hen people think of Switzerland, they automatically think of cheese, chocolate, pharmaceuticals, snow and, of course!, watches — but they might also think of tennis. After all, some of the greatest players in the history of the sport were born in the Helvetic Confederation. Some of the most important tournaments on the professional tour are held on Swiss soil. And the Swiss Tennis association itself has done an outstanding job in talent identification, development and organization throughout its 130-year history, a milestone it is celebrating this year. As Maurice de Mauriac serves as the official timekeeper of Swiss Tennis, what better way to mark the organization’s 130th anniversary than with a special edition of the Rallymaster?

The Rallymaster has fast become one of the most celebrated tennis-inspired timepieces of the present decade. Designed by Californian creative Carlton DeWoody, it began life as a series of coveted limited-edition watches inspired by the ecosystem surrounding the sport’s four Major events. The original concept and tennis-net design have now been adapted for a celebratory Rallymaster dedicated to Swiss Tennis — a watch that, like its predecessors, summons the spirit of tennis in a playful way while remaining perfectly suited to be worn on the wrist during demanding sports activities.

The new Rallymaster Swiss Tennis timepiece follows the aesthetic ethos originally established by Carlton DeWoody, combining classic vintage details with a modern tennis-world perspective on a dial that evokes the association’s corporate color scheme and the national flag. The dominant silvery white hue conjures Switzerland’s eternal snow-capped landscapes, while deep red appears in three gradient shades on the small-seconds subdial and date disc.

«Swiss Tennis’ 130th anniversary is an occasion to take pride in looking back in our history whilst embracing the future. Our collaboration with Maurice de Mauriac embodies the fusion of Swiss tradition, innovation and a timeless passion for sport. The Rallymaster Swiss Tennis symbolizes in a magnificent way precisely these joint values and brings our anniversary to life in a special and stylish way», explains René Stammbach, President of Swiss Tennis; «we are proud to be realizing this project in collaboration with a renowned watchmaker and offer our members and tennis fans a lasting memento of this special year».

The overall design seeks to capture the essence of Swiss Tennis through thoughtful details and material choices. The vertically brushed steel dial and matching hands echo the finish of the case, paying tribute to Switzerland’s long tradition of engineering and manufacturing excellence. Paired with the Milanese mesh bracelet, the watch takes on a refined and sophisticated character; a switch to the comfortable two-tone red stretch-fabric strap will make the red accents throughout the dial come alive, transforming the timepiece into something distinctly sportier and more energetic.

«I am honored to the have the opportunity to design this collaboration with Swiss Tennis», says Carlton DeWoody. «The watch is based on the Rallymaster platform, renowned for its ‘Goldilocks’ proportions — equally at home on the wrists of both men and women, and versatile enough to transition seamlessly between sport and leisure settings. From the beginning, the Rallymaster was created to celebrate the connection between tennis and watches, so I can’t think of a more fitting organization to work with».

The California-based creative adds: «Maurice De Mauriac has always been committed to supporting the game of tennis around the world, however this project feels like an especially meaningful full-circle moment for them as they pay tribute to the country of Switzerland in their hometown of Zurich». New Balls, Please!

Founded in 1997, Maurice de Mauriac boasts a longstanding association with tennis; the brand was once the official timekeeper of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, supported three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka when he was still a promising junior and Michael Lammer when he was a member of the 2014 Swiss Davis Cup winning team. The Zurich-based company also launched a signature timepiece with legendary champion Stan Smith of sneakers fame and its new headquarters on Rämistrasse 5 feature abundant tennis memorabilia.

«Our late father Daniel Dreifuss was a huge tennis aficionado and passed his passion on to us», states the brand’s CEO Massimo Dreifuss. «We are always keen to associate our brand to the sport, have had several players as friends of the brand, partnered with various tournaments and tennis is a permanent source of inspiration for us. It was only natural that we became the official timekeeper of Swiss Tennis and launched a dedicated timepiece. For this collaboration, we wanted to honor Switzerland’s contribution to the sport of tennis while celebrating the achievements of the Swiss players who have helped shape and elevate the game on the world stage».

 Leonard Dreifuss, Maurice de Mauriac’s Creative Director and COO, adds that «the Rallymaster series embody our devotion for the sport of tennis and its culture; each Rallymaster timepiece was conceived to be worn as a stylish partner both on-court and off-court. As avid tennis players, we’ve tested ourselves the watch and worked with our suppliers to come up with a peculiar luminescence scheme and an extremely comfortable two-piece stretch fabric bracelet suited to match-play. We also couldn’t be prouder of the partnership with Swiss Tennis and even had some of the best players in the country modelling the new Rallymaster — one of them being our ‘friend of the brand’ Jil Teichmann, who recently made the fourth round at Roland Garros». Swiss stars Jil Teichmann, Simona Waltert and Marc-Andrea Huesler will be the faces of the launch campaign — and 20% of the watch proceeds from sales will be directed to support player development and the next generation of Swiss Tennis.

The Rallymaster Swiss Tennis is a limited edition of 130 pieces; the presentation box includes both straps and a dedicated collectible tennis ball. Pre-orders are live now on both Maurice de Mauriac and Swiss Tennis’ websites; also available to order at the brand’s atelier on Rämistrasse 5 in Zurich and the association’s headquarters in Bienne/Biel.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Maurice de Mauriac x Racquet Rallymaster Swiss Tennis

• Case: brushed stainless steel; screw-in crown with embossed Swiss Tennis logo; anti-reflective sapphire crystal with date magnifier; sapphire exhibition case-back with printed Swiss Tennis logo; water resistant to 100 meters
• Diameter: 39 mm
• Lug-to-lug: 47mm
• Height: 12 mm
• Movement: Landeron 24 automatic Swiss movement; 25 jewels; 25,5 mm diameter; frequency: 28,800 a/h (4 Hz); 40 hours power reserve
• Functions: hour, minute, small seconds, date
• Dial: opaline silver dial with applied indices and ‘rally’ réhaut, tennis ball applied indexes outlined with custom Swiss Super-LumiNova® BL-X1; small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock with three 20 second increments (time limit between points until recent rule change to 25); stainless steel hour and minute hands and optic yellow lollipop small seconds hand outlined with Super-LumiNova®; luminescent horizontal tennis net decoration; watch-inspired font Decimal used on the custom date disc and dial text; ‘Swiss Made With Love’ inscription
• Straps: a fine vintage-inspired Milanese mesh bracelet and a two-piece stretch fabric bracelet designed for sports activities; both with quick-release system
• Buckle: brushed stainless steel
• Box: dedicated watch box includes a custom red blood tennis ball
• Limited Production: 130 pieces
• Price: 2’500 CHF / 2’700 Euro / 2’950 USD
• Availability: at the MdM atelier in Zurich and the Swiss Tennis headquarters in Biel/Bienne; online at mdm-watches.com and swisstennis.ch