What is it with sneakers and fine watches? You can’t appear to sell one without the other these days.
Google Stan Smith, and the first page of the search will be dominated with the Adidas sports shoes of the same name.
But tennis fans know better. Mr Smith is an American athlete won 100 tournaments between 1968 and 1985, an achievement that inspired Adidas to name its famous footwear after the star.
Back to the world of watches and Maurice de Mauriac is making a limited edition Stan Smith Signature Watch that will go on sale in February next year.
The idea came about following a meeting between Maurice de Mauriac founder Daniel Dreifuss, and the American tennis legend at Wimbledon in 2015.
While the watchmaker with a passion for tennis was donning a pair of retro Adidas ’Stan Smith‘ tennis sneakers, the watch collector Stan Smith was wearing a Maurice de Mauriac timepiece on his wrist.
This encounter turned into a friendship that led to the creation of the Stan Smith Signature Watch, which will be made in a limited run of 100 pieces in tribute the the number of tournament wins by Mr Smith.
It is a mechanical Swiss watch in a stainless steel case is numbered and water resistant up to 100 meters. The sapphire crystal exhibition back, with anti-reflective coating on both sides, is adorned with an official portrait of Stan Smith.
A green version goes on sale in February and will be followed by a red and blue model in May next year. Both will be priced at CHF 2,390.
