Celebrity Ambassadors Hold the Key to Digital. Which Brands Are Winning?

For watch brands, the digital arena is populated by products and ambassadors who predominantly come from two worlds: sports and the performing arts, particularly music and film. Among the top five digital performers, Rolex and Omega have an equal presence in both worlds, while Cartier has firmly focused on film, a playing field that better ties in with the house’s main jewellery business. The majority of other watch brands have concentrated solely on sports, with occasional forays onto the red carpet.
Music and film, meanwhile, are also popular domains for watch brands, allowing them to associate with the artistic pursuits and glamour they embody. Houses embed themselves in the iconic styles and brands of their ambassadors, tapping into their place in the cultural zeitgeist. It is through these associations that watch brands align their products with luxury fashion pieces, establishing watches as chic accessories that transcend simple functionality.

Cartier has been particularly active in the arts. Among its ambassadors are Franco-Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, who has over 300,000 Instagram followers, and Blackpink K-pop star Jisoo, who has 79 million followers on Instagram — nearly five times that of Cartier. In film, Cartier is the official sponsor of the Venice Film Festival, an event that combines the elevation of cultural institution La Biennale di Venezia with the glamour of the red carpet, set against the stunning backdrop of Venice.

Although historically associated with sport, Rolex has long benefitted from its affiliation to iconic film stars like Paul Newman and Grace Kelly. It has become increasingly vocal about its support of the performing arts. In addition to sponsoring institutions such as the Royal Opera House in London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Rolex’s Mentor and Protégé Arts initiative pairs emerging talents with accomplished artists across music, dance, theatre and film.

Similar to Rolex, Omega has a blend of both sports and film when it comes to building associations. The brand has its own formula, however, with a greater emphasis on the film industry, leveraging its relationship with the James Bond franchise that began in 1995.

In the first Vogue Business Watches Index, the digital space is dominated by three top-performing brands: Cartier, Omega and Chopard, followed closely by Longines and Rolex.
The top three brands for market share also sit within the top five brands for digital performance: with Chopard notably absent, Rolex makes up 30.3 per cent, while Cartier and Omega each make up 7.5 per cent. By contrast, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, which have respective market shares of 5.6 per cent and 4.9 per cent, boast low digital performances at 26 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively.

The first half of the year is when most novelties are launched, typically at watch fair Watches and Wonders. Taking place in April each year, the trade fair acts as a prompt for brands to produce content. This year, IWC made a splash in Geneva by bringing its latest ambassador Gisele Bündchen to the Watches and Wonders event. Cartier focused on jewellery timepieces, mostly evoking animals as part of its Nature Sauvage high jewellery collection, as well as a new jewellery watch, named Reflection. Cartier also celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Santos De Cartier model with fresh iterations. Rolex, too, updated existing lines, but actively focused on communicating about its rich sports sponsorship calendar, which includes the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.

Omega had a great red carpet season in the first half of 2024, with watches worn by the likes of Cillian Murphy and Kevin Costner translating to digital buzz.