Featured image: NataljaRDU, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Michael Jordan’s best-known watch is the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton, the 45mm black titanium piece he wore in his interview scenes in ESPN’s “The Last Dance.” Away from that documentary he is regularly photographed in Rolex Daytonas, Richard Mille, Urwerk and other high-end independents.
Quick answer In “The Last Dance” (2020) Jordan wore a Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli, limited to 88 pieces and priced at about $72,000 in 2020. He is also reported in a platinum Rolex Daytona and a Bamford-customized Daytona, and in 2022 he showed off a De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk JPS numbered 23. We found no official watch ambassador deal for him, so most identifications come from photos and watch-press reporting.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli: the watch from The Last Dance
When the series aired in spring 2020, watch fans noticed Jordan’s wrist in the present-day interviews. Quill & Pad reported that he already owned the watch and that Roger Dubuis did not know it would appear on screen. Time+Tide matched it to the Excalibur Spider Pirelli, and pointed out that Scottie Pippen wore a much pricier Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Flying Tourbillon in his own scenes.
For scale, Time+Tide lists Pippen’s 45mm white gold Double Flying Tourbillon at about $305,000, more than four times the price of Jordan’s piece. Even so, Jordan’s choice drew just as much attention in the watch press.
The Pirelli collaboration shows in the black rubber strap, which uses race-derived tire compounds, and in the skeletonized, motorsport look of the case. That fits Jordan’s well-known interest in fast cars and racing.
| Spec | Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton |
|---|---|
| Case size | 45mm |
| Case material | Black DLC-coated titanium |
| Movement | Calibre RD820SQ, automatic, skeletonized with micro-rotor, Geneva Seal, 60-hour power reserve |
| Water resistance | 50 meters |
| Edition | Limited to 88 pieces |
| Approximate price | $69,500 at its 2018 launch; about $72,000 in 2020 (retail, now sold out; pre-owned prices vary) |
Where to buy
Compare the same watch on both sites: eBay for pre-owned and vintage pieces, Amazon for new stock.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton
Orient Star Skeleton Automatic Alternative
Tudor Black Bay Chrono Alternative
Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Alternative
Prices and availability change; check the listing before you buy.
How reliable are the Jordan watch lists?
Most Jordan watch lists online are built from photos, social media posts and event sightings, not from confirmed purchases. Wrist Enthusiast says plainly that it names these watches because he was “spotted wearing” them, and that its prices are its own unverified estimates. BeckerTime, a retailer, publishes a similar list and credits no sources for its claims.
That is why we treat the Roger Dubuis as the headline watch. It appears in a major documentary, and Quill & Pad reported that the brand did not know it would be shown. The rest of the list is useful, but it should be read as “reported.”
Jordan’s Rolex Daytonas
Rolex Daytonas are the thread that runs through most Jordan watch lists. Wrist Enthusiast and BeckerTime both report a platinum Daytona (ref. 116506) with an ice-blue dial and a chocolate brown Cerachrom bezel. Wrist Enthusiast lists it with a retail price of about $75,650 and says pre-owned examples have asked far more. These identifications come from photos and not from Jordan or Rolex.
The better-documented one is a Bamford customization. DMARGE photographed him in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in September 2021 wearing a Rolex Daytona customized by Bamford Watch Department as the “Polar Edition.” The base watch is a steel ref. 116520, and Bamford gave it a graphite-particle coating and a custom dial.
Wrist Enthusiast also lists an all-gold Rolex Day-Date spotted on him in 1991, a Sky-Dweller ref. 326934 and a diamond-set yellow gold GMT-Master II ref. 116758-SANR. For another NBA star with a Rolex habit, read what Stephen Curry wears.
Richard Mille, Urwerk, De Bethune and more
Jordan’s collection leans toward independent brands. Monochrome reported him in a Richard Mille RM 032 diver chronograph and a Ulysse Nardin Sonata, and Wrist Enthusiast adds Urwerk models such as the UR-210, which it says he wore at the 2022 All-Star Game. Monochrome also lists a Jaquet Droz Grand Seconde in black ceramic, limited to 88 pieces, seen at NBA games, and Wrist Enthusiast names an A. Lange & Sohne Datograph in platinum and an IWC Big Pilot “Le Petit Prince.”
The most recent publicly shown piece we found is the De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk JPS (ref. DB27V2JPS). DMARGE reported that Jordan posted it in December 2022. It is limited to 25 pieces and costs about $60,000. DMARGE says his example carries case number 23, his jersey number, and was the first customer-delivered watch of the model. It is made from polished black zirconium and yellow titanium, and its black-and-gold colors recall the John Player Special livery of Lotus Formula 1 cars.
Panerai also shows up on the reported list, with a Radiomir PAM 425 and a Luminor Marina PAM 172 in tantalum. Sylvester Stallone helped make that brand famous, and you can see his picks in our Stallone Panerai guide. For another athlete in Richard Mille, see Bubba Watson’s tourbillons.
Monochrome also mentions the Time Jordan, a mid-1980s Guy Laroche quartz watch inspired by him. It is a collector curiosity rather than something he is known to wear now.
Similar watches and affordable alternatives
Roger Dubuis prices are out of reach for most buyers, but skeleton dials are not. An Orient Star skeleton or a Seiko 5 Sports automatic with an open heart gives you the see-through mechanical look for a few hundred dollars. If the chronograph look appeals, a TAG Heuer Formula 1 or a Seiko Prospex Speedtimer covers the racing angle.
For Rolex Daytona fans, the Tudor Black Bay Chrono is the nearest value alternative. Another Daytona devotee is comedian Jerry Seinfeld, covered in our Seinfeld watch guide.
FAQ
What watch does Michael Jordan wear?
He is best known for the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli worn in “The Last Dance,” and he is often photographed in Rolex Daytonas, Richard Mille and Urwerk.
What watch did Michael Jordan wear in The Last Dance?
A Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton, a 45mm black titanium watch limited to 88 pieces, according to Quill & Pad and Time+Tide.
How much is Michael Jordan’s watch?
The Roger Dubuis cost about $69,500 at launch in 2018 and about $72,000 in 2020. His De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk JPS is about $60,000, and the Richard Mille RM 032 has been reported at roughly $150,000 or more.
Does Michael Jordan have a watch sponsorship?
We found no official watch ambassador deal for Jordan, and the watch press coverage we reviewed names none. His best-known commercial tie is Nike’s Jordan Brand.
Does Michael Jordan wear a Rolex?
Yes, according to photo-based reports. These include a platinum Daytona, a Bamford-customized Daytona photographed in 2021 and a Sky-Dweller, though none has been confirmed by Jordan or Rolex.
What is Michael Jordan’s newest watch?
The newest one we could verify is the De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk JPS he showed on social media in December 2022. He may have added others since.
Sources
- Quill & Pad: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen wearing Roger Dubuis watches in The Last Dance
- Time+Tide: The watch flex in The Last Dance
- DMARGE: Michael Jordan wears an icy-cold Rolex on his European summer holiday
- DMARGE: Michael Jordan’s latest timepiece (De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk JPS)
- Wrist Enthusiast: Michael Jordan’s Watch Collection
- Monochrome: Watching Celeb Watches, Michael Jordan sporting rare pieces