NFL Star Aaron Rodgers Turns Designer for the New ZENITH Chronomaster Sport Limited Edition

Jersey colours play a crucial role in sports, particularly in relation to their psychological impact on athletes. Different colours can evoke different kinds of emotions and even affect one's performance. Some teams have green jerseys — take, for example, the New York Jets, one of the leading professional American football teams. The club's legendary quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has taken on the role of a designer to create a 250-piece limited-edition Chronomaster Sport Aaron Rodgers (Ref. 03.3117.3600/56.M3100). The watch is mostly green in colour, of course. 

The relationship between sports and chronographs can be traced back to the early 20th century when athletes started using these specialised watches to enhance their training and performance. Over time, many watch manufacturers recognised the market potential and began collaborating with sports personalities to create signature chronograph models. Unleashing this potential, among others, is Aaron Rodgers, 39. He is one of the most celebrated veterans of the NFL, who has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks to have graced the game. He joined the New York Jets this year after 18 successful seasons with the Green Bay Packers. With his career spanning over 19 years, Rodgers  won four NFL Most Valuable Player awards, three All-Pro selections, nine Pro Bowl selections, and the 2011 Bert Bell Award (Player of the Year). Rodgers also holds the record for the most consecutive seasons with a passer rating of over 100.0.

The newly launched ZENITH Chronomaster Sport Aaron Rodgers timepiece is a versatile watch meant for all. This 41 mm stainless steel watch can be comfortably worn by both men and women, irrespective of wrist sizes. The lugs, the crown at 3 o’clock, and the two pump-style chronograph pushers at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock are also made of stainless steel. Resembling the colour tone of the Jets, the watch gets a green-toned, lacquered dial with a green ceramic bezel and a green-toned date window with a white numeral at 4:30. 

The dial gets Arabic hour markers and sword-shaped hour and minute hands with rhodium-plating, also faceted and coated with SuperLumiNova. These numerals resemble the jersey numbers, along with the bar-shaped numerals for 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9 o’clock. The tricolour dial configuration has been reinterpreted in shades of anthracite for the 60-minute counter at 6 o'clock, light grey for the 60-second counter at 3 o'clock, and silver for the small seconds at 9 o'clock. The central chronograph hand that makes one turn in 10 seconds gets a yellow tip and ZENITH’s star on its base. On the outer periphery of the dial, one can spot a white minute track and a grey chapter ring. 

On designing the watch, Aaron Rodgers said in an official statement, “I'm so thankful to ZENITH for giving me the opportunity to fulfil a lifelong dream of designing my very own watch. As a history buff, I have immense respect for ZENITH’s history and visiting their Manufacture last year helped me gain an even deeper appreciation for their craftsmanship and dedication to excellence.” He added, “Working with their team to incorporate all the different elements I wanted to include was a fun adventure and I couldn’t be happier to see our vision come to life in this watch”.

The ZENITH Chronomaster Sport Aaron Rodgers watch is powered by the brand’s El Primero 3600, 10/10th of a second movement, with an increased power reserve of 60 hours. This movement has been entirely redesigned to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the legendary El Primero automatic column-wheel chronograph  movement. The decoration has also been modernised. The 2023 offering introduces a new star-shaped oscillating weight with satin finishings.

It is the same movement that can be found on the recently released Chronomaster Sport (Ref. 03.3114.3600/51.M3100).  The ZENITH Chronomaster Sport Aaron Rodgers with a polished steel bezel is worn on a classic three-link steel bracelet, featuring an adjustable folding clasp. To further highlight ZENITH’s collaboration with Aaron Rodgers, the sapphire display back is emblazoned with the “AR” logo.