Back in 2011, Joe LaCava had an appointment with Tiger Woods. This was during their initial days of partnership. Now the veteran caddie had heard tales about Woods’s punctuality, so he arrived right on time: 5.30 PM. And what does he see? The former world no. 1 was already done with his salads and was waiting for his stake. 

Next LaCava knows he is dining alone. Woods finished his stake even before LaCava’s salad arrived. And left. “It wasn’t in a bad way, but come to find out 5.30 for him means 5.15, which I found out later,” LaCava later recounted. Well, Tiger Woods likes to be on, sorry, ahead of time. 

Perhaps a man who values time should been sponsored by the best timepiece makers since his early days. Here is a brief history of Woods’s tryst with luxury watchmakers and their innovative products ranked from oldest to newest.

The early days with Tudor circa 1997

Rolex signed Tiger Woods way back in 1997, a year after he turned pro. A month after Woods’s historic Masters triumph, Rolex announced that the youngster has signed a pact with Tudor, a subbrand. Interestingly, Woods did wear a Tudor even before signing an official agreement. As per the official statement released in May, then 21-year-old Woods sported a Tudor chronograph since January 20 of that year. 

Per a New York Times report from May 28, 1997, Tudor signed Woods for $7 million for a five-year sponsorship with Tudor. The luxury watchmaker added his name to his Oysterdate series. The Tudor Prince also featured the name ‘Tiger’ on its dial. This was long before Woods became an official Rolex Ambassador, following in the footsteps of his idols, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. 

Tag Heuer signed Tiger Woods in 2002

Tiger Woods, whose net worth is estimated at $1.3B by Forbes, sported the Tag Heuer Link Chronograph many times and appeared in promotional advertisements as well. Currently, the luxury timepiece is priced at $5,450, but at the moment it is out of stock on the official website. Per the whist enthusiast, it’s available in the secondary market for $2,000. Other than that, Woods also spotted the Kirium F1 around 2006, most famously during the Open Championship triumph at Royal Liverpool. 

The financial details of the sponsorship weren’t released by the company. But the contract started on January 1, 2003. Notably, Woods’s sponsorship ties with various brands went through a strain at the very public controversy regarding his private life. The Swiss watchmaker was one of the very few global brands that stood by the former world no. 1. Dubbing him the ‘best in the domain’ in a public statement, Tag Heuer said his personal life was not their business. 

Strangely, only a year after standing by Tiger Woods, Tag Heuer dropped the former world no. 1 from its roster. In 2011, the Swiss watchmaker announced that they were parting ways with the 82-time PGA Tour winner in light of its customers’ sentiments. The public unraveling of Woods’s personal life finally caught up with the Swiss watchmaker as well. 

And that’s when Rolex jumped in.

The Rolex days of Tiger Woods

In October 2011, the Swiss luxury watchmaker announced that it had signed Tiger Woods as its official spokesperson. It was viewed by skeptics as a risky move from a reputed brand—the wildfire around Woods’s public life was yet to die down. 

But then Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer were all associated with Rolex. As was Phil Mickelson at that time. So, it was a logical next step. The financial details were not available. 

Woods’s first Rolex appearance came a day after the announcement. The 15-time major champion was spotted wearing a Rolex Datejust II with a blue dial. The pre-owned Datejust models range anywhere between $12,000 and $24,000. 

Tiger Woods has also sported Submariner models. These were reserved for formal occasions rather than on the greens or the range. During that stage, you would’ve seen a Rolex day-date date on his wrist. 

One of the most famous and expensive of his timepieces is the GMT-Master II. It’s a two-tone 40MM watch (steel and gold) that is priced at around $16,000 on the secondary market. The Deepsea 116660 Ceramic Black is another of Woods’s favorite and most prized possessions. The Seadweller Deepsea is also a favorite of Stephen Curry, among other notable athletes.

The most famous and easily recognizable of his Rolex watches is the Deepsea Sea Dweller Deepsea Blue. It was on Woods’s wrist when he slipped on the green jacket for the fifth time in his career at the 2019 Masters. 

A fun fact: Woods was once asked by Erik Anders Lang of Random Golf Club if he sleeps with his watch on his wrist. Guess his reply? A very short ‘yes’. Well, Woods loves to be punctual, and he loves his Rolex. And by the way, he also gifted Joe LaCava a Rolex after winning the 2019 Masters.