Rory McIlroy Just Won Back-to-Back Masters Wearing One of Omega’s Rarest Watches
The man just won’t stop. And the watch on his wrist is just as rare as what he’s done.
Back-to-back Masters. Only the fourth golfer in history to win consecutive green jackets at Augusta, joining a list that reads Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods, and now McIlroy. He waited 17 years to get one, and he’s got two in a row. That’s not a story you could write. Not even a little bit.
And on his wrist throughout the week: an Omega De Ville Central Tourbillon in 18k red gold, reference 513.53.39.21.99.001. A watch you can no longer buy new. Omega has discontinued it.
The De Ville Central Tourbillon is not a watch most people know, and that’s the point. It’s 38.7mm, red gold case, skeletonised sapphire crystal dial, brown crocodile strap.
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The tourbillon cage sits at the centre of the dial and completes one full rotation every second, which means at any given moment during McIlroy’s final round, you could watch time literally turning on his wrist. The 18k gold seconds hand is mounted directly on the titanium cage. It’s horological theatre, dressed up in something that looks like a dress watch.
Powering it is Omega’s Co-Axial calibre 2635, COSC-certified, with a 45-hour power reserve. This was a numbered edition. Omega produced a limited run and then moved on. The rose gold version has been confirmed discontinued across multiple authorised retail sources.
What’s it worth now? Secondary market pricing on Chrono24 sits around AU$79,000 for a used example in very good condition. That’s nothing, but it’s also not outrageous for a piece that was never meant to be a volume seller.
McIlroy’s sixth major puts him level with Phil Mickelson among active players, with only Tiger Woods ahead on 15. He’s also now the highest earner in Masters history, surpassing Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson with more than $12 million earned at Augusta alone.
None of that was a given on Sunday. He came in tied for the lead after nearly surrendering a six-shot advantage over the weekend.
A double bogey on the fourth and a wobble through the front nine had him briefly off the pace, before he came home with birdies on 12 and 13 and never looked back. He put his tee shot into the trees on 18 and still won by one. “I just can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket, and I get two in a row.”
The De Ville Tourbillon is everything the Seamaster PlanetOcean is not. Quietly grand, built in tiny numbers, discontinued before most people noticed it existed. Wearing one to win back-to-back Masters is either an accident or the best watch flex in Augusta history.
Either way, the watch is now off the market and the man wearing it just made history.
