NFL YouTube video reveals favourite watches among head coaches – one brand stands out

Zach Blass

At Time+Tide, we love a good watch-spotting session, but it often requires a certain level of detective work and scavenging image databases or social media profiles for images with just the right angle of a watch in view. Of course, athletes are widely known for using a portion of their sizeable salaries to purchase some highly sought-after watches. But, what about the coaches? Well, NFL Films recently encroached on our watch media turf with their very own watch video on YouTube. Part of me wants to yell OFFSIDE! and tell them to stay off our field. Just kidding – it’s neat to see large networks try to shine more of a spotlight on watches, even if as the video unfolds, a potential ulterior motive begins to arise.

The video begins with Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, known for being a bit of a quirky jester, jokingly lying to the camera saying he does not wear a watch, nor has he ever. On his wrist, however, is a solid gold Breitling Navitimer on a matching bracelet. He would later explain his choice of watch to the interviewer, revealing the strategy behind its purchase in his first year of head coaching. “This particular item was a purchase I made in OTAs. I basically told the team how confident and invested I was in them because I would have to default on my mortgage if they failed. So, it was a very calculated purchase, but I would never have thought that I’ve been able to be able to wear this – so I love it very much.” An expensive gamble, as NFL head coaches can be abruptly fired if they routinely lose games.

Other coaches would weigh in about the watches in their lives as well, with Baltimore Ravens head coach Jon Harbaugh, who appears to be wearing a Rolex, revealing that he does not take his watch off while showering – it only comes off his wrist when goes to sleep. Sean McDermott, in charge of Buffalo Bills, chooses a G-Shock, and describes the sense of feeling naked when forgetting to wear it for a game. During the initial two minutes or so, more watches would flash on the screen where you can even catch a coach wearing a Rolex Submariner Date on a black Everest rubber strap with the glidelock clasp that comes on the original Oyster bracelet. This sort of strap-hacking suggests there may be a bit of WIS in him.

The tone of the video then shifts from a survey of watches appearing on coaches’ wrists to narrowing in on a clear favourite to the point where the video starts to feel advertorial. That watch is the classic Timex Ironman. Worn by many, from former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to retired Navy Seal Jocko Willink, it is clear that a large number of NFL head coaches turn to the robust and hassle-free Ironman. Of the eight minutes the video goes on for, six minutes are devoted to the Ironman – with Timex Group President Tobias Reiss-Schmidt and Design Director Giorgio Galli interviewed to give their thoughts on the design and how humbled they feel knowing it is effectively the NFL head coaches’ watch of choice. Even Jocko himself makes an appearance to lend a testimonial.

The clear theme amongst coaches was that the Timex Ironman is a watch that is no-frills and gets the job done without distraction. Andy Reid, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, said: “It’s an Ironman, it makes me feel good. It started way back when all I could afford was a US$20 watch and I can bang it around, I can do whatever.”

Josh McDaniels, head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, said: “This is kind of my day-to-day, you know, just simple. I don’t want to wear a super expensive one when I’m just doing football things because I think I’m going to ruin it, but this one never breaks and it’s always very durable and handy for me.”

Zac Taylor, head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, said: “I think it is like US$18 on Amazon. I buy five of them at a time, and I just leave one of them in my car, one on my tray table at home, one in my closet, and a couple in my office. It tells me what time it is and what the date is and that is all that I need.”

Dennis Allen, head coach of the New Orleans Saints, said: “I don’t have to worry about a bunch of different buttons, I don’t have to worry about charging it. All I want to do is look at it and be able to tell time.”

Whether or not this content was sponsored by Timex, it is fun to see the NFL explore the world of watches in a dedicated video. You can check it out in full above.