Cycling Escape Among Watchmakers

The cyclist’s measuring instruments include a bike computer, a smartwatch to track physiological data and a GPS, sometimes all three combined in a single device. In this array, there is no need for a mechanical watch. And yet, watchmakers have gradually entered the world of the noble art of cycling, eager to participate in the emotion that this sport provides, through watches, champions or sporting events for which they provide timekeeping.

Who said road cycling was a sport for fifty somethings in Lycra?

This summer, cycling enthusiasm hit hard. The men’s Tour de France set a new audience record in France: 45.6 million people watched at least one minute of the event, 600,000 more than in 2025. And the discipline attracted 4.9 million 15 to 24 year olds (source France Télévisions). Participants such as 19 year old Paul Seixas, or Tadej Pogačar, an absolute superstar and Richard Mille ambassador, helped draw in the spectators.

The Tour de France Femmes confirmed that it has found its audience and benefits from wide coverage. During the Grand Départ in Switzerland, in Lausanne, I had the opportunity to slip into the shoes of a pro, riding the final 65 kilometers, dressed in a Tissot jersey and mounted on a Pinarello bicycle. Cheered on by people dressed as pink elephants, weaving through the splendid landscapes of Lavaux before finally pedaling with the energy of despair from Ouchy to Saint François and collapsing, happy and cramped, after Tissot’s photo finish. Under the effect of an avalanche of adrenaline and other unidentified hormones, the physical and sensory intensity of road cycling finally appeared to me in all its grandeur. The slopes to scroll through, the climbs to swallow… So this sport was not just a hubby’s hobby during the pandemic? Were super cool people, and much younger than me, practicing it?

Watchmakers get on their bikes

For several years now, some watchmakers have had this same revelation. First came the Swedes at Bravur Pioneer. The Grand Tour Series launched in 2021 by these long time cyclists exudes cycling culture with style. A culture that is just as rich as it is fundamental, as I was able to understand during my Lausanne experience. Wearing low socks (it was hot) and purple sneakers (deemed to offer optimal comfort), a quick glance at the calves of the other participants made me understand that I had not chosen the right footwear. All around me, everywhere, long white socks and immaculate shoes. “Even the length of the jersey sleeves is important! And the glasses have to go over the straps of the helmet,” joked Magnus Äppelryd, clearly very much at home in this world. This insider knowledge has allowed the brand to go further in the design of these watches, such as the Corsa Rosa, the Bravur x Swift (partner of the Tour de France Femmes) or the Grand Tour Sprinters. These models are full of cycling details: a reversed number 13 to ward off superstition, “recently, the Tour de France has even printed the number upside down directly on the jersey,” reveals Magnus Äppelryd. So many nods that allow true insiders to recognize one another (and bring the neophytes up to date).

Watchmakers get on their bikes

For several years now, some watchmakers have had this same revelation. First came the Swedes at Bravur Pioneer. The Grand Tour Series launched in 2021 by these long time cyclists exudes cycling culture with style. A culture that is just as rich as it is fundamental, as I was able to understand during my Lausanne experience. Wearing low socks (it was hot) and purple sneakers (deemed to offer optimal comfort), a quick glance at the calves of the other participants made me understand that I had not chosen the right footwear. All around me, everywhere, long white socks and immaculate shoes. “Even the length of the jersey sleeves is important! And the glasses have to go over the straps of the helmet,” joked Magnus Äppelryd, clearly very much at home in this world. This insider knowledge has allowed the brand to go further in the design of these watches, such as the Corsa Rosa, the Bravur x Swift (partner of the Tour de France Femmes) or the Grand Tour Sprinters. These models are full of cycling details: a reversed number 13 to ward off superstition, “recently, the Tour de France has even printed the number upside down directly on the jersey,” reveals Magnus Äppelryd. So many nods that allow true insiders to recognize one another (and bring the neophytes up to date).

On the technology partner side, we find the pillar in the field, Tissot, partner of the UCI since 1995, and back in its role as official timekeeper of the Tour de France and major ASO events since 2016. “We are not simply a name associated with a competition, we provide essential timekeeping solutions through Swiss Timing, a sister company within the Swatch Group,” explains Sylvain Dolla. “Then, people who are fans of cycling need to be able to rediscover that emotion and that technological aspect on the wrist. That is why we express it through watches and special models.” Cycling makes its way onto the wrist with watches such as the Tissot x Pinarello, the Tissot PR 100 Tour de France or the Tissot PR 100 Cycling.

Among the other brands that have invested in cycling, Tudor, main partner of the team led by Fabio Cancellara since 2022, provides timekeeping for the Giro d’Italia and RCS Sport races. Its catalogue includes the Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition. Richard Mille entrusts its hyper watches, such as the RM 64 01 Tourbillon Colnago, to hyper champions such as Mathieu van der Poel and Pogačar and supports UAE Team Emirates.

In the 1950s, Willy Breitling, a cycling enthusiast, brought the brand into the world of cycling, both as a timekeeper for Grand Tours and through associations with legends such as Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. Today, the brand celebrates them, as well as Eddy Merckx, through Top Time editions.

But what explains this renewed interest from watchmakers today?

WE LOVE VELO

“What is magnificent about cycling is that it touches all social classes,” notes Sylvain Dolla, CEO of Tissot. “From the kid learning to ride without training wheels to the very wealthy person who will invest tens of thousands of euros in a carbon fiber bicycle.” Cycling is almost universal. Riding to work, getting some fresh air on Sunday, treating yourself to a high tech, lightweight and streamlined bicycle, everyone has their own small (and costly) pleasures.

“Cycling is indeed extremely varied,” confirms Stefano Macaluso, watch designer and passionate cyclist. “You reach very different groups, from gravel to road racing, from mountain biking to downhill. There are a thousand niches, and they all have this passion for technology and mechanics in common.”

But cycling also has arguments in terms of visibility: “The roads of the Tour de France are visited by millions of people who come to watch the race every year,” Sylvain Dolla points out. “It is one of the only sports where the stadium is open and free to everyone.” And the Tours pass through villages, mountain passes and cities, triggering enthusiasm wherever they go, fueled by the many goodies handed out by the caravan.

Added to this is a deeper trend: soft mobility represents the future! Participation has increased since Covid: “An accelerator,” confirms Stefano Macaluso. “The pandemic did not create the phenomenon, but it amplified pre existing trends, even causing an industrial bubble that some manufacturers subsequently paid the price for. Once the excitement has passed, I think we are now in a consolidation phase.” Because many people have developed a taste for handlebar tape.

Oh my beautiful bicycle

Another indication of the affinities between the bicycle and the watch lies in the objects themselves, capable of living as much in the past as in the future. Coming from the world of mountain biking, Stefano Macaluso has developed a very particular specialization: classic bicycles. He has taken part in the Eroica, the Tuscan event that celebrates the machines and clothing of the past, around ten times, and has had two custom bicycles built using traditional techniques. He also contributed to the Unimatic x Eroica collaboration.

“Today, the technologies used for bicycles are very interesting, with high performance hyperbikes, 3D printed frames and highly advanced aerodynamic research. But alongside this there is a trend that is bringing back the style and details of classic bicycles from the 20th century. It is a bit like the renaissance of the mechanical watch in watchmaking. This dual trend exists in both industries,” Macaluso continues, “on the one hand, technological research and, on the other, artisans who continue to produce as they did in the past.”

Does the future of the automobile have two wheels and a saddle?

For a long time, watchmakers invested in the world of engines, particularly automobiles, whether in classic races, the performance of hypercars, or the intensity of rally courses. Did cycling have a place to claim? Magnus Äppelryd, co founder of Bravur with Johan Sahlin, observes: “There are an enormous number of watches inspired by motorsport, but cycling had been somewhat forgotten. Yet it is a huge sport on a global scale, with a very long and very rich history. And it is also a sport where style matters enormously. We felt that there was a gap to be filled. From our point of view, no watch brand was really capturing the essence of the sport. We wanted to go further than marketing or communication.”

With its communities of enthusiasts, its growing female audience, its imagery linked to legends, its affinities with ecology, but also with technology, cycling has what it takes to continue whispering in the ears of watchmakers. So, if the automobile is not going to disappear from watch dials, it will no longer be alone on the starting line.