brands interested in affluent communities, experiential marketing and long-term cultural positioning, the opportunity is real.”

Article as featured in The Telegraph Luxury (print edition) 20 June 2026 – Telegraph Time, Watch Review Summer 2026. Telegraph.co.uk/Luxury

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