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The World Cup has been spectacular for watch spotting.
Off the pitch, celebrity fans have turned the stands into an unofficial luxury watch show. David Beckham rotated through a collection dominated by Tudor, while managers were spotted wearing everything from IWC to Patek Philippe.
The players haven’t exactly held back either.
Harry Kane arrived wearing a white-gold Patek Philippe Nautilus, Anthony Gordon sported a sapphire-set Patek perpetual calendar worth well into six figures, while Cristiano Ronaldo packed multiple gem-set Pateks and Rolex Daytonas.
If there was a luxury watch bingo card for World Cup 2026, it was probably completed before the quarter-finals.
Eddie Keogh – The FA
Then there was Eberechi Eze.
While football’s biggest stars flexed watches worth more than most houses, the England midfielder went for one costing the same as a couple of pints of lager (plus crisps), the humble Casio F-91W: a black resin digital that Amazon sells for £16.
Eston Parker/ISI Photos
Introduced in 1989, the F-91W has become one of the most recognisable watches ever made. It weighs just 21 grams, runs for seven years (!) on a single battery, tells the time to within around 30 seconds a month and has barely changed in more than three decades.
More than 100 million have been made, making it the best-selling watch in history*.
Casio Casio F91W-1 Casual Sport Watch
Casio Casio F91W-1 Casual Sport Watch
Its appeal has always been that it doesn’t try to impress anyone. Generations have owned one as a first watch, while architects, designers, musicians and fashion insiders have embraced it precisely because it’s so ordinary.
Casio’s “refusal to be cool” is exactly what made it cool.
England may have fallen short at the World Cup, but Eze can still claim one victory. In a tournament chock-full of six-figure status symbols, the coolest watch on the pitch cost a bit more than a Pret lunch.
*If you ignore the Apple Watch
