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The watches of Michael Jordan, including Ulysse Nardin, Panerai, Rolex and Franck Muller

The watches of Michael Jordan, including Ulysse Nardin, Panerai, Rolex and Franck Muller

Nick Gould

Michael Jordan is an NBA legend who many consider to be the greatest player of all time, the GOAT, or, if on social media, simply the goat emoji. Jordan won a total of six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and is nicknamed “Air Jordan” and “His Airness” for his ability to hang in the air on the way to the basket. Stopping time.

When it comes to timepieces, Jordan has shown an eye for purchasing models that have been less known to the masses at the time. As one commenter on an Instagram thread put it, “When you’re the goat, you don’t have to follow the herd.”

A. Lange & Söhne Datograph

PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 14: Michael Jordan and Jerry Stackhouse of the Washington Wizards watch their team take on the Philadelphia 76ers during an NBA pre-season game at the First Union Center on October 14, 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/ NBAE/ Getty Images)

Probably one of the coolest finds of 2020 that I uncovered was Jordan sporting a first generation A. Lange & Söhne Datograph in platinum on matching platinum bracelet back in 2002. The Datograph was a revelation when it was unveiled at Baselworld 1999 and at the time not too many people would have been aware of the brand in the early 2000s. Seeing MJ rocking one in 2002 was definitely eye opening!

Franck Muller Long Island Perpetual Calendar

Michael Jordan watches four-ball competition at the 2004 Ryder Cup in Detroit, Michigan, September 17, 2004. (Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

At 6ft 6 inches, Michael Jordan is a tall guy and can make a relatively normal sized watch appear to be way smaller than it is. I came across a photo of Jordan sporting a less commonly seen Franck Muller Long Island Perpetual Calendar in 18k yellow gold. With case dimensions of 33x55mm, MJ pulls off the large size watch with ease.

Ulysse Nardin Royal Blue Tourbillon and Ulysse Nardin Sonata

1 March 2010: Charlotte Bobcats part owner Michael Jordan watches the Charlotte Bobcats play the Dallas Mavericks during an NBA basketball game at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 1, 2010. Jordan has agreed to buy the Charlotte Bobcats. (Photo by Chris Keane/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)

You don’t often spot a Ulysse Nardin on the wrist of a celebrity, let alone two different complicated models! The first model is a Ulysse Nardin Royal Blue Mystery Tourbillon in platinum, with 48 white diamonds and 12 blue ones on the inner chapter ring of the watch. The watch came on a blue leather strap and the other edition was a full blinged-out version, but it seems MJ managed to get a plain factory bracelet made for it. Also note he appears to be rocking Patek Philippe Calatrava cufflinks with his shirt.

The second model is a Sonata Cathedral, which is a dual time zone watch with an alarm and countdown function, with a cathedral gong. One serious watch that you don’t see every day, again showing that MJ buys timepieces not on the radar of most.

Panerai

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 06: TV personality Ahmad Rashad (L) and Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan attend the men’s singles semi-final match between Roger Federer of Switzerland and Marin Cilic of Croatia on Day Thirteen of the 2014 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 6, 2014 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

His Airness owns a few timepieces from Panerai. The military-inspired pieces, with their larger case sizes, are a good fit for Jordan. The first is a PAM 172 Luminor Marina with a 44mm case made from Tantalum, which is a rare metal with a blueish-grey hue.

Michael Jordan addresses the media during the launch of the Air Jordan 2009 at The Event Space on January 8, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Kelly Kline/WireImage)

The second Panerai I spotted him with, is a limited-edition PAM 266 Radiomir 8 Days “Cellini” made for Cellini Jewelers. It features a blue dial and a manually wound in-house movement with 8 days of power reserve.

CHARLOTTE, NC – MARCH 10: Michael Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Hornets, watches on during their game against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center on March 10, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The final Panerai is a PAM 425 Radiomir with a 47mm steel case, which once again looks “normal sized” on Jordan’s wrist. The dial of this PAM is different to others, as it has a dot and lines for the hour markers. It is manually wound and has 3 days of power reserve.

Audemars Piguet Millenary

CHICAGO, IL – FEBRUARY 10: Former Chicago Bulls players Scotty Pippen and Michael Jordan listen as Dolph Schayes speaks in honor of Johnny “Red” Kerr during the NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls on February 10, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

A lot of modern NBA players have Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks in various guises. After all, it is such an iconic watch in horology. In the case of Michael Jordan, he chose a less known model from the AP collection, the Millenary. This has always been a polarising model, with its rounder case and dial. It fits MJ very nicely.

Cartier Ballon Bleu

CHARLOTTE, NC – JANUARY 8: Michael Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, instructs his young point guard D.J. Augustin as his team takes on the Washington Wizards on January 8, 2011 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)

A classic Cartier Tank or Santos in their XL sizes still would look a little small for Michael Jordan, so he opted for the 42mm Ballon Bleu in white gold and matching bracelet with a diamond bezel and a white dial with Roman numerals.

Rolex GMT-Master II 116758-SANR

CHARLOTTE – APRIL 24: Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan wipes his forehead while watching the action during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Orlando Magic during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena on April 24, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Magic beat the Bobcats 90-86.(Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan didn’t choose a regular steel GMT-Master II, instead he opted for the 18k yellow gold model with factory bezel consisting of diamonds and sapphires and with diamonds in the lugs.