Introducing: The Stan Smith Signature Watch From Maurice de Mauriac

December 02, 2019

Some people think Stan Smith is a shoe. Theyre not totally wrong, but hes more than just an iconic piece of Adidas footwear. Hes now a watch, too.? Maurice de Mauriac has recently paired up with tennis legend Stan Smith to produce a watch that honors Smiths 100 victories on the tennis court. Daniel Dreifuss is the man behind Maurice de Mauriac, a small Swiss watchmaker out of Zurich. He approached Smith with an idea: Make a mechanical watch designed to stand up to use on the court, but that also plays off Smiths legendary status as a style icon, with nods to the effortlessly cool style of 1970s athletic wear. Dreifuss credits The Royal Tenenbaums as part of the impetus for the creation of this watch. The watch will be made in green, red, and blue, in a quantity of 100 examples each. The quantity isnt entirely arbitrary: its a nod to Smiths 39 victories in singles and 61 victories in doubles, totaling 100 wins. Stan is a champ, after all. ? The watch is loosely based on Maurice de Mauriacs Deepsky range, with hash marks on the inner track of the dial and indices on the outside. The Stan Smith watch leans into the tennis aesthetic with green-grass accents and a NATO that channels the famous adidas stripes. Its powered by an ETA 2824-2 and features a display caseback, and on the dial youll find Stand Smiths signature. Youll also find Stan Smiths signature on a tennis ball thats included with the watch. Thats the kicker. Initial Thoughts Its always neat when the watch world takes on another bit of culture from elsewhere, be it a person, a character, or an event. The Stan Smith watch sort of came out of nowhere; Smith had become a cult favorite in the sneaker world after signing on with Adidas in 73. He famously wore his namesake Adidas throughout his winning career, and it became one of the most well known sneaker sponsorships ever. The partnership turned Smith into a cult hero in the sneakerhead world, which is certainly on par with the level of nuance and depth of the watch collecting world, albeit a much younger industry.?To me the most interesting thing about Smith is that most people know him as the man behind the shoe and have little knowledge of his career as a tennis player. Somehow the simple product association has transcended the creation story the sneaker was originally sold on. Stan Smith is simply cool because hes Stan Smith, not necessarily because of his achievements in tennis during the 70s. You know his face from the label on the shoe, not because he was on any sort of trading card your parents may have collected. ?Theres something charming and quirky about a watch from a quiet Swiss brand thats made to honor someone who has became a cult personality in something as esoteric-yet-widespread as sneakers, sparked by a bit of inspiration from Wes Anderson (another cult classic favorite), and packaged with a tennis ball actually signed by the person that watch is associated with. Theres no horological innovation here. It isnt necessarily significant to the overall industry, but it is something simply peculiar and fun. And thats something watch manufacturers can serve up a little more of.? . The Basics Brand: Maurice de MauriacModel: Stan Smith Signature Watch?Diameter: 42mmCase Material: 316L Stainless SteelDial Color: White with green accents (Blue and Red to follow)Indexes: Printed Lume: YesWater Resistance: 100mStrap/Bracelet: Green grass-inspired NATO and rubber strap? The Movement Caliber: ETA 2824-2Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, dateDiameter: 25.6mmPower Reserve: 38 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 28,800 vphJewels: 25? Pricing & Availability Price: CHF 2,390Availability: Delivers in February, currently in preorderLimited Edition: Yes, 100 piecesFor more, click here.